diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index 92ac2d8bd..cbdd9a214 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ To update |kitty|, :doc:`follow the instructions <binary>`.
 0.20.0 [future]
 ----------------------
 
+- When using a non-US keyboard layout and pressing :kbd:`ctrl+key` when
+  the key matches an English key, send that to the program running in the
+  terminal automatically (:iss:`2000`)
+
 - Add support for the color settings stack that XTerm copied from us without
   acknowledgement and decided to use incompatible escape codes for.
 
diff --git a/kitty/key_encoding.c b/kitty/key_encoding.c
index a48f230d2..059a55990 100644
--- a/kitty/key_encoding.c
+++ b/kitty/key_encoding.c
@@ -374,6 +374,13 @@ encode_key(const KeyEvent *ev, char *output) {
                 output[0] = 0;
                 return 1;
             }
+            if ((ev->mods.value == CTRL || ev->mods.value == ALT || ev->mods.value == (CTRL | ALT)) && ev->alternate_key && !is_legacy_ascii_key(ev->key) && is_legacy_ascii_key(ev->alternate_key)) {
+                KeyEvent alternate = *ev;
+                alternate.key = ev->alternate_key;
+                alternate.alternate_key = 0;
+                int ret = encode_printable_ascii_key_legacy(&alternate, output);
+                if (ret > 0) return ret;
+            }
         }
     }