Convenience Store

1. Дүкөн күнү-түнү иштейби?

   Dükön künü-tünü ishteibi?

   Is this shop open around the clock?

   Usage

   Kyrgyzstan has no Japanese-style convenience-store chains; the neighbourhood "dükön" (Russian "magazin") does the same job. Along the main roads of Bishkek some shops advertise "24 saat" or "kruglosutochno", but in villages and around Issyk-Kul most close after sundown

   Grammar Note

   "Künü-tünü" is a paired compound of "day" and "night", a very Kyrgyz way of saying "round the clock". The question particle "-by / -bi / -bu / -bü" varies by vowel harmony and the preceding consonant; after "ishtei" it surfaces as "-bi"

2. Пакет керекпи?

   Paket kerekpi?

   Do you need a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Bags are almost always charged in Kyrgyzstan, adding 5-20 som to the bill. Decline with "Kerek emes, rakhmat". A Russian-speaking shopkeeper will ask "Paket nuzhen?"

   Grammar Note

   After a voiceless consonant the question particle devoices to "-py / -pi / -pu / -pü". "Kerek" ends in "k", so it takes "-pi" and is written joined to the word

3. Бир пакет бериңизчи

   Bir paket beringizchi

   One bag, please

   Usage

   Since bags are paid for, none appears unless you ask. Where sizes are priced differently, add "chongu" (the big one) or "kichinekeyi" (the small one)

   Grammar Note

   "Ber-" (to give) plus the polite imperative "-ingiz" plus the softener "-chy / -chi". That final particle is the standard way Kyrgyz softens a request, heard constantly in shops and bazaars

4. Эки бөтөлкө муздак суу бериңизчи

   Eki bötölkö muzdak suu beringizchi

   Two bottles of chilled water, please

   Usage

   Drinks sit both on a room-temperature shelf and in the fridge, and you get the warm one unless you say otherwise — always add "muzdak" (chilled). Still water is "gazsyz suu"; local brands like Legenda and Ysyk-Ata are commonly stocked

   Grammar Note

   A noun after a numeral stays singular ("eki bötölkö"). "Muzdak" is "muz" (ice) plus "-dak", literally "ice-like". Adjectives precede their noun

5. Жаңы бышкан нан барбы?

   Jangy byshkan nan barby?

   Do you have freshly baked bread?

   Usage

   Nan is central to the Kyrgyz table and corner shops take a fresh delivery each morning. Round tandoor flatbread is also called "tokoch". Bread is treated with respect here — it is never placed upside down or left on the floor

   Grammar Note

   "Byshkan" is the past participle of "byshuu" (to bake, to ripen), used attributively before the noun. "Bar" states existence, and "barby" is the standard way to ask whether something is in stock

6. Мындан беш жүз грамм таразалап бериңизчи

   Myndan besh jüz gramm tarazalap beringizchi

   Please weigh out 500 grams of this

   Usage

   Nuts, dried apricots, kurut and sweets are sold loose by weight in Kyrgyz corner shops. Prices are shown per kilo and staff weigh your portion on the "taraza" (scales). Ordering in 100-gram steps is perfectly acceptable

   Grammar Note

   The verb "tarazaloo" (to weigh) is derived from the noun "taraza" (scales). The converb "-p" plus "berüü" (to do for someone) marks the action as performed on your behalf, which is what makes it a request

7. Канча тартайын?

   Kancha tartayyn?

   How much shall I weigh out?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Point at a loose-goods bin and this is the reply. Give a number of grams, or gesture and say "ushunchalyk" (about this much). If they scoop too much, "azyraak" (a bit less) fixes it

   Grammar Note

   "Tartuu" basically means "to pull", but by extension it is also the verb for weighing on scales. The suffix "-ayyn / -eyin" is the first-person singular optative, "shall I …?"

8. Тигил текчедеги нерсени бериңизчи

   Tigil tekchedegi nerseni beringizchi

   Could you pass me the item on that shelf?

   Usage

   Soviet-style corner shops still sell over a counter, with shelves out of the customer's reach — point and say this and staff will fetch it. Bishkek supermarkets are self-service and follow different rules

   Grammar Note

   "Tekche" (shelf) + locative "-de" + adjectivising "-gi" yields "the one on the shelf". Kyrgyz demonstratives work in three degrees of distance: "bul" (this), "oshol" (that), "tigil" (that over there)

9. Майдаңыз жокпу?

   Maydangyz jokpu?

   Do you have anything smaller?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Corner shops keep little change, so a large note draws this question first. ATMs tend to dispense 1,000 and 5,000 som notes, so travellers meet it often — hold on to your small notes and coins

   Grammar Note

   "Mayda" (fine, small) takes the polite 2nd-person possessive "-ngyz" and stands for "your small money". Because "jok" has a rounded vowel, harmony selects the rounded question particle "-pu"

10. Кайтарым жок, ордуна сагыз аласызбы?

    Kaytarym jok, orduna sagyz alasyzby?

