-(a)yotir

Literary Present Continuous -yotir

Level 6

-ayotir means the same as -yap, is doing right now, but you meet it mostly in poems and older books: Qor yogʻayotir = Qor yogʻyapti (Snow is falling).

How It Works

1. Building the form
After a consonant, add -ayotir; after a vowel, add -yotir. The third person has no ending:

  • yogʻ- → yogʻayotir (is falling, of rain or snow)
  • kel- → kelayotir (is coming)
  • ishla- → ishlayotir (is working)
  • oʻqi- → oʻqiyotir (is reading)

The other persons add the long person endings, as with -yap: kelayotirman (I am coming), kelayotirsan, kelayotirmiz, kelayotirsiz, kelayotirlar.

2. Negative
Put -ma- before -yotir: kelmayotir (is not coming).

3. One meaning, three styles
A study of Uzbek verb styles gives the three forms as synonyms: boryapman, borayotirman, bormoqdaman (I am going). The difference is the setting:

  • -yap: everyday speech and writing
  • -moqda: news, speeches and formal writing
  • -(a)yotir: poetry, songs and older prose

In relaxed talk you may also hear -vot. Using -yotir in everyday talk is not wrong, but it sounds bookish.

4. Related forms
The same -(a)yot- appears in the participle -(a)yotgan (kelayotgan, who is coming) and in -(a)yotib. Like them, it adds -a after a consonant.

Examples (6)

  1. Qor yogʻayotir.

    Snow is falling.

    Word by Word: Snow falling-is.

    In everyday speech: Qor yogʻyapti.

  2. Zavod toʻxtovsiz ishlayotir.

    The factory is working without stopping.

    Word by Word: Factory stopping-without working-is.

  3. Bahor kelayotir, qushlar sayrayotir.

    Spring is coming, and the birds are singing.

    Word by Word: Spring coming-is, birds singing-are.

  4. Men senga bu xatni yozayotirman.

    I am writing this letter to you.

    Word by Word: I you-to this letter-(object) writing-am-I.

  5. Koʻzimga uyqu kelmayotir.

    Sleep will not come to my eyes.

    Word by Word: Eye-my-to sleep coming-not-is.

    The negative puts -ma- before -yotir: kel- + -ma- + -yotir.

  6. Yillar oʻtayotir, lekin seni unutmayman.

    The years are passing, but I will not forget you.

    Word by Word: Years passing-are, but you-(object) forget-not-I.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out -a after a consonant.

    Qor yogʻyotir.
    Qor yogʻayotir.

    After a consonant the ending is -ayotir: yogʻayotir, kelayotir. Only after a vowel is it -yotir: ishlayotir.

  • Adding -ti as with -yapti.

    Qor yogʻayotirti.
    Qor yogʻayotir.

    With -yap the third person ends in -ti: yogʻyapti. With -yotir it has no ending: yogʻayotir.

How It Connects

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

-(a)yotirLevel 6Literary Present Continuous -yotir

Learn This First

Builds on The Present Participle -(a)yotgan and The Formal Present Continuous -moqda.