I can say where I am and where things are, ask “are you at home?” and “is there a bank here?”, and say what I have with me.
Qayerda? Where?: the locative -da
Qayerda? Where?: the locative -da
The question qayerda? (“where?”) is answered by the locative — the ending -da. It is the same for every word and goes after the word, unlike English “in” and “at”: Toshkentda — in Tashkent, bozorda — at the bazaar, ishda — at work. It is always written -da, even when it sounds like [ta]: ishda. Likewise a final b or d sounds like p or t: kitob — [kitɒp]; write b, d.
“I'm at home”, “we're at work”: the -da word takes the personal ending, like a job: uydaman, ishdamiz. The third person has no ending: U uyda. Questions and “not” also work as with a job: Toshkentdamisiz? — Yoʻq, Toshkentda emasman.
After “my, your, his” -da comes right after that ending — three parts in one word: uy + im + da = uyimda (in my house), uyida (in his or her house).
Now some familiar words make sense: bu yerda — “in this place”, u yerda — “in that place”, shu yerda — “right here”; oʻttiz yoshdaman — literally “I'm at thirty years”.
Common mistakes:
• ×da Toshkent → Toshkentda
• ×Men uyda → Men uydaman
• ×mening uyda → mening uyimda
Where? — the -da ending
The ending is the same for every word; the personal ending comes after it.
| Word | Where? | “I'm / we're / you're there” |
|---|---|---|
| uy | uyda (at home) | uydaman (I'm at home) |
| ish | ishda (at work) | ishdamiz (we're at work) |
| Toshkent | Toshkentda (in Tashkent) | Toshkentdasiz (you're in Tashkent) |
| uyim (my house) | uyimda (in my house) | — |
| uyi (his / her house) | uyida (in his / her house) | — |
Lesson notes
Qayerda? Where?: the locative -da
The question qayerda? (“where?”) is answered by the locative — the ending -da. It is the same for every word and goes after the word, unlike English “in” and “at”: Toshkentda — in Tashkent, bozorda — at the bazaar, ishda — at work. It is always written -da, even when it sounds like [ta]: ishda. Likewise a final b or d sounds like p or t: kitob — [kitɒp]; write b, d.
“I'm at home”, “we're at work”: the -da word takes the personal ending, like a job: uydaman, ishdamiz. The third person has no ending: U uyda. Questions and “not” also work as with a job: Toshkentdamisiz? — Yoʻq, Toshkentda emasman.
After “my, your, his” -da comes right after that ending — three parts in one word: uy + im + da = uyimda (in my house), uyida (in his or her house).
Now some familiar words make sense: bu yerda — “in this place”, u yerda — “in that place”, shu yerda — “right here”; oʻttiz yoshdaman — literally “I'm at thirty years”.
Common mistakes:
• ×da Toshkent → Toshkentda
• ×Men uyda → Men uydaman
• ×mening uyda → mening uyimda
Menda … bor. Bu yerda … bormi?
Pronouns have their own forms for “on me, with me…”: menda, senda, sizda, unda (an n appears here), bizda, sizlarda, ularda. The pointing words take the same n: bu — bunda (“in this”), shu — shunda (“in this one we're talking about”).
English “I have” is two Uzbek forms. These are for a thing you have on you right now: Menda kalit bor — I have a key (with me). Menda pul yoʻq. Senda telefon bormi?
You don't use them for relatives. “I have a brother” is still the form you know: Mening akam bor.
The same words ask about a place: Bu yerda bank bormi? — Ha, bor. / Yoʻq, yoʻq.
Mehmonxona is both “hotel” and “living room” in a home: mehmon + xona, “a room for guests”.
In conversation you'll also hear magazin, apteka, bolnitsa (from Russian; magazin is a store, not a magazine), but the course uses the literary words doʻkon, dorixona, kasalxona.
Common mistakes:
• ×Menda aka bor → Mening akam bor
• ×Men kalit bor → Menda kalit bor