tomon / -ga qarab

Toward

Level 3

Tomon follows a plain noun: eshik tomon (toward the door). Qarab follows a noun with -ga: uyga qarab (toward home). Both describe which way someone moves.

How It Works

Uzbek has two common ways to say toward.

tomon. Tomon means side or direction. As a postposition it follows a noun with no ending:

  • Shahar tomon yurdik. (We walked toward the city.)
  • Bola onasi tomon yugurdi. (The child ran toward his mother.)

You will also hear tomonga with the same meaning: Biz tomonga kelyapti (He is coming our way). Tomon can point to a time as well: kechga tomon (toward evening).

-ga qarab. Qarab is the -(i)b form of qaramoq (to look). After a noun with -ga it means toward, literally facing:

  • U uyga qarab ketdi. (He headed home.)
  • Mashina bizga qarab kelyapti. (The car is coming toward us.)
  • Janubga qarab ketyapmiz. (We are heading south.)

Direction, not arrival. Both describe the way someone is moving. With completed motion, plain -ga marks the destination: Maktabga keldim (I came to school). The -ga ending alone does not imply arrival.

Other meanings. With a verb of looking, -ga qarab keeps its literal sense: Menga qarab kuldi (She looked at me and laughed). It can also mean depending on: ob-havoga qarab (depending on the weather). Tomonidan is a separate word meaning by in passive sentences.

Examples (6)

  1. Shahar tomon yurdik.

    We walked toward the city.

    Word by Word: City toward walked-we.

    tomon follows a plain noun.

  2. U uyga qarab ketdi.

    He headed home.

    Word by Word: He house-to facing went.

    qarab needs -ga: uyga qarab.

  3. Bola onasi tomon yugurdi.

    The child ran toward his mother.

    Word by Word: Child mother-his toward ran.

    A person as the goal of the direction.

  4. Mashina bizga qarab kelyapti.

    The car is coming toward us.

    Word by Word: Car us-to facing is-coming.

    biz + -ga qarab.

  5. Kechga tomon havo soviydi.

    Toward evening it gets cool.

    Word by Word: Evening-to toward air cools.

    tomon can point to a time.

  6. Janubga qarab ketyapmiz.

    We are heading south.

    Word by Word: South-to facing are-going-we.

    A compass direction with -ga qarab.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out -ga before qarab.

    U uy qarab ketdi.
    U uyga qarab ketdi.

    Qarab needs -ga on the noun: uyga qarab. Only tomon follows a plain noun.

  • Using tomon to say you arrived.

    Kecha maktab tomon keldim.
    Kecha maktabga keldim.

    If you mean you got to school, the first sentence is wrong: tomon only gives the direction (I came toward the school). To say you arrived, use -ga.

How It Connects

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

tomon / -ga qarabLevel 3Toward

Learn This First

Builds on To or Toward: -ga and Linking Actions With -(i)b.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

tomonqaramoq