#tt_newbie
The alphabet
Do you want to start your journey of learning Tatar, but you don’t know the Cyrillic alphabet? And the Latin one seems confusing with new letters you have no idea how to read?

Which one do you use anyway?

Let me start with the short answer that there is no short answer. At different times, different writing systems were used for the Tatar language.

Arabic script was used until 1927 (some Tatar diasporas in China, Afghanistan and Iran still use Arabic script).
Latin alphabet was used in 1927-1939 (some attempts were made to revive the Latin alphabet at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries).
Cyrillic alphabet has been used from 1939 to the present day. As you may know, this alphabet is most widely used by Tatars today, and the majority of learning and reading materials are written in Cyrillic.

However, although the Latin script is not widely used by the Tatars living in Tatarstan or Russia, those living in such countries as Finland, Turkey, the USA or Australia use the Tatar Latin alphabet at the present time. Moreover, many decolonial Tatar activists use it as an alternative to the Cyrillic script that was forcefully implemented by the Soviet Union. There are also several sources that use this script, e.g. Azatlıq Radiosı released some articles using the Tatar Latin alphabet and the Instagram page Tatar Grammar.

To transcribe the sounds, I will use the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and you can click on the sounds in the [brackets] to listen to them yourself.

I will describe only the pronunciation of the letters that significantly differ from English or other languages using the Latin script.

Aa is pronounced slightly differently depending on its position in the word. In the first syllable, it's pronounced as
[ɒ] like in the English word "car" and in the rest of the syllables as [ɑ].

Ää/Əә is pronounced as [æ] like in the word "cat"
There are two different ways of writing this letter in the Latin script. You can use whichever you like more, but since this letter occurs really frequently, some Tatar activists and I prefer using “ә” as it reduces the amount of dots in a word. It is also used in the Azerbaijan language and looks beautiful in my personal opinion 🌷

Cc is pronounced as [ʑ] like in "vision"

Çç is pronounced as [ɕ]

Gg is pronounced as [g] like in "game"

Ğğ is pronounced as [ʁ]

Iı is pronounced as [ə] like in "bottom"

İi is pronounced as [i] like in "free"

Jj is pronounced as [ʐ] and is used in loanwords

Qq is pronounced as [q]

Ññ is pronounced as [ŋ] like in "song"

Oo is pronounced as [ʊ]

Öö is pronounced as [ɵ] similar to "nurse" in British English

Rr is pronounced as [ɾ] like "three" in Scottish English

Şş is pronounced as [ʃ] like in "sheep"

Üü is pronounced similar to [ʉ] in "goose"

Xx is pronounced as [χ]

Yy is pronounced as [j] like in "you"

In the future newbie posts, I will try to attach the audio to each phrase to help you pronounce it correctly. Stay tuned!

Here are the spelling rules.

#tt_beginner
My new home 🏠
The possessive pronouns and personal suffix lesson for beginners 🙌🏼

The possessive pronouns in Tatar are:
minem – my
sineñ – your
anıñ – his/her
bezneñ – our
sezneñ – your (plural/formal)
alarnıñ – their

Along with these, if the noun ends with a consonant, u, ü or i, the following suffixes are used:

minem kitabım – my book
sineñ kitabıñ – your book
anıñ kitabı – his/her book
bezneñ kitabıbız – our book
sezneñ kitabığız – your (pl/form) book
alarnıñ kitabı – their book

minem östәlem – my table
sineñ östәleñ – your table
anıñ östәle – his/her table
bezneñ östәlebez – our table
sezneñ östәlegez – your (pl/form) table
alarnıñ östәle – their table

Just keep in mind the spelling before the suffix for the words ending with u, ü and i:
uquwı, kölüwe, pesiye

If the noun ends with a back vowel, the following suffixes are used:

minem balam – my child
sineñ balañ – your child
anıñ balası – his/her child
bezneñ balabız – our child
sezneñ balağız – your (pl/form) child
alarnıñ balası – their child

If the noun ends with a front vowel (except for i,ü), the following suffixes are used:

minem közgem – my mirror
sineñ közgeñ – your mirror
anıñ közgese – his/her mirror
bezneñ közgebez – our mirror
sezneñ közgegez – your (pl/form) mirror
alarnıñ közgese – their mirror

Although the noun stems of the words əni, əti, əbi, bəbi end with an i, following suffixes are used:
minem əniyem
sineñ əniyeñ
anıñ ənise
bezneñ əniyebez
sezneñ əniyegez
alarnıñ ənise

Sometimes, the pronouns are left out.
Let’s look at the dialogue. The English translation follows after.

