Troyça

Troyça or Trinity Sunday, another major holiday, involves cleaning graves and remembering the deceased. On the Saturday night before, the Uyın gatherings took place, where young people from neighboring villages came together for socializing and traditional games, a round dance, and singing. This celebration, held in the forest, continues until dawn.

Summer and Harvest Rituals

Spring and summer rituals were similar to those of Kazan Tatars, including a Sabantuy festival, known locally as sörən or şıylıq. Kerəşennər also celebrated local fairs or Christian feast days in neighboring Russian villages. These festivals included games, and courtship rituals, sometimes leading to marriages or engagements. The summer festival, often tied to a Christian holiday, resembled the Cıyın festival in Kazan Tatar villages or was known as Yafraq bəyrəme (the Leaf Festival), typically aligned with the Feast of St. Peter and St. James.

Narduğan

The winter solstice brought the festive period of Narduğan, from December 25th to January 5th, coinciding with Christmas and Epiphany. This joyous occasion included elaborate costumes, rituals, fortune-telling, games, and social bonding, marking the winter solstice with entertainment and spiritual reflection. More on Narduğan here.

May Bəyrəme

May bəyrəme, or Maslenitsa (Butter Week), is celebrated seven or eight weeks before Easter and marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It is celebrated with sledding and horse races, where the horses are decorated with colorful ribbons, and people dress in festive clothes. An exciting ritual, ut atlaw, involves men and youths jumping over fire to symbolize the seasonal transition. Some villages also practice the çoman ozatu ritual, burning old items to symbolize winter’s end, followed by a feast that may include marriage celebrations.

Preserving heritage through songs and rituals

Each of these holidays is enriched with ritual songs that help connect the community to the divine and nature. The guest ritual, or erət cerü, is a significant aspect of the Kerəşen people's culture, separate from weddings. Older generations engage in these visits during specific holidays such as Christmas, Pentecost, Easter, and the autumn Feast of the Protection. These visits involve songs performed during meals, referred to as guest songs (qunaq köye), table songs (tabın köye), and drinking songs (eçke köye). The guest song accompanies toasts and wishes, marking family gatherings.

Despite Christian influence, Kerəşennər have preserved many pre-Christian customs, blending them with agricultural practices. These rituals not only mark time but foster community bonding and the passing of cultural knowledge, reflecting their deep connection to the seasons, agriculture, and communal life.

___________________________
History and Culture of the Kerəşen Tatars (16th–20th Centuries), Sh. Mərcani Institute of History, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan
R. Urazmanova “Rites and holidays of Tatars of the Volga Region and Ural” 2001

Kerəşen girl wearing sürəkə (headwear).

Noğaybək woman's costume. Troitsky Uyezd, Orenburg Governorate.

Performance of the State Folklore Ensemble of the Kerəşens "Bərmənçek." 2016.

#tt_newbie
Body, organs & going to a doctor

səlamətlek, sawlıq – health
isən, saw, taza, səlamət – healthy (e.g. person)
faydalı – healthy (e.g. food)
şifalı – healing
awıru, çirle, xasta – sick, ill
üzemne naçar xis itəm – I feel bad / unwell
xis itü, toyu, sizü – to feel (sth)
zararlı, zıyanlı – unhealthy (e.g. food)
awıru, çirləw – to be sick
awırtu, sızlaw – to hurt / pain
awıru, çir – disease
Tizrək terel! – Get well soon!

