Language/Kirghiz/Vocabulary/Ordinal-Numbers
| ◀️ Cardinal Numbers — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Telling Time ▶️ |
Hello and welcome to the Kirghiz Vocabulary course! In this lesson, I will teach you about ordinal numbers in Kirghiz. Ordinal numbers are used to express order, rank, or position, such as first, second, third, etc.
Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Seasons & Numbers.
Introduction to Ordinal Numbers
Ordinal numbers differ from cardinal numbers which we covered in the previous lesson. Cardinal numbers are used to count or quantify things, while ordinal numbers are used to indicate the position of things in an ordered sequence. In English, ordinal numbers are mostly formed by adding the suffix "-th" to the cardinal number. For example, "one" becomes "first," "two" becomes "second," "three" becomes "third," and so on.
In Kirghiz, however, the formation of ordinal numbers follows a specific pattern. To form an ordinal number in Kirghiz, you simply add the suffix "-chi" to the cardinal number. For example, the Kirghiz word for "one" is "bir," and to make it into the ordinal form, we add the suffix "-chi," which gives us "birchi" meaning "first." Similarly, "two" in Kirghiz is "eki," and its ordinal form is "ekichi," meaning "second."
Ordinal Numbers in Kirghiz
Below is a table showing the ordinal numbers in Kirghiz from 1st to 10th.
| Kirghiz | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| бирчи | birtshi | First |
| экитчи | ekitchi | Second |
| үчүнчү | üchünchü | Third |
| төртүнчү | törtünchü | Fourth |
| бешинчи | beshinchi | Fifth |
| алтынчы | altynchy | Sixth |
| жетинчи | jetinchi | Seventh |
| сегизинчи | segizinchi | Eighth |
| тогузунчу | toğuzunchu | Ninth |
| ончу | onchu | Tenth |
Note that the suffix "-chi" changes slightly depending on the final consonant of the cardinal number. For example, "altyn" (six) ends with the consonant "n," so to form its ordinal number, we add the suffix "-chy," which becomes "-chy" due to the softening of "n" to "ń."
Using Ordinal Numbers in Sentences
To use ordinal numbers in sentences, we need to know how to construct simple sentences in Kirghiz. Sentences in Kirghiz follow a subject-object-verb order, which means the subject comes first, followed by the object, and then the verb. For example, the sentence "I am eating bread" in Kirghiz would be "Men nan taңaңұйтуңдаймын," which literally translates to "I bread eat."
To use ordinal numbers in sentences, we also need to know the Kirghiz words for "ordinal number" and "place," which are "биринчилик" (birinçhilik) and "оңдоо" (oñdoo), respectively. For example, the sentence "I came in third place" in Kirghiz would be "Мениң үчүнчү оңдоомун бардым" (Meniñ üchünchü oñdoomun bardym), where "Мениң" (Meniñ) means "my," "оңдоомун" (oñdoomun) means "in my place," and "бардым" (bardym) means "I came."
Here are a few more examples of ordinal numbers used in sentences:
- "The second book is mine." – "Экинчи китап мендин." (Ekinçhi kitap menden.)
- "She was the third person to arrive." – "Оңдой келген үчүнчү туруушу болду." (Oñdoı kelgen üchünchü turuuşu boldu.)
- "Today is the first day of school." – "Бүгүн мектептин биринчи күнү." (Bügün mekteptin birinçhi künyü.)
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have learned about ordinal numbers in Kirghiz! Using ordinal numbers in Kirghiz is simple and straightforward, just add the suffix "-chi" to the cardinal number. Remember that sentences in Kirghiz follow a subject-object-verb order, and to use ordinal numbers in sentences, you must also know the words for "ordinal number" and "place."
In the next lesson, we will learn about telling time in Kirghiz. Hope to see you soon!
Great work on completing this lesson! Take a moment to investigate these connected pages: Telling Time & Nature.
Other Lessons
- Health
- Time
- Kirghiz survival phrases
- Ordering at a Restaurant
- Telling Time
- House
- Asking for Directions
- Cardinal Numbers
- Drinks
- Meals and Ingredients
| ◀️ Cardinal Numbers — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Telling Time ▶️ |