I can show a family photo and say who is who — “my father”, “my younger sister”, “his wife” — and ask: “Is this your brother?”
My, your, his: possessive endings
My, your, his: possessive endings
Why: to show a family photo and say who is who: “my brother”, “your daughter”, “his wife”.
In Uzbek, “my, your, his, her” is not a separate word but a possessive ending on the noun itself: aka → akam “my older brother”. You already know ismim, ismingiz. The words mening, sening, sizning, uning can be left out, but the ending can't: akam = mening akam.
The ending depends on the last letter of the word (see the table):
• after a vowel: -m, -ng, -ngiz, -si — onam, onang, onangiz, onasi;
• after a consonant: -im, -ing, -ingiz, -i — doʻstim, doʻsting, doʻstingiz, doʻsti.
The order is “my”, “your” (sen), “your” (siz), “his, her”. The stress moves onto the ending.
Learn three words as set forms: oʻgʻil → oʻgʻlim, oʻgʻli; singil → singlim, singlisi; turmush oʻrtogʻi → turmush oʻrtogʻim.
English “brother” and “sister” are four words in Uzbek: aka and opa are older than me, uka and singil younger. Katta and kichik also mean “older” and “younger”: katta oʻgʻlim. Qiz is both “girl” and “daughter”. At home people say dada “dad” and oyi “mom”.
Watch out: bola is any child, a boy or a girl; er is “husband”, and yer is “place”.
Common mistakes:
• ×mening aka → mening akam;
• ×uning ona → uning onasi.
My, your, his, her
The ending depends on the last letter of the word.
| Whose | After a vowel: ona | After a consonant: doʻst |
|---|---|---|
| mening | onam | doʻstim |
| sening | onang | doʻsting |
| sizning | onangiz | doʻstingiz |
| uning | onasi | doʻsti |
Brothers and sisters: four words
ota-ona — parents; er — husband, xotin — wife; oʻgʻil — son, qiz — daughter.
| Who | Older than me | Younger than me |
|---|---|---|
| brother | aka | uka |
| sister | opa | singil |
Lesson notes
My, your, his: possessive endings
Why: to show a family photo and say who is who: “my brother”, “your daughter”, “his wife”.
In Uzbek, “my, your, his, her” is not a separate word but a possessive ending on the noun itself: aka → akam “my older brother”. You already know ismim, ismingiz. The words mening, sening, sizning, uning can be left out, but the ending can't: akam = mening akam.
The ending depends on the last letter of the word (see the table):
• after a vowel: -m, -ng, -ngiz, -si — onam, onang, onangiz, onasi;
• after a consonant: -im, -ing, -ingiz, -i — doʻstim, doʻsting, doʻstingiz, doʻsti.
The order is “my”, “your” (sen), “your” (siz), “his, her”. The stress moves onto the ending.
Learn three words as set forms: oʻgʻil → oʻgʻlim, oʻgʻli; singil → singlim, singlisi; turmush oʻrtogʻi → turmush oʻrtogʻim.
English “brother” and “sister” are four words in Uzbek: aka and opa are older than me, uka and singil younger. Katta and kichik also mean “older” and “younger”: katta oʻgʻlim. Qiz is both “girl” and “daughter”. At home people say dada “dad” and oyi “mom”.
Watch out: bola is any child, a boy or a girl; er is “husband”, and yer is “place”.
Common mistakes:
• ×mening aka → mening akam;
• ×uning ona → uning onasi.