Latest posts
Learn Tatar
9 Aug, 11:09edited
If you want to learn basic Tatar dance moves, there is a fabulous playlist by the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the Republic of Tatarstan.What makes Tatar dance especially rich is how differently it's expressed across ethnic subgroups and regions. There is a video of a dance of Urmay tatarları, a Mişər Tatar group from the Chăvash village of Urmay, whose dance is characterized by a lot of hopping and tapping. Perm tatarları are known for very wide, swinging movements, a style recognizable by its generosity of motion and brightness. The dancing of the Tatars from Yərmək awılı in Samara district is heavily influenced by the Russian style of dancing, especially tapping one’s feet. Əsterxan tatarları have very distinct costumes heavily influenced by those of Caucasians. The men’s dancing style has a very pronounced, strong character, while women move quietly and softly. Nijgar tatarlarıLearn Tatar
9 Aug, 11:09edited
#tt_culture Tatar danceTatar dance reflects centuries of rural life, seasonal ritual, indigenous connection to the native land, and regional diversity. Much of what we know about its traditional forms comes down to Ğay(nulla) Tahirov (1907–1995), a Tatar ballet dancer, choreographer, ethnographer, and teacher, who set out in 1931 on a research expedition to capture how local people move. Traveling from village to village, he recorded dance patterns, collected folklore, and published "100 Tatar folk dances", a book that remains a foundational record of traditional Tatar movement and costume, and the source this post is based on. Tahirov is considered one of the important figures in preserving and developing Tatar dance culture.On summer evenings in Tatar villages, young people gathered on a meadow to play games and dance traditional dances such as Əpipə and Ətnə, competing in skillLearn Tatar
9 Aug, 11:09
Learn Tatar
9 Jul, 08:37
#tt_beginner More on adjectivesLet’s learn some more adjective pairs: ciñel (easy, light) – awır (difficult, heavy) bay (rich) – yarlı (poor) çısta (clean) – pıçraq (dirty) biyek (high, tall) – tübən (low) kiñ (wide) – tar (narrow) açıq (open) – yabıq (closed) döres (correct, right) – yalğış (wrong) qıybat, qimmət (expensive) – arzan, oçsız (cheap) buş (empty) – tulı (full)What if you want to compare two people or things that possess the quality to the same degree? Easy! Just use a postposition kebek:sineñ kebek bay – as rich as youOr to enrich your vocabulary you can alternatively use sıman, tösle or şikelle (or less common sımaq, sınlı, qədər, tik, tikle, tiklem, xətle, çaqlı).Learn Tatar
6 Jun, 09:04
#tt_newbie AdjectivesAdjectives describe or define a noun. This week, we’re going back to the basics and taking a look at everything you need to know about how adjectives work in the Tatar language. Some of the most commonly used adjectives in Tatar are:küp (many, much) – az, əz (few, little) yaña (new) – iske (old) zur (big) – keçkenə (small) yaxşı (good) – naçar (bad) yəş (young) – qart (old) matur (beautiful) – yəmsez (ugly) ozın (long) – qısqa (short) yıraq (far) – yaqın (close) irtə (early) – soñ (late) qaynar, esse (hot) – cılı (warm) – salqın, suwıq (cold)Some adjectives are commonly expressed by a compound adjective in Tatar:ozın buylı keşe (a tall person) – qısqa/təbənək buylı keşe (a short person) isən-saw (healthy)Learn Tatar
26 Apr, 11:14
#tt_advanced Concessive ClausesConcessive clauses are subordinate clauses that introduce a contrasting or unexpected idea to the main clause, often starting with words like although, even though, though, despite, in spite of, or while, showing a relationship where something happens even though something else might prevent it.🔶 Conditional + particle da / də / ta / təKön kiçkə awışsa da, haman esse. (Tahir Tahirov, “Ğaliyə”) Although evening is drawing on, it is still hot.🔶 Interrogative pronoun (‘whoever’, ‘whatever’, ‘wherever’, etc.) + conditionalQayda barsam, qayda torsam, nişləsəm də, Xəteremdə məñge qalır tuğan ilem. (Ğabdulla Tuqay) Wherever I go, wherever I stay, whatever I do, my home country will forever be in my memory.🔶 Imperative forms, often rhetorical in meaning (a rarer literary form)Tışta issen açı cillər, tuzsın qarlar, <...> Sezneñ öylər cılı, əybət:Learn Tatar