A: Rәxim itegez, bu minem yaña öyem!
B: Qotlıym! Şәp kürenә.
A: Rәxmәt. Ayaq kiyemegezne koridorda qaldırıp keregez.
С: Bezgә fatirıñnı kürsәtәseñme?.
A: Әydәgez, monda aş bülmәse, yanında yuwınu bülmәse hәm yoqı bülmәm şunda. Keçkenә balkon da bar.
С: Bik matur kürenә. Bezneñ yaña ofista da şundıy uq urındığıbız bar.
B: Ә, bezneñ ike nәrsәne bәyrәm itәse bar bit. Sineñ yaña fatirıñ hәm Alsunıñ yaña eşe!
C: İskitkeç, min sineñ öçen bik şatmın, Alsu! Zinhar, tür yaqqa kerep östәl artına utırığız. Milәwşә, ә sineñ ğailәñ kilmime?
B: İrem balalarnı yal könnәrenә awılğa alıp bara, әbi-babayların kürergә. Әmmә ul ber-ike sәğәttәn soñ bezgә quşılır.

Vocabulary:
bülmә – room
aş bülmәse – kitchen
yoqı bülmәse – bedroom
tür yaq – living room
qunaq bülmәse – guest room
yuwınu bülmәse – bathroom
bәdrәf – toilet
ber/ ike/ öç bülmәle fatir – one/ two/ three-room-apartment


A: Welcome, this is my new home!
B: Congratulations! It looks amazing.
A: Thank you. Please leave your shoes in the corridor and come in.
C: Will you show us around?
A: Yes, here is the kitchen, the bathroom is next to it and my bedroom is there. There is also a small balcony.
C: It looks lovely. We have the same chair at our new office.
B: Oh yes, we have two things to celebrate. Your new apartment and Alsu’s new job!
A: That’s amazing, I’m so happy for you Alsu! Please come sit at the table in the living room. Oh, Milәwşә, isn’t your family coming?
B: My husband is taking the kids to the village for the weekend to see their grandparents. But he will join us in an hour or two.

I hope you have learned the possessive pronouns and suffixes and will use them now in your Tatar speech. Even if your vocabulary is scarce yet, just try to experiment with whatever you have learned! Write your Tatar sentence using the pronouns and suffixes in the comments 👇🏼
Also, let me know if you want to learn more home-related vocabulary! 🏠

P.S. If this lesson is too hard for you, don't worry! There are many more newbie lessons to come for those who have no previous knowledge of Tatar. Just pay attention to the hashtags at the beginning of the posts. More advanced stuff is also yet to come 😉

While the intermediate level post is cooking, I have some exercises for you to check your knowledge of the possessive pronouns and personal suffixes 💫

#tt_intermediate
Today I have an exciting lesson for our intermediate learners ✨
We will get acquainted with modern Tatar indie music, enjoy the melody and translate the lyrics. You can listen to this track on Spotify, Apple Music or Youtube. The latter even has visuals for the whole experience. The original lyrics are taken from Genius and translated into English by a genius too 😜

OMMAJ – UYIN

Bu yalğan
Bu uyın
Üzem dә belmim
Uynıym kemneñ tuyın
Salqın bülmәdә
Berüzem
Tönen hәm könozın
Qalamın yalğızım

Xis yuq
Yörәktә xis yuq
Yözemә bitleklәr iñgәn
Uyın
Uyanğan sayın
Şәxesemne rollәr ciñgәn

Kileşterәm
Sürәtlәrne
Könlәşterәm
İşlәrne

Bu yalğan
Bu uyın
Üzem dә belmim
Uynıym kemneñ tuyın

Salqın bülmәdә
Berüzem
Tönen hәm könozın
Qalamın yalğızım

Şәy küp
Tik barısı çüp
Küñelemdә çıñlıy buşlıq
Tınlıq
Böten qalınlıq
Bu kitapta barı tışlıq

