Office Uzbek is polite Uzbek. Everyone gets siz, everyone gets a greeting in the morning, and the same few sentences about being busy, waiting and sending things come up every day.
This page is step 3 of how to learn Uzbek, the whole path in order.
This page is part of Uzbek for life in Tashkent, the guide for relocants and families.
Greetings and small talk
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Assalomu alaykum! | ah-sah-loh-mu ah-lay-KUM | Hello (to everyone, every morning) |
| Xayrli tong! | khayr-LI TONG | Good morning! |
| Ishlar qalay? | ish-LAR qa-LAY | How’s work? / How are things? |
| Yaxshi, rahmat. | yakh-SHI, rah-MAT | Fine, thanks. |
| Charchamang! | char-cha-MANG | “Don’t get tired!”, said to someone working |
| Bor boʻling! | BOR boʻ-LING | Thank you (the reply to charchamang) |
| Akmal aka | ak-MAL a-KA | Akmal (an older male colleague) |
| Dilnoza opa | dil-no-ZA o-PA | Dilnoza (an older female colleague) |
| Tushlikka chiqasizmi? | tush-lik-KA chi-qa-siz-MI | Are you going out for lunch? |
| Ertagacha! | er-ta-ga-CHA | See you tomorrow! |
Meetings, tasks and help
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Yigʻilish soat nechada? | yi-gʻi-LISH so-AT ne-cha-DA | What time is the meeting? |
| Hozir bandman. | ho-ZIR band-MAN | I’m busy right now. |
| Bir daqiqa, iltimos. | bir da-qi-QA, il-ti-MOS | One minute, please. |
| Ishlayapman. | ish-la-yap-MAN | I’m working on it. |
| Hozir yozyapman. | ho-ZIR yoz-yap-MAN | I’m writing it now. |
| Javobingizni kutyapman. | ja-vo-bin-giz-NI kut-yap-MAN | I’m waiting for your reply. |
| Kechikyapman, kechirasiz. | ke-chik-yap-MAN, ke-chi-ra-SIZ | I’m running late, sorry. |
| Hozir yuboraman. | ho-ZIR yu-bo-ra-MAN | I’ll send it now. |
| Menga yuboring, iltimos. | men-GA yu-bo-RING, il-ti-MOS | Please send it to me. |
| Yordam bera olasizmi? | yor-DAM be-RA o-la-siz-MI | Could you help me? |
| Kompyuterim ishlamayapti. | kom-pyu-te-RIM ish-la-ma-yap-TI | My computer isn’t working. |
| Tushunarli. | tu-shu-nar-LI | Understood. |
| Kelishdik. | ke-lish-DIK | Agreed. |
| Katta rahmat, juda yordam berdingiz. | kat-TA rah-MAT, ju-DA yor-DAM ber-din-GIZ | Thank you so much, you really helped. |
Right now: -yap-
Uzbek builds “I am …ing” from three pieces: the verb, -yap- (in progress, right now), and the person ending you already know from introducing yourself, -man (I).
- ishla- (work) + -yap- + -man = ishlayapman, I’m working
- yoz- (write) + -yap- + -man = yozyapman, I’m writing
- kut- (wait) + -yap- + -man = kutyapman, I’m waiting
- kechik- (be late) + -yap- + -man = kechikyapman, I’m running late
Swap -man for -siz and you are talking about the person in front of you: Nima qilyapsiz? (what are you doing?), Ishlayapsizmi? (are you working?). For he, she or it, the ending is -ti: Kompyuter ishlayapti, the computer is working.
To say something is not happening, put -ma- before -yap-: ishla-ma-yap-ti, ishlamayapti, it isn’t working.
Compare yuboraman (I’ll send it) in the same table. It has -a- instead of -yap-, and that is the plain present: “I send, I will send”. Yozyapman is happening now; yozaman is a promise.
In fast Tashkent speech you will also hear -vot- for -yap-, as in ishlavotman. It means the same thing. Say and write -yap-.
Siz at work
Use siz with every colleague you are not close to, and always with anyone older or more senior. Older colleagues are called by first name plus aka (older brother) or opa (older sister): Akmal aka, Dilnoza opa. It is respectful, not familiar, and it works with a manager too.
Charchamang! is the phrase that makes people smile. Say it to a colleague who is staying late, a cleaner, or the person who just fixed your computer.
Uzbekcha is being built to explain every lesson in English at launch, compared with your first language, with each word split into root and suffixes, so ishlamayapman reads as ishla + ma + yap + man. Join the waitlist.