31 Mar, 11:17
#tt_intermediate Sneaky words IIDo you remember our first lesson on words that sneak their way into the speech of a lot of Tatars? Let’s add some more to that list!⛔️ чуть не … – ✅ …-a yazdım (almost)Min sikerep tora yazdım. (Ğomər Bəşirov, “Tuğan yağım – yəşel bişek”) I almost jumped up.⛔️ кстати – ✅ süz uñayınnan (by the way), ✅ … digənnən (speaking of, apropos)Süz uñayınnan, min də şulay uylıym. – By the way, I also think so.Uqu digənnən, Gölşatnı közgə şəhərgə uqırğa cibərəbez. (Kərim Tinçurin, “Alar öçəw ide”) Speaking of studies, this autumn we are going to send Gölşat to the city to study.⛔️ … , хотя – ✅ …-sa da (... even though)Yəmle cəyge yul buyınça cəyələw ciñelçə kiyengən yəşlər öçen awır bulmasa da, awılğa qaytıp citü belən, buwınnarıbızda arığanlıq sizelde. (Mirsəy Əmir, “Ağidel”)Learn Tatar
11 Mar, 08:31
#tt_beginner Gerund (the verbal noun)The verbal noun is formed by adding -u, -ü to the verb stem (e.g., yaz → yazu, qara → qaraw, bel → belü, eslə → eşləw). A few verbs drop the stem vowel in the affirmative form (uqı → uqu, taşı → taşu, biye → biyü).💡 Compare: yazu – writing yazarğa – to writeThis is the form in which Tatar verbs appear in dictionaries. It can be pluralized, declined, and take possessive suffixes. The gerund can be used in the:✅ Nominative ... monı teldən añlatu hiç mömkin tügel, ... (Əmirxan Yeniki, “Göləndəm tutaş xatirəse”) … explaining this in words is not at all possible ...✅ Genitive Bolar xaqında uylawnıñ faydası yuq inde xəzer. (Rinat Möxəmmədiev, “Kenəri – çitlek qoşı”) Now there is no more use in thinking about these things.Learn Tatar
4 Feb, 08:09edited
The wedding at the groom’s home took place much later. Post-nikax rituals included the preparation of a special room for the newlyweds, the exchange of gifts, and the husband's periodic visits to his wife's home, known as kiyəwləp yörü.The groom’s arrival at the bride’s house (kiyəw alu) was highly significant, as it could mark the first meeting of the newlyweds, particularly in cases where earlier celebrations had been gender-segregated. It was accompanied by customs such as presenting gifts, making a ritual payment for entry, and engaging in specific rituals like setting up the marital bed. The newlyweds spent their initial days together in seclusion, before the final move of the bride to her husband's house (kilen töşü), marked by festive events and additional customs.In the wedding traditions of Kazan Tatars, the groom would often accompany his bride with only his youngerLearn Tatar
4 Feb, 08:08edited
#tt_culture Wedding traditionsThe traditional wedding customs of the Tatars exhibit a striking variability across regions, reflecting social, legal, and religious norms. Despite this diversity, there are common structural elements in Tatar wedding rituals, making them a distinct part of their ethnic culture.The traditional Tatar wedding rituals involved various pre-wedding ceremonies, such as yawuçı cibərü / dimləw / yərəşü (matchmaking), the preparation of birnə (dowry) and qalın (bride-dowry), and engagement celebrations. These customs were an integral part of Tatar wedding culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.The period between engagement and the wedding was marked by gatherings, feasts, and rituals such as aqlaşu (meetings between the two families) and qız kürənderü. Çebeldek tegü or qızlar aşı is a kind of a bachelorette party, where bride’s friends and femaleLearn Tatar
4 Feb, 08:08edited
Wedding costume of a young woman from a wealthy Kazan Tatar family, mid-19th century. Fully reconstructed by the project İSTƏLEK based on Karl Huhn’s 1863 watercolor “Tatar Women.”
