Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| er | ER | husband | Plain word; erim is “my husband”. |
| xotin | kho-TIN | wife | Plain word; xotinim is “my wife”. |
| erim / xotinim | e-RIM / kho-ti-NIM | my husband / my wife | What you say when introducing your spouse: Bu mening xotinim. |
| turmush oʻrtogʻim | tur-MUSH oʻr-to-GʻIM | my spouse | Neutral and polite, for a husband or a wife. Literally “my companion in married life”. |
| rafiqam | ra-fi-QAM | my wife | Polite and a little literary; interviews, speeches, formal talk. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
In a real exchange
- Colleague: Turmush oʻrtogʻingiz nima ish qiladi?
What work does your spouse do? - You: Xotinim shifokor.
My wife is a doctor. - Colleague: Zoʻr! Qayerda ishlaydi?
Great! Where does she work? - You: Toshkentdagi klinikada ishlaydi.
She works at a clinic in Tashkent.
Good to know
- -im is “my” and -ingiz is the polite “your”: erim, eringiz; xotinim, xotiningiz. Oʻrtoq (companion) becomes oʻrtogʻ- before a vowel: turmush oʻrtogʻim, turmush oʻrtogʻingiz.
- Er-xotin is a married couple, “husband and wife” as one unit.
- Er and xotin are words for talking about people, not for addressing them. Call a person by name, aka or opa.
Common mistakes
- Writing yer for husband. Yer means “ground, place”; the husband is er.
- Calling a woman xotin to get her attention. Use opa or her name.
This phrase is part of Uzbek family words: grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles and cousins in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.