🧠 Anatomiyə

eçke əğza – inner organ
mi, baş miye – brain
tamaq – throat
qalqan(sıman) biz – thyroid
üpkə – lung
yörək – heart
aşqazanı – stomach
aşqazanı astı bize – pancreas
talaq – spleen
sidek quwığı – bladder
bawır – liver
böyer – kidney
eçək – intestine
muskul – muscles
qan – blood
qan tamırı – vein
nerv – nerve

🤒 Simptomnar – Symptoms

temperatura – fever
minem temperatura bar – I have a fever
mine qaltırata – I shiver
miña salqın (suwıq) tigən – I caught cold
tın alu, sulaw – respiration
yötkerü – to cough
töçkerü – to sneeze
tomaw – runny nose
borınım tığılğan / tomalanğan – I have a stuffy nose
xəlsezlek – weakness
xəlem yuq – I feel weak
başım əylənə – I’m dizzy
yuğarı / tübən qan basımı – high / low blood pressure
tirləw – to sweat
aşqaynatu – digestion
künelem bolğana – I feel nauseous
qosu – to vomit, to throw up
eç kitü – to have diarrhea
eç qatu – constipation
huş kitep yığılu – to faint, to pass out
yoqısızlıq – insomnia
çəç qoyıla – hair falls out

🏥 Xastaxanə – Hospital

tabib – doctor
şəfqət tutaşı – nurse
aşığıç yərdəm – ambulance / emergency room (ER)
operasiyə yasaw bülməse – operating room (OR)
bala tudıru bülege – maternity ward
daru – medicine, drug
daruxanə – drugstore, pharmacy
resept – prescription
may sörtü – to apply an ointment

💬 Dialog:

A: İsənmesez, min soñğı berniçə kön üzemne naçar xis itəm.
B: Nindi simptomnarığız bar?
A: Temperatura 38 gradus, tamağım bik qatı awırta.
B: Tın aluwığız normalme? Yötkerəsezme?
A: Sulaw tərtiptə, əmma beraz yötkerəm, bigrək tə kiç belən.
B: Ayaq-qullarda xəlsezlek barmı?
A: Əye, böten tənem awırta.
B: Yarar, xəzer min sezne tikşerəm: tamağığıznı qarıym, temperaturağıznı ülçim həm üpkələregezne tıñlıym.
A: Yarıy, rəxmət.
…
B: Üpkələr tərtiptə, əmma tamağığız qızarğan, temperatura 38,5. Bu ğadi salqın tiyü yəki angina bulırğa mömkin.
A: Bu qurqınıçmı?
B: Yuq, bolçılmağız. Min sezgə tamaq öçen sprey yazaçaqmın, antibiotik minemçə kirəkmi. Şulay uq küp itep su eçegez həm yal itegez. Əgər xəlegez yaxşırmasa, ber atnadan qabat kilegez.
A: Yarar, añlaşıldı. Rəxmət.
B: Tizrək terelergə yazsın, xəyerle könnər!
_______________

A: Hello, I haven’t been feeling well for the past few days.
B: What symptoms do you have?
A: My temperature is 38 degrees, and my throat hurts a lot.
B: Is your breathing normal? Do you have a cough?
A: The breathing is fine, but I cough a little, especially in the evenings.
B: Is there any weakness in your arms or legs?
A: Yes, my whole body is aching.
B: Alright, I’ll examine you now: I’ll check your throat, measure your temperature, and listen to your lungs.
A: Okay, thank you.
…
B: Your lungs are fine, but the throat is red, and your temperature is 38,5. This might be a common cold or angina.
A: Is it serious?
B: No, don’t worry. I’ll prescribe you a spray for your throat, I don’t think you need antibiotics. Also, drink plenty of water and get some rest. If you don’t feel better, come back in a week.
A: Alright, got it. Thank you!
B: Get well soon, have a good day!

Eçke əğzalar – Inner organs
🫀🫁🧠

#tt_beginner
The indefinite verb nitü

ni (what) + itü (to do, make) = nitü

🔸 As a past participle ending in -kən (nitkən), it functions as an indefinite pronoun similar to nindi. In this form, it can reflect the speaker's attitude towards the person, thing, place, or idea being discussed.

Ay allam, nitkən süz ul tağın? – dide Söyembikə xanım, ... (Ğarif Axunov, “Ğömer yulı”)
“Oh my God! What kind of talk is that again?” said lady Söyembikə.

