nechta / necha

How Many

Level 1

Nechta and necha both mean how many. The noun after them stays singular: nechta olma (how many apples).

How It Works

Uzbek has two words for how many:

  • nechta = necha + -ta, the same counting ending as in uchta (three). It counts separate things: Nechta olma olasiz? (How many apples will you take?) → Uchta. It also stands alone: Nechta? (How many?)
  • necha is the usual choice before units of time, age and measure, and before kishi (people): necha kun (how many days), necha soat (how many hours), necha kishi (how many people). The answer uses a plain number: Uch kun.

Before ordinary countable nouns the two often overlap, and both are correct: nechta kitob and necha kitob (how many books).

The noun stays singular. Just as a number is followed by a singular noun (son + birlik ot), so is a question about the number: nechta kitob, never nechta kitoblar.

Set phrases with necha. Soat necha? (What time is it?) and Soat nechada? (At what time?); see Soat necha?. Necha yoshdasiz? (How old are you?); see Necha yoshdasiz?.

For amounts you do not count piece by piece, and for prices, use qancha: Bu qancha turadi? (How much does this cost?). With the name of the money, necha also works: Necha soʻm? (How many soʻm?). For which number in order, Uzbek has nechanchi; see -(i)nchi (tartib son).

Examples (6)

  1. Nechta olma olasiz?

    How many apples will you take?

    Word by Word: How-many apple take-you?

    olma stays singular after nechta. Answer: Uchta.

  2. Nechta tilda gapirasiz?

    How many languages do you speak?

    Word by Word: How-many language-in speak-you?

    Uzbek says "speak in a language", so til takes -da: tilda.

  3. Necha kun qolasiz?

    How many days will you stay?

    Word by Word: How-many day stay-you?

    necha is the usual choice before units of time such as kun.

  4. Oilangizda necha kishi bor?

    How many people are there in your family?

    Word by Word: Family-your-in how-many person exists?

    kishi stays singular after necha.

  5. Soat necha?

    What time is it?

    Word by Word: Hour how-many?

    A set phrase that always uses necha.

  6. Necha yoshdasiz?

    How old are you?

    Word by Word: How-many age-at-are-you?

    Age is asked with necha, yosh, -da and a person ending.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the noun plural.

    Nechta kitoblar olasiz?
    Nechta kitob olasiz?

    After nechta or necha, as after any number, the noun stays singular.

  • Asking the time with nechta.

    Soat nechta?
    Soat necha?

    Soat nechta? asks how many clocks there are. To ask the time, the set phrase is Soat necha?

  • Asking a price with nechta.

    Bu nechta turadi?
    Bu qancha turadi?

    Nechta counts separate things. To ask what something costs, use qancha.

How It Connects

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nechta / nechaLevel 1How Many

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Builds on Singular Noun After Numbers.

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Words in This Pattern

nechtanecha