Kileşterәm
Sürәtlәrne
Könlәşterәm
İşlәrne

Bu yalğan
Bu uyın
Üzem dә belmim
Uynıym kemneñ tuyın
Salqın bülmәdә
Berüzem
Tönen hәm könozın
Qalamın yalğızım

_____________________

OMMAGE – THE GAME

It’s a lie
It’s a game
And I don't know myself
Whose game I’m playing
In a cold room
All alone
Night and day
I stay lonely

No feelings
There are no feelings in my heart
Masks have sunk into my face
A game
Every time I wake up
Roles have defeated my personality

I pick the best pictures
I make my peers jealous

It’s a lie
It’s a game
And I don't know myself
Whose game I’m playing
In a cold room
All alone
Night and day
I stay lonely

Many things
But all of them are garbage
Emptiness is ringing in my heart
Silence
The whole thickness of this book
Is just its cover

I pick the best pictures
I make my peers jealous

It’s a lie
It’s a game
And I don't know myself
Whose game I’m playing
In a cold room
All alone
Night and day
I stay lonely

I hope you added the song to your playlist and could do a little karaoke and sing along 🎤 Stay tuned for more music deep dives and lyrics translations! 🎼

#tt_advanced
I was just learning imperfect...
Today we're learning about the continuous past or imperfect. All linguistic terms aside, it is not as complicated as the name sounds. Let's first learn how to form it and then I will explain the use with some examples.

🕔 Present tense stem + idem, ideñ, etc:

min bara idem – i was going
sin bara ideñ – you were going
ul bara ide – he/she was going
bez bara idek – we were going
sez bara idegez – you were going
alar bara ide(lәr) – they were going

min kitә idem – i was leaving
sin kitә ideñ – you were leaving
ul kitә ide – he/she was leaving
bez kitә idek – we were leaving
sez kitә idegez – you were leaving
alar kitә ide(lәr) – they were leaving

min cırlıy idem – i was singing
sin cırlıy ideñ – you were singing
ul cırlıy ide – he/she was singing
bez cırlıy idek – we were singing
sez cırlıy idegez – you were singing
alar cırlıy ide(lәr) – they were singing

min biyi idem – i was dancing
sin biyi ideñ – you were dancing
ul biyi ide – he/she was dancing
bez biyi idek – we were dancing
sez biyi idegez – you were dancing
alar biyi ide(lәr) – they were dancing

🕔 The negative form affects only the first verb:
min cırlamıy idem / biyemi idem


🕔 So when is imperfect used?

⏳ This verb form mostly indicates an action taking place when a second action occurs:

Min aşxanәgә kerep barğanda, ul çığıp kilә ide.
When I was about to enter the restaurant, she was leaving.


⏳ It may indicate an action occurring at the moment of speaking:

Xәzer Ğabbasım, xәzer. Çığıp bara idem.
Just a moment, my Ghabbas, just a moment. I was just leaving.


⏳ It can also indicate an action performed more or less regularly, habitually, or a permanent quality of the subject:

Ul üzenә keşe kilgәnne bik yarata ide, axrısı, çönki bülmәsenә keşe küp kilә ide.
He apparently enjoyed people visiting him very much, for a lot of people used to come into his room.

Ul hәrwaqıt yәşlәr icatı belәn qızıqsına ide, yәşlәrgә ışana ide.
He was always interested in the creative work of the young, he believed in young people.


⏳ Imperfect may also serve as a background for the development of other events:

Uramda qar yawa ide. Aq uramnan qara kiyemle keşelәr aşığa-aşığa baralar ide. “Sufiyәga bu xәbәrne niçek әytergә?” – dip uyladı. Ul bit inde zur ömetlәr belәn kötә.
It was snowing outside. People dressed in black clothes were hurrying along the white street. ‘How do I tell Sufia this news?’ he thought. After all, she is waiting with great hopes.

🕔 There are also other cases, in which the continuous past is used, but these are the main ones. Hope this was helpful! If you have any questions, leave them in the comment section below.
_________________

Based on "Tatar Grammar. A Grammar of the Contemporary Tatar Literary Language" by Gustav Burbiel
All examples are taken from Tatar literature:
Әmirxan Yeniki, "Yörәk sere"
Ayaz Ğilәcev, "Bez unike qız idek"
Zәkiyә Rәsuleva, "Tuqay ezlәrennәn", M. Maqsud, "Ğ. İbrahimov turında istәleklәr"
İbrahim Ğazi, "Ğәyepsez ğәyeplelәr"

"Umay Ana" by Bartu Bölükbaşı
#tt_culture

#tt_culture
Tatar mythology
Along with teaching you Tatar, I would like to introduce you to the rich Tatar culture.
It is truly multi-faceted, stretching from Tengrist and Shamanist beliefs to Islam, from nomadic and warrior way of life of Turkic peoples to hospitality, culinary traditions and homekeeping.

