Introduction to Uzbek Structures: Lesson 4

In this fourth lesson, you’ll learn more about postpositions and you’ll learn to ask for things.

You already know that -da means at or in. How do you say in the room?

?in the room|bu xonada

The word for eating is osh. So a restaurant is oshxona. How do you say at the restaurant?

?at the restaurant|bu oshxonada

The word for book is kitob. A library is kitobxona. How do you say in the library?

?in the library|bu kitobxona

In Uzbek, the words for my and your are the endings im and ingiz. If a word ends in a vowel, you drop the "i" at the beginning. So my book is kitobim and your room is xonangiz. Let’s try a few:

?your book|kitobingiz

?your guest|mehmoningiz

?my room|xonam

?my tea|choyim

How do you say This is my room?

?This room-my.|Bu-xonam.

And That is your book?

?That book-your.|U-kitobingiz.

The ending -da means in. The ending -ga means to. So to the restaurant is bu oshxonaga and to my room is xonamga (xona:room + (i)m:my + ga:to).

The word for the command, Give! is Bering! So if you want someone to bring you tea, you say To me tea give - Menga choy bering.

How do you ask for coffee?

?Me-to coffee give|Menga kofe bering

If you’re asking someone to give you something in general, like tea or coffee, or maybe an apple (olma), you just need the word. But in a sentence like Give me the book, since you’re referring to a specific thing you need to add the ending -ni.

Give me a book = Menga kitob bering

Give me the book = Menga kitobni bering

Give me that book = Menga u kitobni bering

If you want to be polite, you can preface your request with iltimos - please. Thank you is rahmat.

Let’s do a short conversation.

Salom (Hello).

?This is my guest.|Bu mehmonim.

Salom

?Are you well?|Yaxshimisiz?

?I am well, thank you.|Yaxshiman, rahmat.

(Where are you staying?)

?At that hotel.|U mehmonxonada.

?Is your room good?|Xonangiz yaxshimi?

?Yes, (it is) good.|Ha, yaxshi.

(Would you like tea?)

?Yes. Please give me tea. (Yes. Please me-to tea give.)|Ha. Iltimos menga choy bering.

?Thank you. This is good.|Rahmat. Bu yaxshi.

Arzimaydi. (You’re welcome.)

As you can see, the sentences are getting more varied and more complicated. The language here is still over-simplified, but it should be quite functional for its purposes.

In the fifth and final lesson, you will learn to talk about needing things and having things. This will prepare you for a short but meaningful set of conversations where you go from looking for a hotel to getting a room. When you are done, you will also be acquainted with several of the major elements of Uzbek grammar (aside from the verb conjugations) where it differs from English.

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