-mikan
I Wonder
Predicate + -mikan = I wonder if...: U kelarmikan? (I wonder if he will come), Bu toʻgʻrimikan? (I wonder if this is right).
How It Works
Use -mikan when you are not sure of something and you wonder about it aloud. It can also make a gentle question to someone else.
1. How it is built
-mikan comes from the question particle -mi plus ekan. The two are joined and written as one word with the predicate:
- with the probable future -(a)r: kelarmikan? (I wonder if he will come)
- with the present-future: keladimikan? (I wonder if he is coming)
- with the past: kelganmikan? (I wonder if he has come), qulfladimmikan? (I wonder if I locked it)
- with a noun or adjective: toʻgʻrimikan? (I wonder if it is right), uydamikan? (I wonder if she is at home)
2. Where the person goes
A -di past keeps its own person ending before -mikan: qildimmikan? (I wonder if I did it). With other forms, the person ending comes after -mikan: Ulgurarmikanman? (I wonder if I will make it), Boʻsh boʻlarmikansiz? (Might you be free?).
3. With question words
When the sentence already has a question word such as nima or qayerda, a separate ekan is the most common choice: Nima boʻldi ekan? (I wonder what happened). You will also hear -mikan with a question word, especially after -(a)r: Nima boʻlarmikan? (I wonder what will happen).
4. Soft questions and worries
Asked to someone else, -mikan sounds careful and polite: Ertaga boʻsh boʻlarmikansiz? (Might you be free tomorrow?). With deb, it tells what someone was wondering about: Toʻgʻri qildimmikan deb, kechasi bilan oʻyladim (I spent all night wondering whether I had done the right thing). In casual speech, you may hear it pronounced -mikin.
Examples (6)
- U kelarmikan?
I wonder if he will come.
Word by Word: He come-will-(I wonder)?
- Bu javob toʻgʻrimikan?
I wonder if this answer is right.
Word by Word: This answer right-(I wonder)?
- Eshikni qulfladimmikan?
Did I lock the door, I wonder?
Word by Word: Door-(obj.) locked-I-(I wonder)?
The -di past keeps its person ending -m before -mikan.
- Ertaga yomgʻir yogʻarmikan?
I wonder if it will rain tomorrow.
Word by Word: Tomorrow rain fall-will-(I wonder)?
- Ertaga boʻsh boʻlarmikansiz?
Might you be free tomorrow?
Word by Word: Tomorrow free be-will-(wonder)-you?
Asked to someone, -mikan makes a gentle, polite question. The person ending -siz comes last.
- Toʻgʻri qildimmikan deb, kechasi bilan oʻyladim.
I spent all night wondering whether I had done the right thing.
Word by Word: Right did-I-(wonder) saying, night-with I-thought.
With deb, the -mikan question reports what someone was wondering.
Common Mistakes
Writing -mikan as a separate word.
Bu javob toʻgʻri mikan?Bu javob toʻgʻrimikan?Like -mi, -mikan is written joined to the word before it: toʻgʻrimikan, kelarmikan.
Dropping the person ending of the -di past when you mean I.
Eshikni qulfladimikan?Eshikni qulfladimmikan?The speaker is wondering whether they locked the door themselves. qulfladi has no person ending, so qulfladimikan wonders whether he or she locked it. Keep the ending -m before -mikan: qulfladim + -mikan = qulfladimmikan.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Builds on Yes-No Questions With -mi and It Turns Out: ekan.
Related Patterns
- -(a)r / -masProbable Future -(a)r and -mas
The probable future form that -mikan often attaches to: kelarmikan.
Level 3 - -mi yoʻqmiWhether or Not
Another way to wonder whether something is so or not.
Level 4 - balki / ehtimolMaybe, Probably
Words for maybe, which state a guess instead of asking one.
Level 3 - -dir (ehtimol)Probably: -dir
States that something is probably so, while -mikan wonders whether it is.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice -mikan in Bubblegum
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