-sa kerak

Must Be: -sa Kerak

Level 4

-sa + kerak = must be, probably: U uyda boʻlsa kerak (he must be at home), charchagan boʻlsa kerak (she must be tired).

How It Works

1. Building the form

  • present or future: U bilsa kerak (he probably knows), Poyezd hozir kelsa kerak (the train should be here any minute)
  • with a noun, adjective or place, add boʻlsa kerak: U uyda boʻlsa kerak (he must be at home)
  • past: -gan boʻlsa kerak: Yomgʻir yogʻgan boʻlsa kerak (it must have rained)
  • negative: -masa kerak: U bilmasa kerak (he probably doesn't know)

The person ending goes on -sa, while kerak never changes: charchagan boʻlsangiz kerak (you must be tired).

2. A guess from evidence
It usually follows a clue: Koʻchalar hoʻl, kechasi yomgʻir yogʻgan boʻlsa kerak (The streets are wet; it must have rained last night). Chiroqlar yoniq, ular uyda boʻlsa kerak (The lights are on, so they must be home).

3. Guess, not need
Keep three patterns apart:

  • kerak after a noun: need — Menga suv kerak (I need water)
  • -(i)sh kerak: have to — Borishim kerak (I have to go)
  • -sa kerak: probably — Borsam kerak (I'll probably go)

4. Other ways to guess
shekilli is softer and comes at the end of the sentence. -dir is a less certain guess and is common in everyday speech: charchagandir (she's probably tired). -ganga oʻxshaydi says how things look.

Examples (6)

  1. Chiroqlar yoniq, ular uyda boʻlsa kerak.

    The lights are on, so they must be at home.

    Word by Word: Lights on, they home-at if-are needed.

  2. Siz charchagan boʻlsangiz kerak, dam oling.

    You must be tired. Get some rest.

    Word by Word: You tired if-are-you needed, rest take.

    The person ending -ngiz goes on -sa.

  3. Koʻchalar hoʻl, kechasi yomgʻir yogʻgan boʻlsa kerak.

    The streets are wet. It must have rained last night.

    Word by Word: Streets wet, at-night rain rained if-is needed.

  4. U bu gapni bilmasa kerak.

    He probably doesn't know about this.

    Word by Word: He this word-(obj.) if-not-knows needed.

  5. Men adashgan boʻlsam kerak, bu boshqa uy.

    I must have made a mistake. This is a different house.

    Word by Word: I mistaken if-am-I needed, this other house.

  6. Poyezd hozir kelsa kerak.

    The train should be arriving any minute.

    Word by Word: Train now if-comes needed.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting kerak after a plain past verb.

    U ketdi kerak.
    U ketgan boʻlsa kerak.

    A guess about the past uses -gan boʻlsa kerak. The simple past -di cannot be followed by kerak.

  • Using -sa kerak to say you have to do something.

    Ertaga ishga borsam kerak.
    Ertaga ishga borishim kerak.

    Borsam kerak means I'll probably go. To say I have to go, use -ish with a possessive ending: borishim kerak.

How It Connects

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

-sa kerakLevel 4Must Be: -sa Kerak

Learn This First

Builds on If: -sa and Need.

Words in This Pattern

kerakboʻlmoq