Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iltimos | il-ti-MOS | Please (asking) | Goes at the end or the start: Choy, iltimos. |
| Marhamat | mar-ha-MAT | Please, go ahead / here you are | Offering, inviting someone in, handing something over. |
| Iltimos qilaman | il-ti-MOS qi-la-MAN | I beg you / I kindly ask | Stronger and more formal. |
| Bering | be-RING | Give (polite) | The polite -ing verb ending already softens a request: Suv bering. |
| Iltimos, yordam bering | il-ti-MOS, yor-DAM be-RING | Please help me | Iltimos with the polite verb bering, “give”. |
| Iltimos, sekinroq gapiring | il-ti-MOS, se-kin-ROQ ga-pi-RING | Please speak more slowly | Sekin is “slow”; -roq makes it “slower”. |
| Bir daqiqa kuting, iltimos | bir da-qi-QA ku-TING, il-ti-MOS | Please wait a minute | Daqiqa is “minute”. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
What it literally means
Iltimos means “a request”. Marhamat means “kindness, favour”.
In a real exchange
- You: Bitta choy, iltimos.
One tea, please. - Waiter: Marhamat.
Here you are. - You: Rahmat.
Thank you. - You: Hisob, iltimos.
The bill, please. - Waiter: Hozir olib kelaman.
I will bring it right away.
Good to know
- English uses one word for two jobs. Uzbek splits them: iltimos asks, marhamat gives.
- A polite verb ending does much of the work of “please”: kuting (please wait), keling (please come), oʻtiring (please sit).
- Marhamat is also a reply to thanks, and what you say holding a door open.
- Iltimos can open or close a request, and the polite -ing verb stays either way: Iltimos, sekinroq gapiring or Bir daqiqa kuting, iltimos.
Common mistakes
- Saying iltimos when handing someone something. That is marhamat.
- Dropping the polite ending and saying ber instead of bering to an adult: it turns a request into an order.
This phrase is part of Thank you in Uzbek (rahmat), please and sorry, with pronunciation in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.