#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 👇🏼