🔸 Nitü is used when the speaker momentarily cannot find the right verb or wants to avoid being direct. (Compare this to ni, the first part of nitü, used as an expletive)

Qoyma başınnan nittem ... Yığılıp töştem. (Ğamir Nasrıy, “Qəderle minutlar”)
I... [slipped] from the top of a fence. I fell.

🔸 As an ordinary verb, nitü forms a pair with other verbs. In this case, nitü always takes the same grammatical form as the verb it pairs with, which comes before it. In writing, the two verbs are connected by a hyphen. In this role, nitü adds a more general or abstract meaning to the first verb.

Söyləşmi-nitmi genə qoyaşta qızındılar. (Zöfər Fətxetdinov, “Açılğan serlər”)
They were basking in the sun without saying anything at all.

💡The Tatar jackpot is saying “nine nitü” which basically means “do the thing” where the action and the object are only understood from the context (if you’re lucky).

#tt_advanced
Fatıyx Əmirxan – Ay östendə Zöhrə qız

Hello everyone, this week I’m inviting you to read this beautiful tale by Fatıyx Əmirxan that he wrote based on Tatar folk tales. I used to post reading materials on Telegraph, but this tale has an audio version read by a Tatar singer İlgiz Şəyxrəziyev, and I thought it would be nice to have a text and an embedded audio on one page on my website. Let me know if this works for you, if it doesn’t, I‘ll publish of Telegraph and upload the audio to this channel.

Also while I was making the vocabulary list for you, I came across the word “irtləç-irtləç” in the text, does anyone know what it means? Let me know 👇🏼 I couldn’t find it in any dictionary.

I hope you enjoy reading the tale as much as I did, and if you already know it, at least check out the magical illustration for this tale! 🌙

Söyəklər — Bones

#tt_intermediate
Medical vocabulary

🦴 Söyəklər – Bones

baş söyəge – skull
qaznalıq söyəge – mandible, jaw bone
umraw söyəge – clavicle, collarbone
qulbaş söyəge – upper arm bone
tersək söyəge – elbow bone
orçıq söyəge – forearm bone
beləzek – carpus, wrist
kükrək söyəge – breastbone
qabırğa – rib
qalaq söyəge – scapula
umırtqalıq, umırtqa bağanası – spine
oça söyəge – hip bone
əwernə / sigezküz söyəge – sacrum
qoyrıq söyəge – coccyx
bot söyəge – thigh bone
tez qapqaçı – knee cap
baltırnıñ yuwan söyəge – shin bone
baltırnıñ neçkə söyəge – calf bone
taban söyəkləre – foot bones
kimerçək – cartilage
bəyləm – ligament
buwın – joint

🤒 Simptomnar – Symptoms

…dan integü – to suffer from …
teş sızlawdan integü – to suffer from a tooth pain
tın betü / qısılu – shortness of breath
ğıjlaw, xırıldaw – to wheeze
eç kübü – bloating
saru qaynaw – heartburn
mi selkenü – concussion
oyu – numbness
öyənək, zıyandaş – epilepsy, seizure

😓 Tire awıruları – Skin conditions

timgel – rash
qıçıtu (to itch) – qaşu (to scratch)
qızaru – to turn red
şeşü – to swell
yalqınsınu, cilsenü – to get inflamed, infected
timrəw – eczema
çuwan, çıban – furuncle
arpa, kibək – stye
betçə, sıtqı – pimple
söyəl – blister
eren, ülek – pus

🦠 Common Modern Diseases

şikər awıruwı – diabetes
aşqazanı cərəxəte – stomach ulcer
tamaq baqası – angina
tın betü, kükrək qısu – asthma
baş öyənəge – migraine
cil çəçəge – chickenpox
şeş – tumor
yaman şeş – cancer
yörək öyənəge – heart attack
büser – hernia
kürə qaraw – miopia

🦠 Other diseases

buma ütəl – whooping cough
waba – cholera
çəçək awıruwı – smallpox
qızamıq – measles
qızılça – rubella
bizgək – malaria, fever (illness)

