Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qornim och | qor-NIM OCH | I'm hungry | The everyday phrase. |
| Qornim juda och | qor-NIM ju-DA OCH | I'm very hungry | Juda is “very”. |
| Ovqat yegim keldi | ov-QAT ye-GIM kel-DI | I feel like eating | Literally “my wanting to eat came”. |
| Qorningiz ochmi? | qor-nin-GIZ och-MI | Are you hungry? | Polite; -mi makes the question. |
| Qorning ochmi? | qor-NING och-MI | Are you hungry? | To a friend or a child. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
What it literally means
My stomach hungry. Qorin is “stomach” and drops its i before -im: qornim. Och is “hungry”.
What people say back
Ha, juda (HA, ju-DA): “Yes, very”. If not: Yoʻq, qornim toʻq, “no, I'm full”.
In a real exchange
- Host: Qorningiz ochmi?
Are you hungry? - You: Ha, juda. Ovqat yegim keldi.
Yes, very. I feel like eating. - Host: Ovqat hozir tayyor boʻladi.
The food will be ready soon. - You: Rahmat!
Thank you!
Good to know
- Och is “hungry” and toʻq is “full”: qornim och, qornim toʻq. Rahmat, toʻydim, “thank you, I've had enough”, is the polite way to decline more food.
- The -im ending is “my”. Qorin loses its i: qornim, qorningiz. The same word is in Qornim ogʻriyapti, “my stomach hurts”.
- Ovqat yegim keldi uses the pattern -gim keldi, “I feel like doing”: yegim keldi, “I feel like eating”.
Common mistakes
- Writing qorinim. The i drops: qornim.
- Mixing up och with ogʻriyapti. Qornim och is hunger; Qornim ogʻriyapti is a stomach ache.
This phrase is part of Food and drink in Uzbek: basic words in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.