    I have no change — will you take a chewing gum instead?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Handing over gum or a sweet in place of a few som is a habit found across Central Asia. You may refuse, but then the odd amount is simply dropped. If you want the cash, say "Kaytarymdy beringizchi"

    Grammar Note

    "Orduna" is a postposition derived from the dative of "orun" (place), meaning "instead of". "Jok" negates existence, whereas "emes" negates identity

11. Менде беш миң сомдук гана бар

    Mende besh ming somduk gana bar

    I only have a 5,000-som note

    Usage

    The reply when staff ask for smaller money. A small shop often simply cannot break a 5,000 som note and the sale falls through — add items to absorb it, or switch to card. Supermarkets in Bishkek will break it without trouble

    Grammar Note

    Kyrgyz likewise has no verb "to have"; possession is expressed with the locative "-de" plus "bar". The suffix "-duk / -dük" derives "a note worth X", as in "mingdik" (a 1,000 note)

12. Накталайбы же карта мененби?

    Naktalaiby je karta menenbi?

    Cash or card?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Kyrgyzstan remains cash-first, but in Bishkek and Osh QR payment apps such as MBank and O!Dengi have reached even small shops. Answer with one word: "Naktalai" or "Karta menen". In the regions many shops are still cash only

    Grammar Note

    Kyrgyz marks means with the free-standing postposition "menen" (with / by), unlike Kazakh, which uses the suffix "-men". "Je" is the conjunction linking the alternatives

13. Терминал иштеп жатабы?

    Terminal ishtep jataby?

    Is the card terminal working?

    Usage

    Ask before you start filling a basket and you avoid a trip back to the ATM. In the mountains and around Issyk-Kul the connection drops and the terminal goes down — QR payments run on the same line and fail with it

    Grammar Note

    "Ishtep jatat" is the converb "-p" plus the auxiliary "jatuu" (to lie), the ordinary Kyrgyz present progressive. Plain "ishteit" would state a general property; this form asks about right now

14. Терминал бүгүн иштебей жатат, накталай гана

    Terminal bügün ishtebei jatat, naktalai gana

    The terminal is down today — cash only

    Usage

    Said by staff. Power cuts ("elektr öchüp kaldy") and network failures take the terminal offline fairly regularly outside the capital. Follow up with "Jakyn jerde bankomat barby?" (is there an ATM nearby?). This is why you carry a little cash at all times

    Grammar Note

    The negative converb appears as "-bay / -bey / -boy / -böy"; the front-vowel stem "ishte-" gives "ishtebey". "Gana" is a limiting particle placed after the word it restricts

15. Ушул жерден телефонго акча салса болобу?

    Ushul jerden telefongo akcha salsa bolobu?

    Can I top up my phone here?

    Usage

    Prepaid Beeline, O! and MegaCom SIMs can be topped up at the counter or at the payment kiosk standing inside the shop — just give the number and the amount. When a tourist SIM runs dry, the corner shop is the nearest fix

    Grammar Note

    The conditional "-sa" followed by "bolobu" is the standard Kyrgyz way to ask "may I / can one …?", covering both permission and possibility. The dative on "telefongo" is "-go" by harmony with the rounded vowel of "telefon"

16. Орусча сүйлөшсөк болобу?

    Oruscha süylöshsök bolobu?

    Could we speak in Russian?

    Usage

    Russian is an official language in Kyrgyzstan and in Bishkek shops it is often the smoother option. In the south around Osh and among younger people in the regions Kyrgyz dominates. Greeting in Kyrgyz first and then asking this lands much better

    Grammar Note

    The suffix "-cha / -che" forms language adverbs: "kyrgyzcha" (in Kyrgyz), "anglische" (in English). "Süylöshüü" adds the reciprocal "-sh" to "süylöö" (to speak), giving "to converse with each other"

17. Үч жумуртка гана алсам болобу?

    Üch jumurtka gana alsam bolobu?

    Can I buy just three eggs?

    Usage

    Corner shops sell eggs, cigarettes and sweets one at a time, so there is no need to buy a tray of ten. Handy on short stays and in guesthouses. The same phrasing gets you half a loaf ("nandyn jarymy")

    Grammar Note

    The conditional "-sam" plus "bolobu" is the fixed first-person permission pattern. "Gana" sits right after what it restricts, so "üch jumurtka gana" limits the quantity to exactly three

18. Мунун жарактуулук мөөнөтү качан бүтөт?

    Munun jaraktuuluk möönötü kachan bütöt?

    When does this expire?

    Usage

    Slow-moving stock lingers on shelves, so check dairy items (ayran, süt, kaymak) especially. Labels usually read Russian "Srok godnosti" and dates run day.month.year — not the year-first order used in Japan

    Grammar Note

    "Munun … möönötü" combines a genitive with the possessive "-ü", the izafet construction shared across Turkic. "Jaraktuuluk" is "jaraktuu" (valid, usable) plus the abstract-noun suffix "-luk"

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