-li / -siz

With and Without: -li and -siz

Level 3

-li means with or having, and -siz means without: sutli choy (tea with milk), shakarsiz choy (tea without sugar).

How It Works

Uzbek makes many adjectives from nouns with two opposite endings:

  • -li = having, containing, with: tuz (salt) → tuzli (salty), aql (mind) → aqlli (smart), meva (fruit) → mevali (fruit-bearing), sut (milk) → sutli (with milk).
  • -siz = without, lacking: tuzsiz (unsalted), shakarsiz (sugar-free), uysiz (homeless), ishsiz (unemployed).

Where it goes. The new word works like any adjective and comes before its noun (sifat + ot): sutli choy (tea with milk), aqlli bola (a smart child). It can also end the sentence, with a personal ending when needed: Osh juda tuzli (The pilaf is very salty), Men hozir ishsizman (I am out of work now).

Spelling. Write the ending on the word, with no space: shakarsiz, not shakar siz. When the noun ends in l, you get a double ll: aqlli, gulli (flowered).

Not the same as bilan. Bilan says how you do something, or links two nouns as and: Choyni shakar bilan ichaman (I drink tea with sugar), non bilan choy (bread and tea). To describe a thing by what it contains, use -li: shakarli choy (sweet tea).

Compare bor and yoʻq. Tuzi bor (It has salt) and Tuzi yoʻq (It has no salt) use bor and yoʻq. Tuzli and tuzsiz pack the same idea into one word.

Look-alikes. This -siz is not the ending -siz that means you are, as in Siz talabasiz (You are a student). The prefix be- also means without in some words, such as bemaza (tasteless).

Examples (6)

  1. Bu osh juda tuzli.

    This pilaf is very salty.

    Word by Word: This pilaf very salt-with.

    tuz (salt) + -li.

  2. U juda aqlli bola.

    He is a very smart boy.

    Word by Word: He very mind-with boy.

    aql + -li gives a double l: aqlli.

  3. Menga shakarsiz choy bering.

    Please give me tea without sugar.

    Word by Word: To-me sugar-without tea give.

    shakar (sugar) + -siz, before the noun choy.

  4. Sutli choy ichasizmi?

    Will you have tea with milk?

    Word by Word: Milk-with tea drink-you-?

    sut (milk) + -li describes the tea.

  5. Bogʻimizda mevali daraxtlar koʻp.

    There are many fruit trees in our garden.

    Word by Word: Garden-our-in fruit-with trees many.

    mevali daraxt: a tree that bears fruit.

  6. Bu yil koʻp odam ishsiz qoldi.

    Many people lost their jobs this year.

    Word by Word: This year many person work-without remained.

    ish (work) + -siz = ishsiz (unemployed).

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the ending as a separate word.

    Menga shakar siz choy bering.
    Menga shakarsiz choy bering.

    -siz is part of the word. Written apart, siz looks like the pronoun you, and the sentence no longer makes sense.

  • Dropping one l in aqlli.

    U juda aqli bola.
    U juda aqlli bola.

    aql + -li keeps both l sounds: aqlli. Aqli is a different form that means his or her mind.

  • Using bilan to describe what a thing contains.

    Menga sut bilan choy bering.
    Menga sutli choy bering.

    Between two nouns, bilan usually means and, so the first sentence asks for milk and tea. For tea that has milk in it, say sutli choy.

How It Connects

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

-li / -sizLevel 3With and Without: -li and -siz

Learn This First

Builds on Having With bor and With.