🩸Cərəxətlər – Injuries, wounds

(ayaqnı) sındıru – to break (e.g. a leg)
señer tartılu – sprain
bərelü – to hit (sth)
bərelgən / kügərgən urın – bruise
bərep imgətü – to bruise
yaralaw – to injure

💊 Medications and Treatments

awırtunı bastıra torğan daru – painkiller
tınıçlandıra torğan daru – sedative
berençe yərdəm – first aid
dəwalaw – to heal, to treat
dəwalanu – to undergo a treatment
səlamətlənü, sawığu, terelü – to get well

😷 Epidemiology Vocabulary

yoğış – infection
yoğışlı – contagious
ülət – epidemic

Have you read our post on the history of Tatar beauty?
If you want to dive deep into the aesthetics of the 19th century Tatar look (including the stunning dress and accessories reveal) please watch this new video by Vasi ♥️ Send her love if you enjoy it!

#tt_culture
The history of medicine and healing rituals

Medical knowledge in Volga Bulgaria drew from traditions of folk medicine, utilizing various natural remedies such as honey, birch, beaver secretions, and medicinal elements of animals and birds, exhibiting influences from the East like Ibn Sina's works, and embracing locally practiced methods. The Bolğar medical practitioners used pulse palpation as a primary diagnostic method, which aligns with the general Eastern medicine practice. They utilized medical tools like lancets and forceps, with archaeological findings revealing surgical knives, potentially used for amputations. 

Scholars like Tacetdin Yalçığol provided insights into pharmacology, creating a complex universal medicine called tiryaq, outlined in detailed recipes for the treatment of various diseases. It was a compound remedy, known as the "Great Antidote," composed of meticulously selected and processed natural substances, seven categories of multiple medications, three kinds of pastes, wine, and honey. Its usage extended to treating everything from digestive issues to skin conditions, respiratory problems, epilepsy, and kidney diseases, and even as a preventive measure for different health concerns. 

In the Kazan Khanate medicine, referred to as ut, played a vital role, with practitioners known as utçı or herbalists. Healing practices often involved medicinal plants, echoing traditions from the Bolğars and the Golden Horde.

Folklore depicted themes like the cure of a royal family, their conversion to Islam, and a healer marrying the king's daughter. The popularity of books like "Şifa" (Healing) and the knowledge about figures like Ibn Sina showcased the significance of medicine in Kazan. 

The Tatar ethnographer Qayum Nasıyri wrote, that the Kazan Tatars, besides the prescribed rituals of Islam, also practiced pagan rites and spells. These rituals included:

🦠 Cholera and Livestock Diseases cure

During outbreaks of cholera or cattle plague in villages, unmarried girls would dress in their finest clothes, let down their hair, and harness themselves to plows instead of horses, guided by elderly women. Outsiders were not allowed to enter the village. In summer, to prevent the spread of disease, the entire village and their livestock passed through gates dug into the earth—a ritual believed to protect them from illness.

An official ordered all households to put out their old fires and pour out their old water. Then a ceremony called "bringing out the new fire" was held, where the fire was made by rubbing pieces of oak together. Everyone took some of the new fire to light their home fires. In the case of cattle plague, the first fallen cattle are buried at the field gates with a new lock, a practice believed to stop the epidemic.

🦠 Smallpox cure

To ease a child's suffering from smallpox, the following ritual was performed: a white duck or white goose was given to a poor person. Then, as the child began to recover, a porridge called çəçək botqası (“smallpox porridge”) was prepared. It was believed that without this ritual, the illness would be more severe. The practice was thought to appease the çəçək anası (“smallpox mother”) and çəçək iyəse (“smallpox host”), who were said to live in large pockmarks.

🦠 Evil Eye Protection for Children

To protect children from the evil eye, Tatars painted black or blue marks on their faces. They tied black cumin seeds in a pouch to the child, rinsed the doorknob with water, and wiped the child's face to guard against the evil eye. Additionally, a piece of Juniper wood was tied to the child to protect it from the evil eye.

