-(i)b boʻlmoq

Finishing: -(i)b Boʻlmoq

Level 3

-(i)b + boʻlmoq = to finish doing: Ovqatni yeb boʻldim (I have finished eating).

How It Works

1. Building it
Put the main verb in its -(i)b form: -ib after a consonant, -b after a vowel. Then add boʻlmoq with the endings you need.

  • ye (eat) → yeb boʻldim (I finished eating)
  • qil (do) → qilib boʻldingmi? (have you finished doing it?)
  • oʻqi (read) → oʻqib boʻldi (she finished reading)
  • ich (drink) → ichib boʻldik (we finished drinking)

The past tense is the most common, because we usually report that something is already done.

2. Not finished yet
Put the negative on boʻlmoq: Hali yozib boʻlmadim. (I haven't finished writing yet.) You can also use Not Yet: -gani yoʻq: Hali yozib boʻlganim yoʻq.

3. After finishing
Combine it with After Doing: -gach to say what happens next: Ishni qilib boʻlgach, uyga ketdim. (After I finished the work, I went home.)

4. Watch out: -(i)b boʻlmaydi
When the negative present form has no person, the meaning changes to impossible or very hard. It no longer talks about finishing:

  • Bu shovqinga chidab boʻlmaydi. (This noise is unbearable.)
  • Bu yerda oʻtirib boʻlmaydi. (You can't sit here.)

To say that you have not finished, use a past form with a person ending, such as yeb boʻlmadim. To say that a person is not able to do something, use Cannot.

5. Finishing or going all the way through?
Boʻlmoq only says the action is done. All the Way Through: -(i)b chiqmoq says you went through something from start to end: Kitobni oʻqib chiqdim. (I read the book from cover to cover.)

Examples (6)

  1. Ovqatni yeb boʻldim.

    I have finished eating.

    Word by Word: food-(object) eating I-finished

  2. Uy vazifasini qilib boʻldingmi?

    Have you finished your homework?

    Word by Word: homework-(object) doing you-finished-?

    The question ending -mi goes at the very end, after boʻlding.

  3. Hali yozib boʻlmadim.

    I haven't finished writing yet.

    Word by Word: yet writing I-did-not-finish

    The negative -ma- is on boʻlmoq, not on yozib.

  4. Biz choy ichib boʻldik.

    We have finished our tea.

  5. Kinoni koʻrib boʻlgach, uxlaymiz.

    When we finish watching the film, we will go to sleep.

    Boʻlgach means after finishing. The -gach ending goes on the helper.

  6. Bu shovqinga chidab boʻlmaydi.

    This noise is unbearable.

    Word by Word: this noise-to enduring is-not-possible

    Here -(i)b boʻlmaydi has no person ending, so it means it cannot be done. It does not mean not finished.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the past tense on both verbs.

    Ovqatni yedim boʻldim.
    Ovqatni yeb boʻldim.

    Only boʻlmoq takes the tense ending. The main verb stays in the -(i)b form: yeb.

  • Adding -ib to a verb that ends in a vowel.

    Men xatni oʻqiib boʻldim.
    Men xatni oʻqib boʻldim.

    After a vowel the linking form is just -b: oʻqi becomes oʻqib, and ishla becomes ishlab.

  • Using the impersonal negative to say you have not finished.

    Hali yeb boʻlmaydi.
    Hali yeb boʻlmadim.

    Yeb boʻlmaydi means it cannot be eaten. To say I haven't finished eating yet, use the past with a person ending: yeb boʻlmadim.

How It Connects

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

-(i)b boʻlmoqLevel 3Finishing: -(i)b Boʻlmoq

Learn This First

Builds on Helper Verbs After -(i)b and -a and To Be, To Become.

Words in This Pattern

boʻlmoq