-(s)i

His, Her or Its: -(s)i

Level 1

To say his, her or its, add -si after a vowel or -i after a consonant: ona → onasi, kitob → kitobi.

How It Works

The third-person possessive is the only one with an extra consonant:

  • After a vowel: -si. ona + -si → onasi (his or her mother), mashina + -si → mashinasi (his or her car).
  • After a consonant: -i. kitob + -i → kitobi (his or her book), uy + -i → uyi (his or her house), ism + -i → ismi (his or her name).

One ending for he, she and it. Just as u covers he, she and it, -(s)i covers his, her and its. Context tells you which. It does not show whether the owner is one person or several either, so ularning uyi (their house) is correct too. To mark their on the noun itself, see -lari (egalik).

Linking two nouns. When the first noun just describes the second, the second takes -(s)i: oʻzbek tili (the Uzbek language), maktab direktori (the school principal), Samarqand viloyati (the Samarkand region). See belgisiz qaratqich birikmasi. With a specific owner, the owner takes -ning: Azizning kitobi (Aziz's book); see -ning (qaratqich kelishigi).

Case endings follow directly. Modern standard Uzbek adds nothing between -(s)i and a case ending: uyiga (to his house), uyida (in his house), uyini (his house, as an object). Forms with an extra n, such as uyinda, belong to older literary style. Only the pronouns add n: unga (to him). See egalik + kelishik.

The usual seam changes apply: yurak → yuragi, qishloq → qishlogʻi (see k > g, q > gʻ almashuvi), and shahar → shahri (see unli tushishi).

Examples (5)

  1. Ismi Aziz.

    His name is Aziz.

    Word by Word: Name-his Aziz.

    ism + -i → ismi. Without context it could also be her name.

  2. Onasi uyda.

    His mother is at home.

    Word by Word: Mother-his house-at.

    ona ends in a vowel, so it takes -si. It could equally mean her mother.

  3. Mashinasi bor.

    She has a car.

    Word by Word: Car-her exists.

    mashina + -si → mashinasi, plus bor for having.

  4. Uyi katta.

    His house is big.

    Word by Word: House-his big.

    uy ends in the consonant y, so it takes -i.

  5. Oʻzbek tili qiyin emas.

    The Uzbek language is not difficult.

    Word by Word: Uzbek language-its difficult not.

    Here -i links two nouns into a name rather than showing an owner.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding only -i after a vowel.

    Onai uyda.
    Onasi uyda.

    After a vowel the ending is -si: ona → onasi, mashina → mashinasi.

  • Dropping the ending in a noun pair.

    Men oʻzbek til oʻrganyapman.
    Men oʻzbek tilini oʻrganyapman.

    In oʻzbek tili the second noun needs -i. Here the pair is also a definite object, so -ni follows: tili + -ni → tilini.

How It Connects

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-(s)iLevel 1His, Her or Its: -(s)i

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Builds on My: -(i)m and He, She or It.

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