🦠 Water Healing Ritual

If a person felt pain after drinking water from a stream, lake, or river, it was attributed to the water “holding them”. To alleviate the pain, they put an apple or egg yolk into the water, believing it would remove the discomfort. Alternatively, they took a handful of grass, threw it into the water, and said, "Let the water not hold me." These rituals might be attributed to the ancient Tatar reverence for the water element, as well as an attempt to appease mythical water beings.

🦠 Dropsy Cure

If a person swelled, they were given juniper berries, considered a beneficial remedy against dropsy. The belief was that the cen (spirit) causing the swelling was averse to juniper.

🦠 Fever Expulsion

Tatars made a person suffering from fever wear a bear or wolf skin, thinking that the fever, frightened by the animal, would leave. They would also put snake skin in a sick person’s pocket during shivering fits to drive away the fever.

Traditional healing practices of Kerəşen Tatars featured faith healers called kürəzə or bağuçı who would cast spells like imnəw, öşkerü or öndəw. In the case of imnəw, objects like leather shoes or wooden clogs were applied to afflicted areas and discarded after reciting spells. In severe cases, a spider would be crushed on a child’s navel with the recitation: "As this spider is crushed and destroyed, so too is the disease of this child." Eye ailments were treated with a mixture of egg yolk and sugar, combined with prayers to the rising sun. Öşkerü didn’t involve any objects, but rather reciting spells and blowing on an affected area. People were also believed to have a spirit in them in the form of a cat. In the case of a mental illness, they believed that the cat had left the person, and special spells were recited to restore their spirit. This rite is one of the most archaic ones recorded amongst both Muslim and Christian Tatars. 

All these rituals demonstrate a mix of ancient Tatar beliefs, animism, and efforts to counter the influence of mythical beings and spirits in their lives. The practices have diminished over time due to the increasing influence of Islam, and then the medical and technological development. Nowadays, of course, Tatarstan enjoys modern medicine and a scientific approach to healing. 

Tatarstan has produced several prominent scientists who have advanced global medicine.

For example, Əbübəker Teregulov (1899–1963) was a pioneer in the field of clinical physiology and pathology. His research focused on respiration and the clinical physiology of digestive organs.

Möxəmmət Yerzin (1908–1986) was a leading pathophysiologist. He worked alongside A.D. Ado to study the role of interoceptive sensitivity in rapid allergic reactions and conducted experimental research on auto-allergic mechanisms.

Rəwilə Burnasheva (1924–2010) was a leading allergologist and one of the founders of Kazan's clinical allergy school. She was a specialist in developing treatments for allergic diseases, including introducing the use of fungal and bacterial allergens for therapy.

Rəysə Abdraxmanova (1923–2014) was a renowned therapist and professor, specializing in pulmonology, rheumatology, and chronic lung diseases.

Abdraxmanova's work contributed to the advancement of diagnostic technologies and medical practices in the region.

___________________
The History of the Tatars since ancient times in seven volumes, 2017. V.2, V.4, V.5, V.6 and V.7
Qayum Nasıyri, “Beliefs and Customs of the Kazan Tatars”
History and Culture of the Kerəşen Tatars (16th–20th Centuries), Sh. Mərcani Institute of History, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan

#tt_intermediate
Xatın-qızlar xoquqları – Women’s rights

Bügen bezdə ğədəti dip qabul itkən bik küp xoquqlar bar, ləkin berniçə yöz yıl elek kenə alarnıñ küpçelege xatın-qızlarda bulmağan. Әle də dönyanıñ qayber poçmaqlarında xatın-qızlarnıñ qayber möhim keşe xoquqları yuq. Alar arasında – saylawlarda tawış birü xoquqı, dəwlət wazifaların başqaru xoquqı, ğailə məs’ələlərendə tigez xoquqlar, eşləw xoquqı, ğadel xezmət xaqı, reproduktiv xoquqlar, milekkə iyə bulu həm belem alu xoquqı.

