-chalik

As ... as: -chalik

Level 3

-chalik means as much as or as ... as. It is most common in negative sentences: U sizchalik baland emas (He is not as tall as you).

How It Works

-chalik compares how big, how much or how well. It goes on the thing you measure against, and the quality comes after it:

  • U sizchalik baland emas. (He is not as tall as you.)
  • Toshkent Moskvachalik katta emas. (Tashkent is not as big as Moscow.)

Mostly negative. -chalik is most natural with emas, a negative verb or hech kim: Hech kim senchalik yaxshi bilmaydi (Nobody knows it as well as you). In positive sentences it usually talks about size: Ukam menchalik boʻlib qoldi (My little brother has grown as tall as me).

Pronouns. menchalik, senchalik, bizchalik, sizchalik, ularchalik. The word unchalik is mostly used on its own to mean not very or not that, together with a negative: Bugun unchalik sovuq emas (It isn't very cold today).

Related words. Qanchalik means how much or to what extent, and shunchalik means so much; they pair up in qancha ... -sa, shuncha.

Three ways to compare.

  • -dan: than. U sizdan baland. (He is taller than you.)
  • -chalik: as ... as, the same degree. U sizchalik baland emas. (He isn't as tall as you.)
  • -dek: like, similarity. toshdek qattiq (hard as stone)

Examples (5)

  1. U sizchalik baland emas.

    He is not as tall as you.

    Word by Word: He you-as-much tall not.

  2. Hech kim senchalik yaxshi bilmaydi.

    Nobody knows it as well as you.

    Word by Word: No one you-as-much well knows-not.

  3. Toshkent Moskvachalik katta emas.

    Tashkent is not as big as Moscow.

    Word by Word: Tashkent Moscow-as-much big not.

  4. Bugun unchalik sovuq emas.

    It isn't very cold today.

    Word by Word: Today that-much cold not.

    Unchalik with a negative means not very.

  5. Ukam menchalik boʻlib qoldi.

    My little brother has grown as tall as me.

    Word by Word: Younger-brother-my me-as-much becoming stayed.

    In a positive sentence, -chalik here describes size.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a case ending before -chalik.

    U sizgachalik baland emas.
    U sizchalik baland emas.

    -chalik attaches directly to the basic form of the word, with no case ending in between.

  • Using -chalik for than (meant: Tashkent is bigger than Samarkand).

    Toshkent Samarqandchalik katta.
    Toshkent Samarqanddan katta.

    The incorrect sentence says Tashkent is as big as Samarkand. -chalik expresses the same degree; for than, use -dan.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-chalikLevel 3As ... as: -chalik

Learn This First

Builds on Than: -dan and Saying Something Is Not.