-la

Making Verbs with -la

Level 5

-la turns a noun into a verb: ish (work) + -la → ishlamoq (to work), tish (tooth) → tishlamoq (to bite), gul (flower) → gullamoq (to bloom).

How It Works

1. Noun or adjective + -la
Add -la straight to the word, then the dictionary ending -moq:

  • ish (work) → ishlamoq (to work)
  • tuz (salt) → tuzlamoq (to salt, to pickle)
  • tish (tooth) → tishlamoq (to bite)
  • oʻy (thought) → oʻylamoq (to think)
  • gul (flower) → gullamoq (to bloom)
  • bosh (head) → boshlamoq (to begin)
  • toza (clean) → tozalamoq (to clean), tayyor (ready) → tayyorlamoq (to prepare), yangi (new) → yangilamoq (to renew, to update)

Some meanings drift a little from the noun: boshlamoq is to begin, not to head.

2. A vowel-final stem
Because the stem ends in a, the endings take their after-a-vowel shapes:

  • present-future: ishla- + -y + -man → ishlayman (I work)
  • past: ishla- + -di + -m → ishladim (I worked)
  • linking form: ishla- + -b → ishlab

3. Building further
A -la verb can take more endings. -t makes it causative, as in making someone do it: ishlatmoq (to use, to make work). -n makes it passive or reflexive: tozalandi (was cleaned). The endings -lan and -lash build on the same -la.

4. -la or qilmoq?
Only some nouns take -la. Many others, especially newer or borrowed words, make a verb with qilmoq instead: tarjima qilmoq (to translate), telefon qilmoq (to phone). You cannot add -la to just any noun, so learn each -la verb when you meet it.

Examples (6)

  1. Men bankda ishlayman.

    I work at a bank.

    Word by Word: I bank-at work-I.

    ish + -la → ishla-, then -y + -man.

  2. Onam qishga bodring tuzlayapti.

    My mother is pickling cucumbers for the winter.

    Word by Word: Mother-my winter-to cucumber salt-ing-is.

  3. Itingiz tishlaydimi?

    Does your dog bite?

    Word by Word: Dog-your bite-does-?

  4. Bahorda oʻriklar gullaydi.

    In spring the apricot trees blossom.

    Word by Word: Spring-in apricots flower-do.

  5. Men bu haqda koʻp oʻyladim.

    I thought about this a lot.

    Word by Word: I this about much thought-I.

  6. Mehmonlar uchun xonani tozaladik.

    We cleaned the room for the guests.

    Word by Word: Guests for room-(object) cleaned-we.

    toza (clean) + -la → tozala-.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the buffer y after the -la stem.

    Men bankda ishlaman.
    Men bankda ishlayman.

    The stem ishla- ends in a vowel, so the present tense takes -y, not -a: ishlayman, ishlaysiz, ishlaydi.

  • Adding -la to a noun that forms its verb with qilmoq.

    Matnni tarjimaladim.
    Matnni tarjima qildim.

    Tarjima (translation) has no -la verb. Many nouns, especially borrowed ones, use qilmoq instead.

How It Connects

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

-laLevel 5Making Verbs with -la

Learn This First

Builds on Compound Verbs With qilmoq.