Bu temağa fiker alışu öçen sezgə şul süzlekne təqdim itəm:

ictimaği xərəkət – social movement
censi diskriminasiyə – gender discrimination
tigezsezlek – inequality
xezmət xaqı ayırması – wage difference
ğailədə köç qullanu – domestic violence
censi köçləw qurqınıçı – threat of sexual violence
tigez xoquqlar – equal rights
ğadellek – justice
teləktəşlek kürsətü – to show solidarity
fikerdəş – like-minded person
reproduktiv xoquqlar – reproductive rights
yöklelek – pregnancy
bala tabu – childbirth
balağa uzmaw – infertility
bala töşertü – abortion
bala töşertüne tıyu – abortion ban
kürem, aylıq – menstruation

Bügen həm hərwaqıt: bezgə qədər yəşəgən xatın-qızlarğa zur rəxmət!

#tt_beginner
Communicating emotions

Today’s lesson is about healthy communication, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building. First, here are some of the emotions and feelings in Tatar:


Feelings & Emotions
❤️ Positive Feelings

şatlıq, söyeneç, quwanıç – joy
bəxet – happiness
qənəğətlek – satisfaction
yaratu – love
söyü – (romantic) love
xörmət – respect
soqlanu – admiration
qızıqsınu – interest
küñel yatu – attraction
naz – tenderness, affection
qayğırtuçanlıq, iğtibarlıq – attentiveness, care
ışanıç – trust
rəxmətle bulu – gratitude
ömet – hope, aspiration
ğorurlıq – pride


💔 Negative Feelings

qayğı – grief, sorrow
ükeneç – regret
açu – anger
qənəğətsezlek – dissatisfaction
könçelek – jealousy, envy
uñaysızlıq – discomfort
cirənü – disgust
üpkə – hurt feelings, offense
rəncü – deep offense, emotional pain
qurqu – fear
borçılu, dulqınlanu – worry, anxiety
oyat, ğərlek – shame, embarrassment
ğayep – guilt
moñ – sorrow, nostalgia
moñsulıq – sadness
sağış – melancholy, deep sorrow
yalğızlıq – loneliness
sağınu, yuqsınu – longing, yearning


🫂 How to express your emotions

Bu xəl minе bik borçıy. – This situation worries me.
Min bu xəlne üzgərtеrgə telər idem. – I wish I could change this situation.
Min bu xatağa bik ükenəm. – I deeply regret this mistake.
Açuwım kilə! – I’m very angry!
… tuydırdı / … yödətep beterde – I’m sick and tired of … / … is annoying
Borçılam. – I am worried.
Qurqam. – I am scared.
Yörəgem sızlıy / sıza / sıqrıy / ərni. – My heart is aching.
Min bik bəxetle! – I’m very happy!
Uzemne … (bəxetle/ yalğız/ etc.) xis itəm. – I feel … (happy/ lonely/ etc.)
Mine bəxetle itəseñ. – You make me happy.
Min bik şat! – I’m very glad (about sth)!
Küñelem kütərelde. – My mood has lifted.
Min sine yaratam. – I love you.
Min sine bik sağındım. – I really miss(ed) you.
Sin minem öçen bik qəderle. – You are very precious to me.


🗣 Communication

Üzeñne niçek xis itəseñ? – How do you feel?
Monıñ turında nərsə uylıysıñ? – What do you think about this?
Açıqtan-açıq söyləşə alabızmı? – Can we talk openly?
Zinhar, miña döresen əyt. – Please tell me the truth.
Sineñ bu süzləreñ minem öçen bik möhim. – Your words are very important to me.
Sineñ uylarıñnı / qaraşıñnı añlarğa tırışam. – I’m trying to understand your thoughts / point of view.
Miña beraz waqıt kirək. – I need some time.


