Language/Northern-uzbek/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be
Hi Northern Uzbek learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on one of the most fundamental verbs in the English language, "be", and how to use it in Northern Uzbek. If you are an intermediate learner, this lesson is perfect for you!
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Conditional Mood & Passive Voice.
What is "Be"?[edit | edit source]
"Be" is an English auxiliary verb that is used to link the subject of a sentence with a predicate. It can also be used to describe a state, situation, or condition. For example, consider the sentence "He is smart." In this sentence, "is" is the auxiliary verb "be" in the present tense.
We can conjugate "be" to match the tense of the sentence. Here are the present tense, past tense, and future tense conjugations of "be":
Present | Past | Future | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I | man | bo'dim | bo'laman | you (singular) | sen | bo'ding | bo'larsan | he/she/it | bu | bo'ldi | bo'ladi | we | biz | bo'ydik | bo'ladiq | you (plural) | siz | bo'ydiz | bo'lasingiz | they | ular | bo'ydilar | bo'ladi |
A good way to practice using "be" is to make sentences with different subjects, tenses, and conditions. For example, we can use "be" to describe the weather:
English | Northern Uzbek | Pronunciation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
It is sunny | Quyoshli | [ɸujɵʃli] | It was rainy | Yomg'irli | [jomɢʼirli] | It will be cloudy | Bulutli bo'ladi | [bulutli bɔ'lɑdi] |
Here's an example dialogue using "be" to describe the weather:
- Person 1: Bugun quyoshli bo'ladi. (It will be sunny today.)
- Person 2: Mayliy oldingiz. (Lucky you!)
Using "Be" with Adjectives[edit | edit source]
One of the most common ways to use "be" is with adjectives. To describe the attributes of a person, thing, or idea, we use "be" with an adjective. For example, "She is tall" or "He is happy."
Here are some examples of adjectives with "be":
Northern Uzbek | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
yaxshi | ['jæxʃi] | good | yomon | ['jomɔn] | bad | katta | ['kættæ] | big | kichik | ['kitʃik] | small | ko'p | ['kʊp] | many | az | ['æz] | few |
We can also use "be" to describe professions or identities. Here are some examples:
English | Northern Uzbek | Pronunciation | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
I am a teacher. | Men o'qituvchiyman. | [men ʊqitʊvtʃijmæn] | She is a doctor. | Uni shifokor deyilar. | [uni ʃifʊkoɾ deɪlæɾ] | They are students. | Ular o'quvchilar. | [ular oʔquvtʃilær] |
Let's try using "be" with adjectives and professions in a dialogue:
- Person 1: Men xorazimman. (I am a dentist.)
- Person 2: Yaxshi kasb. (Good profession!)
Contractions with "Be"[edit | edit source]
In Northern Uzbek, we often use contractions with "be". This is when we combine the subject and the auxiliary verb. Here are some examples:
Northern Uzbek | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
men em | ['men e:m] | I am | sensan | [sensæn] | you are | u juda yaxshi | [u dʒudæ jæxʃi] | he is very good | biz do'stlariz | [biz dostlæriz] | we are friends | siz bemorlarsiz | [siz bæmorlærsiz] | you are patients | ular yaxshi hammaga | [ulɑr jæxʃi hæmmæɡæ] | they are good to everyone |
We can use these contractions to make our speech sound more natural and informal. Here's an example dialogue using the contractions:
- Person 1: Men em yaxshi. (I am fine.)
- Person 2: Sensan astaqa? (You too?)
Negative Forms of "Be"[edit | edit source]
We can also use "be" to make negative statements. In English, we add "not" to the auxiliary verb "be" to make negative sentences. In Northern Uzbek, we add the negative particle "yo'q" after the auxiliary verb. Here are some examples:
Children's Song | Pronunciation | English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Men yomon em. Yo'q. | [men jomɔn em. joʔ] | I am not bad. No. | Sen go'zal emassan. Yo'q. | [sen gɔʔzæl æmæssæn. joʔ] | You are not pretty. No. | Uni yomon deb yurtilar. Yo'q. | [uni jomɔn deb jurtilɑr. joʔ] | They do not call him bad. No.
We can also use contractions when making negative statements. Here are some examples:
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