Learn Tatar
21 Jan, 09:45edited
#tt_advanced More conditionalsIn our first lesson of the new year, to enrich our speech and build more nuanced and complex sentences, I’d like us to dive into further options of expressing conditional mood!⭕️ Using the modal word ikən (real conditional)The condition may be in the past, present, or future, but the predicate of the result clause refers only to the present or future.Min anı təqdim itəm ikən, dimək, bu eşne alıp bara alırına ışanam. (Waqif Nurullin, “Aqqan su yulın tabar”) If I propose him, that means I believe that he can do the work.⭕️ Conditions expressed by the verbal adverb in -gaç, -gəç, -qaç, -kəç (real conditional)Xat algaç, cawap ta yazarğa kirək bula. (Ğadel Qutuy, “Tapşırılmağan xatlar”) When one has received a letter, one must write an answer.⭕️ Conditions expressed by the interrogative particle -mı, -me joined to verbs in the past tense (realLearn Tatar
7 Dec 2025, 07:59
🪗🪕 Uyın qoralları – Musical instruments 🪈quray – reed flute qubız – jaw harp ğarmun – accordion mandolina – mandolin dəf – daf (frame drum) saz – saz (seven-string long-necked lute) sornay – zurna (double reed wind instrument) dumbıra – dombra (two-/three-string long-neck lute) göslə – gusli (string instrument)qıl – string sızğıç – bow (for string instruments)
Learn Tatar
7 Dec 2025, 07:59
#tt_newbie Music🎵 muzıka – music cır – song quşımta – chorus köy, moñ – melody, tune tawış – sound, voice qaytawaz – echo səxnə – stage bişek cırı – lullaby yuğarı nota – high note tübən nota – low note🎤 cırlaw – to sing tıñlaw – to listen uynaw – to play (an instrument) qabızu – to play (to put on a song) biyü – to dance qul çabu – to clap, applaudLearn Tatar
23 Nov 2025, 09:27
It feels like a real privilege to live in the same era as this artist, because his work allows us not just to look at history, but to step inside it. And we’re especially fortunate that people in Tatarstan can visit his exhibitions in person. The rest of us can still follow his journey — discovering new paintings, watching his process, and supporting his art — on his Telegram channel or on Instagram.Learn Tatar
23 Nov 2025, 09:27
"Urmannar arasında. Köz" / "Among the forests. Autumn" (2022)
Learn Tatar
23 Nov 2025, 09:27
1. "Awıl uramı. Söyləşü." / "Village street. Conversation." (2022) 2. "İske kelət aldında" / "At the old pantry" (2018) 3. "Közge yul" / "Autumn road" (2009)
Learn Tatar
23 Nov 2025, 09:27
"Munçadan soñ çəy eçü" / "Tea drinking after the bathhouse" (2017)
Learn Tatar
23 Nov 2025, 09:27
1. "Söyləşu" / "Conversation" (2002) 2. "Kötüçe" / "Waiting" (2011) 3. "Babaynıñ əkiyətləre" / "Grandfather's tales" (2008)
Learn Tatar
23 Nov 2025, 09:27
1. "Qoş kötüçe" / "Bird shepherd" (2016) 2. "Peçən çabu waqıtında" / "During the mowing" (2019) 3. "Yəşel ülənlektə" / "On the green meadow" (2020)
Related Channels
Other channels in the same section of the catalogue.
