Participles as Nouns

Level 3

Drop the noun after a participle and the participle becomes the noun: kelganlar (those who came), aytganingiz (what you said).

How It Works

From describing word to noun. When the noun after a -gan participle is obvious, Uzbek leaves it out and lets the participle take its place: kelgan odamlar → kelganlar (those who came). This works with all three participles: ishlaydiganlar (those who work), oʻqiyotganlar (those who are reading).

Endings in the usual order. The participle takes noun endings in the usual order: plural, possessive, case.

  • kel- + -gan + -lar → kelganlar (those who came)
  • ayt- + -gan + -ingiz → aytganingiz (what you said)
  • ayt- + -gan + -ingiz + -ga → aytganingizga (with what you said, after a verb that takes -ga)
  • bil- + -gan + -im + -ni → bilganimni (what I knew, as an object)

The possessive names the doer. In aytganingiz, the ending -ingiz says the saying is yours. So aytganim is what I said, and aytgani is what he or she said. The pronoun is not needed, but it can be added with -ning: sizning aytganingiz.

No word for what. English says what you said. Uzbek does not use nima here; the participle with a possessive does the whole job.

Many later patterns start here. Add a case ending or a postposition to such a noun and you get new meanings: kelganimda (when I came, see -ganda), kelgani uchun (because he came, see -gani uchun).

Examples (6)

  1. Kelganlar oʻtirsin.

    Let those who have come sit down.

    Word by Word: Having-come-ones let-sit.

    kel- + -gan + -lar: the participle takes the plural like a noun.

  2. Aytganingizga qoʻshilaman.

    I agree with what you said.

    Word by Word: Your-having-said-to I-agree.

    -ingiz names you as the one who said it; -ga is required by qoʻshilmoq.

  3. Bilganimni aytdim.

    I told what I knew.

    Word by Word: My-having-known-the I-said.

    -im names me; -ni marks it as the object.

  4. Menga eng yoqqani palov boʻldi.

    What I liked most was the pilaf.

    Word by Word: Me-to most its-having-pleased pilaf became.

    yoq- ends in q, so -gan becomes -qan: yoqqan.

  5. Yoʻqotganingizni topdingizmi?

    Did you find what you lost?

    Word by Word: Your-having-lost-the did-you-find?

    No word for what: the participle with -ingiz does the job.

  6. Bu yerda ishlaydiganlar ertaga dam oladi.

    Those who work here have a day off tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Here working-ones tomorrow rest take.

    The -(a)digan participle can become a noun too.

Common Mistakes

  • Using nima as a relative word, as in English what.

    Nima siz aytdingiz, toʻgʻri.
    Aytganingiz toʻgʻri.

    Uzbek has no relative what. Turn the verb into a participle with a possessive: aytganingiz (what you said).

  • Putting a you-are ending before a case ending.

    Aytgansizga qoʻshilaman.
    Aytganingizga qoʻshilaman.

    Aytgansiz is a finished sentence (you have said). A noun takes the possessive -ingiz, and the case ending comes after it.

How It Connects

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

Participles as NounsLevel 3

Learn This First

Builds on The Future-Habitual Participle -(a)digan and The Order of Endings.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.