nahotki

Can It Really Be?

Level 5

Nahotki + sentence? = Can it really be ...?: Nahotki u ketdi? (Did she really leave?)

How It Works

1. Where it goes
Put nahotki at the start. The rest of the sentence keeps its normal shape:

  • Nahotki u ketdi? (Did she really leave?)
  • Nahotki meni tanimadingiz? (Did you really not recognize me?)

A question mark shows a doubtful question. An exclamation mark shows shock or protest.

2. With boʻlsa: could it be that ...?
Nahotki often pairs with an -sa form, especially boʻlsa: Nahotki rost boʻlsa? (Can it really be true?). With -gan boʻlsa, it wonders about something that may already have happened: Nahotki poyezd ketib qolgan boʻlsa? (Could the train really have left already?). This -sa does not mean if. It adds a wondering, unwilling-to-believe tone.

3. The short form nahot
Nahot means the same thing: Nahot shunday boʻlsa! (Can it really be so!)

4. Only for disbelief
Nahotki is never a plain really or truly. To say that something is true, use haqiqatan ham or rostdan ham: U haqiqatan ham yaxshi odam (He really is a good person). For a quiet I wonder, use -mikan. To argue a point, use axir.

Examples (6)

  1. Nahotki rost boʻlsa?

    Can it really be true?

    Word by Word: Can-it-be true it-is-if?

  2. Nahotki u ketdi?

    Did she really leave?

    Word by Word: Can-it-be she left?

  3. Nahotki meni tanimadingiz?

    Did you really not recognize me?

    Word by Word: Can-it-be me you-did-not-recognize?

  4. Nahotki taʼtil tugadi?

    Is the holiday really over?

    Word by Word: Can-it-be holiday ended?

  5. Nahotki poyezd ketib qolgan boʻlsa?

    Could the train really have left already?

    Word by Word: Can-it-be train leaving stayed if-is?

    With -gan boʻlsa, nahotki wonders about something that may already have happened.

  6. Nahotki shu kichkina bola bu rasmni chizgan boʻlsa!

    Could this little child really have drawn this picture!

    Word by Word: Can-it-be this little child this picture-(object) drawn if-is!

    The exclamation mark shows amazement rather than a real question.

Common Mistakes

  • Using nahotki as a plain really or truly in a statement.

    U nahotki yaxshi odam.
    U haqiqatan ham yaxshi odam.

    Nahotki only expresses disbelief. To agree that someone really is good, use haqiqatan ham or rostdan ham.

  • Using nahotki with a question word to ask for information.

    Nahotki soat necha?
    Soat necha?

    Nahotki is for doubting something you have just heard, not for asking for information. To ask the time, just say Soat necha? To doubt it, say Nahotki soat oʻn boʻldi? (Is it really ten o'clock?)

How It Connects

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

nahotkiLevel 5Can It Really Be?

Learn This First

Builds on I Wonder.