Place Words With Different Endings

Level 3

A place word like ust (top) keeps its possessive and changes its case ending for the movement: ustiga (onto), ustida (on), ustidan (off, from on top of).

How It Works

At level 2 you met place words like ustida, ichida and yonida, which all end in -da. That -da is only one of the possible case endings. Each place word is a noun with a possessive, and the last ending can change:

  • ust (top): ustiga (onto), ustida (on), ustidan (off, from on top of)
  • ich (inside): ichiga (into), ichida (in), ichidan (out of)
  • tag (underside): tagiga (under, moving there), tagida (under), tagidan (from under)
  • old (front): oldiga (up to; to see someone), oldida (in front of), oldidan (from someone; past the front of)
  • orqa (back): orqasiga (behind, moving there), orqasida (behind), orqasidan (after; from behind)
  • yon (side): yoniga (to the side of), yonida (next to), yonidan (past, by)

Choosing the ending. Ask what is moving. -ga is for movement toward the place: Stol ustiga qoʻying (Put it on the table). -da is for being there: Kitob stol ustida (The book is on the table). -dan is for movement away or past: Mushuk divan tagidan chiqdi (The cat came out from under the sofa).

Putting and sitting. English says put it on the table and sit next to me with no sign of movement. Uzbek marks it: qoʻymoq (to put) takes -ga, and oʻtirmoq (to sit down) often does too: Yonimga oʻtiring (Come and sit next to me). Yonimda oʻtiring is also correct and means stay sitting next to me.

The possessive. After a noun, the place word takes the third person -(s)i: quti ichi, xona orqasi. The noun can add -ning to point to a specific thing: Qutining ichidan oldim (I took it from inside the box). With a person, the possessive matches them: mening yonimda (next to me), sizning oldingizga (to you).

Going to a person. Oldiga is the normal way to say you go to see someone: Doʻstimning oldiga bordim (I went to see my friend). Some -dan forms have special meanings too, such as orqasidan yugurdi (ran after him) and yonimdan oʻtdi (walked past me).

The same place words can take -dagi to describe a noun: stol ustidagi kitob (the book on the table). Orasida and oʻrtasida work the same way.

Examples (6)

  1. Stol ustiga qoʻying.

    Put it on the table.

    Word by Word: Table top-its-to put.

    Putting is movement, so -ga.

  2. Kitob stol ustida.

    The book is on the table.

    Word by Word: Book table top-its-at.

    Being there: -da.

  3. Qutining ichidan oldim.

    I took it from inside the box.

    Word by Word: Box-of inside-its-from took-I.

    Movement out of: -dan.

  4. Doʻstimning oldiga bordim.

    I went to see my friend.

    Word by Word: Friend-my-of front-his-to went-I.

    oldiga is how you go to a person.

  5. Mushuk divan tagidan chiqdi.

    The cat came out from under the sofa.

    Word by Word: Cat sofa underside-its-from came-out.

    tag + i + dan.

  6. Yonimga oʻtiring.

    Come and sit next to me.

    Word by Word: Side-my-to sit.

    The possessive -m matches me; -ga because you move to sit.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -da with a verb of putting.

    Kitobni stol ustida qoʻydim.
    Kitobni stol ustiga qoʻydim.

    Putting moves the book onto the table, so the place word takes -ga: ustiga. Ustida says where something already is.

  • Leaving out the possessive before the case ending.

    Qutining ichdan oldim.
    Qutining ichidan oldim.

    The place word keeps its possessive before the case ending: ich + i + dan = ichidan.

  • Using the wrong person on the place word.

    Mening yonida oʻtiring.
    Mening yonimda oʻtiring.

    With mening, the place word takes -(i)m: yonimda. Yonida means next to him or her.

How It Connects

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

Place Words With Different EndingsLevel 3

Learn This First

Builds on Under, Inside, Next To and From: -dan.

Words in This Pattern

usticholdustigaichidaichidan