🙏🏼 Apologizing & admitting mistakes

Ğafu (it). – I’m sorry.
… (Soñğa qalğan, h.b.) öçen ğafu it. – Sorry for … (being late, etc.)
Ğafu ütenəm. – I apologize, I ask for forgiveness.
Kiçer. – Forgive me, excuse me.
Min xata yasadım. – I made a mistake.
Min yalğıştım. – I was wrong.
Min ğayeple. – I’m guilty / I was wrong.
Min uylap beterməgənmen. - I didn't think this out.
Monnan sabaq aldım. – I’ve learned my lesson.
Zinhar, açulanma. – Please, don’t be mad.
Sine üpkələtergə / rəncetergə teləməgən idem. – I didn’t want to hurt you.
Sineñ ışanıçıñnı yuğaltasım kilmi. – I don’t want to lose your trust.
Alğa taba … tırışaçaqmın. –  I will try … next time.
Bik qızğanıç. - Such a pity.


🫱🏼‍🫲🏽 Responding to an apology

Yarar, borçılma. – It’s okay, don’t worry.
Barısı da yaxşı. – Everything’s fine.
Borçılma, min üpkələmədem. – Don’t worry, I’m not upset.
Yarar, əmma ikençe yulı alay eşləmə. – Okay, but don’t do this again.

#tt_newbie
Particles

Particles are dependent words that add nuance, emphasis, or structure without changing a sentence’s core meaning. Unlike adverbs or modal words, they can’t stand alone as answers.

Tatar has many particles without direct English equivalents. While English relies on word order, grammar, and intonation, Tatar uses particles for emphasis and contrast. Below are some of the most common ones.

🔶 Emphatic Particles
🔸 da/də (ta/tə)
One of the most versatile particles in Tatar, it is used to:
• emphasize the preceding word: bezgə monda berni də kirəkmi – we don’t need anything
• expresses a continuous action: yañğır yawa da yawa – it keeps raining
• introduces additional elements: bez də şulay eşlik – let’s do that too

🔸 bit
Another very popular particle. It indicates strong emotional affirmation or denial.
• bez yalğışqanbız bit – we were wrong (it turns out)
• şulay bit, yaratmıysız bit? – isn’t that so, you don’t love him, do you?
• beləseñ bit, … – you know (already)

🔸 iç (more used in certain districts)
Similar to bit, but used slightly less often.
• beləseñ iç, … – you know (already)

🔸 şul
Confirms or acknowledges the statement expressed by the preceding phrase.
• belmim şul – no, I don’t know

🔸 inde
Intensifies emotions and is used a lot in our speech.
• şundıy inde min, açulanma – I am like that, don’t be mad (expresses sadness)
• kürdem inde, kürdem – I saw, I saw (expresses annoyance)
• nişlərgə soñ inde? – what do we do? (expresses despair)

🔸 tağı(n)
• intensifies emotions (usually negative): nərsə uylap çığarasıñ tağın? – what nonsense are you saying?
nindi ser ul tağın? – what secret, then?
• intensifies comparison: tağın da qızığraq – even more interesting
• indicates repetition or addition: tağın berniçə kön uzdı – another few days have passed

🔸 soñ
Adds emphasis to a question and various emotions (doubt, amazement, regret, etc.).
• nilər eşlədeñ soñ? – what did you do?
• bulmas, ul eşlime soñ? – impossible, will he do it? (amazement, disbelief)

🔸 əle
Enhances an opinion or remark:
Əytməweñ, bəlki, xəyerlegəder əle ... (Kərim Tinçurin, “Cilkənsezlər”)
Perhaps it is only to the good that you did not tell them.

🔸 uq / ük
• emphasizes the preceding word (equivalent to English “even, exactly”): söyləşüləreñ ük qızıq – even the way you talk is interesting
• means “right”, “exactly” in spacial or temporal expressions: xəzer uq – right now
maşinada uq yoqlap kitte – he fell asleep right in the car

🔸 ə
• gives more force to a question: ə sin qaya barasıñ? – and where are you going?
• emphasizes amazement, joy, anger, etc.: nindi eş bu, ə? – just what kind of a thing is this?!
• draws a listener’s attention: ə, iskə töşte – ah, I remember
• as ə-ə-ə gives force to phrases like: şulaymeni? – is that so?

