emish
They Say: Emish
emish means they say or apparently. The speaker heard the news from someone else: U kasal emish (They say he's ill).
How It Works
Emish is a helper form of the old verb to be. It tells the listener: I did not see this myself; I heard it. In English we say they say, apparently or I hear.
1. Building it
- after a noun or adjective: U kasal emish (They say he's ill)
- past: -gan emish: Doʻkon yopilgan emish (Apparently the shop has closed)
- present or future: -(a)r emish: Ertaga mehmonlar kelar emish (Apparently guests are coming tomorrow)
- happening now: -(a)yotgan emish: Ular uy qurayotgan emish (I hear they're building a house)
- negative: emas emish or -magan emish: U kelmagan emish (Apparently he didn't come)
2. Person endings
Add the personal ending after emish, as with ekan: emishman, emishsan, emish, emishmiz, emishsiz, emishlar. The third person has no ending: U kelgan emish.
3. The short form -mish
In speech, emish loses its first vowel and joins the word before it: kelar emish becomes kelarmish, kasal emish becomes kasalmish. The full word emish is always written apart.
4. Dreams and doubt
People also use emish to tell a dream: Tushimda osmonda uchib yurgan emishman (In my dream, I was flying in the sky). With a doubtful tone, it can mean supposedly: U juda band emish! (He's supposedly very busy!)
5. emish, ekan or -(i)bdi?
- emish: someone told me (hearsay)
- ekan: I have just found out or realized it myself
- -(i)bdi: I see the result of something I did not watch happen
Do not confuse this helper with the literary participle -mish in words like oʻtmish (the past).
Examples (6)
- U kasal emish.
They say he's ill.
Word by Word: He ill reportedly.
- Ertaga yomgʻir yogʻarmish.
Apparently it will rain tomorrow.
Word by Word: Tomorrow rain will-fall-reportedly.
The short form -mish is joined to the verb.
- Doʻkon yopilgan emish.
Apparently the shop has closed.
Word by Word: Shop closed reportedly.
- Uning akasi Amerikada yasharmish.
Apparently his older brother lives in America.
Word by Word: His older-brother-his America-in lives-reportedly.
- Tushimda osmonda uchib yurgan emishman.
In my dream, I was flying in the sky.
Word by Word: Dream-my-in sky-in flying going reportedly-I-am.
Emish is also used to tell what happened in a dream.
- U kelmagan emish.
Apparently he didn't come.
Word by Word: He not-come-past reportedly.
Common Mistakes
Using emish for something you saw yourself (meant: I went and saw that the shop was closed).
Oʻzim borib koʻrdim, doʻkon yopilgan emish.Oʻzim borib koʻrdim, doʻkon yopilgan ekan.Emish says you only heard the news from others, so it clashes with "I saw it myself". For something you found out yourself, use ekan.
Joining the full word emish to the word before it.
U kasalemish.U kasal emish.The full helper emish is written as a separate word. Only the short form joins: kasalmish.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Builds on It Turns Out: ekan.
Related Patterns
- -(i)bdiPast Discovered: -(i)bdi
Another way to report a past event you did not see happen.
Level 3 - -(a)r / -masProbable Future -(a)r and -mas
The -(a)r form combines with emish for reported present or future news: kelar emish.
Level 3 - xabar berishichaAccording to (A Report)
Names the source of reported news, often in the news.
Level 5 - -mishThe Old Participle -mish
A literary participle with the same sound but a different job, as in oʻtmish.
Level 6 - debQuoting with Deb
Quotes someone's exact words instead of marking them as hearsay.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice emish in Bubblegum
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