hech kim / hech narsa / hech qachon

Nobody, Nothing, Never

Level 2

Hech kim (nobody), hech narsa (nothing) and hech qachon (never) need a negative in the same sentence, usually a negative verb: Hech kim kelmadi (Nobody came).

How It Works

Hech means no … at all. Put it before a question word and you get a negative word:

  • hech kim: nobody, no one
  • hech narsa: nothing
  • hech qachon: never
  • hech qayerda / hech qayerga: nowhere
  • hech qanday: no … of any kind

The verb must be negative too. In English, nobody already makes the sentence negative. In Uzbek, the verb also has to say not:

  • with -ma-: Hech kim kelmadi (Nobody came), Hech narsa bilmayman (I don't know anything).
  • with yoʻq: Uyda hech kim yoʻq (There's nobody at home).
  • with emas: Bu hech qanday muammo emas (This is no problem at all).

Short answers. As a one-word answer, no verb is needed: — Nima xohlaysiz? — Hech narsa, rahmat. (What would you like? Nothing, thanks.)

Never with -gan. Hech qachon goes well with the -gan past: Hech qachon Xivada boʻlmaganman (I have never been to Khiva).

Hech alone means at all: Hech bilmayman (I have no idea at all). Adding ham makes any of these stronger: Hech kim ham kelmadi (Not a single person came).

Writing. Hech is always a separate word: hech kim, hech narsa, hech qachon.

Examples (6)

  1. Hech kim kelmadi.

    Nobody came.

    Word by Word: No who came-not.

    Kelmadi is negative, too.

  2. Hech narsa bilmayman.

    I don't know anything.

    Word by Word: No thing know-not-I.

  3. Hech qachon Xivada boʻlmaganman.

    I have never been to Khiva.

    Word by Word: No when Khiva-in been-not-I.

  4. Uyda hech kim yoʻq.

    There's nobody at home.

    Word by Word: House-at no who none.

    Yoʻq supplies the negative.

  5. — Nima xohlaysiz? — Hech narsa, rahmat.

    "What would you like?" "Nothing, thanks."

    Word by Word: What want-you? No thing, thanks.

    A short answer needs no verb.

  6. U hech qachon kechikmaydi.

    She's never late.

    Word by Word: She no when is-late-not.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a positive verb.

    Hech kim keldi.
    Hech kim kelmadi.

    Words with hech need a negative verb. Add -ma-: kelmadi.

  • Forgetting the negative with hech narsa.

    Hech narsa bilaman.
    Hech narsa bilmayman.

    Bilaman means I know. With hech narsa, the verb must be negative: bilmayman.

  • Writing hech as part of the next word.

    Hechkim kelmadi.
    Hech kim kelmadi.

    The spelling rules write hech as a separate word: hech kim, hech narsa, hech qachon.

How It Connects

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

hech kim / hech narsa / hech qachonLevel 2Nobody, Nothing, Never

Learn This First

Builds on Negative Verbs With -ma- and There Is Not, and No.

Words in This Pattern

hechkimnarsaqachon