📖 Tatar mythology is a fascinating part of the Tatar culture, influenced by other local Asiatic, Mongol, Finnic, and Indo-European mythologies.

📖 Tatars have quite descriptive stories about entities tied to the lower world. Found in various mythologies, they play roles that can vary from protecting natural realms to representing darker forces. You might have heard about Şürәle, a spirit of the forest with a human-like appearance but with long fingers, nails, a horn, and covered with hair, that leads travelers astray in the woods.

📖 In ancient Tatar beliefs, stories about the higher gods, how the world was made, where people came from, and so on have been passed down through stories and legends. These stories, like "Aq Büre" (White Wolf) and "Aq Yılan" (White Serpent), talk about tribes originating from animals like wolves and snakes and reflect a totemic spiritual connection between humans and animals.

▫️Then there were references to the Pantheon of Heavenly Gods in historical records, that suggest a polytheistic belief system, or believing in many different gods. Tәñre being the supreme god who controls all aspects of existence and human fate highlights his central role in the cosmology. Giving Tәñre human-like qualities and emotions illustrates the way humans often project their own attributes onto deities.

▫️Umay, the goddess associated with femininity and fertility, is an important representation of the feminine in Turkic mythology. This balance between masculine and feminine deities reflects a holistic view of the world and the divine.

▫️Cir-Su (Yer-Sub) is a deity that holds significance among the Tatar people, patronizing their homeland, nature, and earthly life. Cir-Su is believed to guide and protect the community, embodying a connection to the land and its resources.

📖 The adoption of Islam by the Tatars led to a transformation of their mythological beliefs. Islamic concepts and figures likely became intertwined with existing mythological narratives, resulting in a blend of pre-Islamic and Islamic ideas. This type of mixing is common when cultures encounter new religious systems.

📖 Later, during the Soviet era, there was an effort to suppress traditional religious practices and folklore. This had an impact on the transmission of Tatar mythology. Folklore and myths continued to exist in more hidden or transformed forms, as they were adapted to fit within the ideological framework of the time.

📖 In modern times, there has been a renewed interest in Tatar cultural heritage. Scholars, writers, and cultural enthusiasts have undertaken efforts to research, document, and preserve Tatar mythology, contributing to its revival and recognition.

In the following posts, we're going to get up close and personal with different entities from the Tatar mythology. Let me know if you're interested!

_______________
Based on "Tatar mifologiyәse" by F. Urmançe

#tt_newbie
Hi, how are you?
You have worked hard studying the Tatar alphabet and probably can’t wait to learn your first Tatar phrases.
I have the perfect vocabulary for you today! First, let’s learn how to say hello 👋🏼

İsәnmesez! - Hello! / Sәlam! - Hi! 👋🏼
Xәyerle irtә! - Good morning! ☀️
Xәyerle kön! - Good afternoon! 🌤
Xәyerle kiç! - Good evening! 🌄
Xәyerle tön! Tınıç yoqı! - Good night! Sleep tight! 😴
Xuş kildegez! Rәxim itegez! - Welcome! 🤗
Rәxmәt – Thank you 🙏🏼
Xәllәr niçek? – How are you? 🤔
Kәyef niçek? – How are you? (lit. How is your mood?)
Әybәt / Yaхşı – Good 🙂
Şәp – Excellent 😄
Yarıysı – Okay 😐
Naçar – Bad ☹️
Ә sineñ? - And you?
Saw bul / Xuş – Goodbye! 👋🏼
İsən-saw – Bye!

All audios are taken from Forvo.

Here is a short dialog from Azatlıq with an audio:
A: Sәlam, Alinә!
B: Sәlam, Azat!
A: Xәllәr niçek?
B: Rәxmәt, әybәt.

Congratulations! Now you are ready to hold your first conversation in Tatar!
How does it feel? Leave your comments below 👇🏼