Ride-hailing apps handle most of the trip, but the last two hundred metres, the price for an unmetered ride, and every conversation with a driver who wants to know where you’re from still happen in Uzbek.
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.
Getting there
| Uzbek | Sounds like | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Taksi! | tak-SI | Taxi! |
| Chorsuga boramiz. | chor-su-GA bo-ra-MIZ | Let’s go to Chorsu. |
| Aeroportga, iltimos. | a-e-ro-port-GA, il-ti-MOS | To the airport, please. |
| Qancha boʻladi? | qan-CHA boh-la-DI | How much will it be? |
| Yaqinmi? | ya-qin-MI | Is it near? |
| Uzoqmi? | u-zoq-MI | Is it far? |
| Toʻgʻriga | toʻgʻ-ri-GA | Straight ahead |
| Oʻngga | oʻng-GA | To the right |
| Chapga | chap-GA | To the left |
| Shu yerda toʻxtang. | shu yer-DA toʻx-TANG | Stop here. |
| Kuting, iltimos. | ku-TING, il-ti-MOS | Please wait. |
| Sekinroq, iltimos. | se-kin-ROQ, il-ti-MOS | Slower, please. |
| Metro bekati qayerda? | met-RO be-ka-TI qa-yer-DA | Where is the metro station? |
| … qayerda? | qa-yer-DA | Where is …? |
The suffix that means “to”: -ga
Uzbek has no word for “to”. Instead, the destination takes the suffix -ga:
- Chorsu → Chorsuga (to Chorsu)
- bozor → bozorga (to the bazaar)
- Toshkent → Toshkentga (to Tashkent)
- men → menga (to me)
After a word ending in k or g the suffix becomes -ka (Samarqandga but eshikka, to the door), and after q it becomes -qa (qishloqqa, to the village). Drivers will understand you either way.
“Where is …?”: qayerda
Qayerda is one word for “where” (at what place): qayer (which place) + -da (at). Put the thing first, qayerda last:
- Metro bekati qayerda? Where is the metro station?
- Hojatxona qayerda? Where is the toilet?
- Bank qayerda? Where is the bank?
That -da is the “at/in” suffix, the sibling of -ga (to). Toshkentda = in Tashkent. Shu yerda = right here.
Polite commands end in -ng
Toʻxtang (stop), kuting (wait), bering (give), gapiring (speak): the -ng or -ing ending is the polite “you” imperative. Use it with drivers, waiters and anyone you don’t know.
Uzbekcha is being built to generate a taxi lesson for your city and your level, with audio for every line. Join the waitlist.