Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bir daqiqa | bir da-qi-QA | One moment | Polite, any situation; daqiqa is the standard word for “minute”. |
| Bir minut | bir mi-NUT | One minute | Minut is the Russian loan; very common in speech and understood everywhere. |
| Sal kuting | sal ku-TING | Wait a little | Polite; sal means “a little”. |
| Shoshmang | shosh-MANG | Hold on, don't rush | Polite; said to someone who is hurrying, or to stop them for a second. |
| Hozir | ho-ZIR | Right now, coming | Said when you are about to do it or are on your way. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
What it literally means
One minute. Sal kuting is “wait a little”; Shoshmang is “don't hurry”.
In a real exchange
- Colleague: Hisobot tayyormi?
Is the report ready? - You: Bir daqiqa, hozir qarab koʻraman.
One moment, I'll check right now. - Colleague: Xoʻp, kutaman.
Okay, I'll wait. - You: Mana, tayyor. Yuboryapman.
Here, it's ready. I'm sending it.
Good to know
- Daqiqa is the standard word and minut is the Russian loan. Both are heard; daqiqa is safe everywhere.
- Shoshmang is shoshmoq (to hurry) + the negative -ma- + the polite -ng: “don't hurry”. To a friend or a child it is Shoshma.
- Bir daqiqa is a figure of speech: nobody is timing it. Kuting is the polite “wait” (kut- plus -ing), the same -ing that softens Bering and Keling.
Common mistakes
- Using Kut or Shoshma with an older person or a stranger. Add -ing: Kuting, Shoshmang.
- Hearing Shoshmang as “hurry up”. It means the opposite: “don't hurry, hold on”.
This phrase is part of Business phone calls in Uzbek: who's calling, call me back in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.