🔸 xətta – even

🔷 Limiting Particles
🔹 ğına/genə (qına/kenə), barı and tik

Convey the meaning of “just, only” with ğına being the most used and all of them often being combined (barı tik, barı ğına, tik … genə, barı tik … genə). There is also an Arabic particle fəqət with the same meaning used less frequently and may be combined with ğına.
• Əminə barı səğət altı tulğanda ğına yoqlap kitə aldı. (Fatıyx Əmirxan, “Xəyət”)
Əminə was able to fall asleep only when it was six o’clock.

🔹 əle
In temporal sentences, indicated limit or continuation and is equivalent to “still, yet, just”:
• əle (genə) qaytıp kerdem – I just came home
• əle yartı səğət waqıt bar – there is still half an hour
• anda bulğanım yuq əle – I haven’t been there yet

🔹 diyərlek – almost
🔹 içmasa(m) – at least

🔶 Interrogative Particles
🔸 -mı/-me
A neutral interrogative particle

🔸 -mıni/-meni, mikən is an emphatic interrogative particle
• şulay mikən? – is that so? (more expressive than just “şulaymı?”)
Mikən is a contraction of mı + ikən, so with interrogative pronouns only ikən is used, and in yes/no questions, mikən is used:
Bu kem ikən? Bu İlgiz mikən?

🔷 Demonstrative Particles
🔹 menə, ənə

🔶 Modal Particles
🔸 -dır/-der (-tır/-ter)
Conveys uncertainty, doubt, supposition
• minem turıda söyləşələrder – they’re probably talking about me
• bardır, nik bulmasın – I guess I have, why wouldn’t I?

🔸 əllə
• softens a question (sometimes a rhetorical one): Bu könnərdə sabaqqa kilmədegez, əllə kəyefsez idegezme? (Fatıyx Əmirxan, “Urtalıqta”) You haven’t come to the class recently, were you in a bad mood?
• expresses uncertainty: əllə üzeñ eşliseñme? – or perhaps you do it yourself?
• əllə + -me = məllə: keçkenə bala məllə min? – am I a little child, or what?

🔸 əle
In the past tense, it indicates doubt, confusion, or embarrassment. With verbs in the future tense, indicative, it conveys a shade of indifference. Used with interrogative pronouns, it emphasizes uncertainty.
• şayartıp qına əytə torğansızdır, əle? – you probably say this as a joke, right?
• bulır əle – it will happen (kind of dismissing concerns)

🔷 Negative particles
🔹 tügel – not
• yaxşı tügel – not good

🔹 hiç
Intensifies the negation and is equivalent to “at all”
• bolay hiç uylamağan idem – I didn’t think like that at all

🔶 Comparative Particles
🔸 uq / ük
• with adverbs or postpositions mens “exactly, just”: sin uylağança uq tügel – it isn’t exactly as you think
• with ber means “the same”: ber uq kitaplar uqıybız – we read the same books
• with some pronouns, uq / ük denotes the following: şundıy uq “exactly the same” (comparison), şul uq “that same” (still the same person, place, etc.); “that same” (time); şunda uq (şunduq) “exactly, right there; immediately“; şuşında uq “exactly, right there"; bolay uq, şulay uq “also”

🔸 nəq – exactly, just
• Min nəq sez əytkənçə eşlədem. (Mirxəydər Fəyzi, “Asılyar”) – I did exactly as you said.

🔷 Attenuating particles
Used to ask a person to do something with varying degrees of insistence:
🔹 -sana/-sənə: söyləsənə – tell me! (somewhat impatient)
🔹 söylə inde – tell me (moderately insistent)
🔹 -çı/-çe: söyləçe – tell me
🔹 söylə əle – please tell