-a/-y olmoq

Can: -a Olmoq

Level 2

-a olmoq means can or be able to: Oʻzbekcha gapira olaman (I can speak Uzbek).

How It Works

Two verbs, one meaning
The first verb says what you do; olmoq (literally "to take") adds "can". The first verb never changes after -a or -y. Everything else, such as the tense, the person and -mi, goes on olmoq.

  • After a consonant: gapir- → gapira olaman (I can speak), kel- → kela olasizmi? (can you come?)
  • After a vowel: oʻqi- → oʻqiy olaman (I can read), ishla- → ishlay oladi (she can work)

Olmoq takes the tense
In the present-future tense (Present-Future Tense) olmoq becomes olaman, olasan, oladi, olamiz, olasiz. In the past (Simple Past -di) it becomes oldim, olding, oldi: Hammasini yoza oldim (I managed to write it all).

In speech the two words join
People often run the two words together: gapirolaman, borolamiz, kelolasizmi? The spelling rules allow writing this fused form as one word, because the sound has changed. Both bora oladi and boroladi are correct.

Can, may, or know how to?

  • -a olmoq is being able to, because you have the skill or because nothing stops you: Oʻzbekcha gapira olaman (I can speak Uzbek), Ertaga kela olaman (I can come tomorrow).
  • A learned skill can also be put as knowing how, with Knowing How To: Suzishni bilaman (I know how to swim).
  • Permission is May, Can, Possible: Kirish mumkinmi? (May I come in?)

Do not confuse it with -ib olmoq
Yoza oldim (-a + olmoq) means "I was able to write". Yozib oldim (-ib + olmoq) means "I wrote it down for myself". See Doing for Yourself: -(i)b olmoq. For "cannot", see Cannot.

Examples (6)

  1. Oʻzbekcha gapira olaman.

    I can speak Uzbek.

    Word by Word: Uzbek-ly speak-a take-I.

    gapir- ends in a consonant, so it takes -a.

  2. Siz oʻzbekcha yoza olasizmi?

    Can you write in Uzbek?

    Word by Word: You Uzbek-ly write-a take-you-question?

    The question particle -mi goes on olmoq, not on yoza.

  3. Xitoy yozuvini oʻqiy olaman.

    I can read Chinese writing.

    Word by Word: Chinese writing-its-object read-y take-I.

    oʻqi- ends in a vowel, so it takes -y.

  4. Ertaga kela olasizmi?

    Can you come tomorrow?

    Word by Word: Tomorrow come-a take-you-question?

  5. Bu sumkani koʻtara olasanmi?

    Can you lift this bag?

    Word by Word: This bag-object lift-a take-you-question?

  6. Hammasini yoza oldim.

    I managed to write it all down. / I was able to write it all.

    Word by Word: All-its-object write-a took-I.

    In the past, olmoq takes -di: oldim.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the personal ending on both verbs.

    Men gapiraman olaman.
    Men gapira olaman.

    The first verb only takes -a or -y. The ending -man goes on olmoq alone.

  • Using the dictionary form -moq before olmoq.

    Men oʻzbekcha gapirmoq olaman.
    Men oʻzbekcha gapira olaman.

    The main verb drops -moq and takes -a after a consonant or -y after a vowel: gapira, oʻqiy.

How It Connects

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

-a/-y olmoqLevel 2Can: -a Olmoq

Learn This First

Builds on Present-Future Tense.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

olmoq