“Bo‘lsa” and “esa” work as conjunctions and set two parts side by side: what is in the second part is contrasted or compared with the first. They do not open the part but stand after the word being compared in the second part: “Ali o‘qiydi, Vali esa yozadi” – here “Vali” is compared to “Ali” in the first part. A comma is put before the second part. The “bo‘lsa” here is not the conditional mood but a word working as a conjunction: “Mehnat baraka keltiradi, dangasalik bo‘lsa qashshoqlik” (work brings plenty, while laziness brings poverty). It can be replaced by “esa” and has no conditional meaning. “Esa” cannot always be replaced by adversative conjunctions or “-u (-yu)”, because the comparative meaning may be lost.
Worked examples
Kuzda daryo sayoz bo‘ladi, bahorda esa suv qirg‘oqdan toshadi (in autumn the river is shallow, while in spring the water overflows the banks). The compared part is “bahorda” + esa.
Bilim kuch beradi, johillik bo‘lsa zaiflashtiradi. (bo‘lsa = esa; comparison-contrast) Difference: Bilim bo‘lsa, yo‘l ochiladi – this is the conditional mood (subordinate clause).
Class activity
“Compare”: in pairs one pupil says the first part, the other adds the comparing part with “esa” or “bo‘lsa”.
Practice
1
What relation do “bo‘lsa” and “esa” express?
Comparison and contrast.
2
In “Aziz tinglaydi, Dilshod esa gapiradi”, what is compared to what?
Dilshod is compared to Aziz; “esa” follows the compared part “Dilshod”.
3
Explain the difference between “-sa” and “bo‘lsa” in these two sentences.
In the first, “-sa” is the conditional mood (subordinate); in the second, “bo‘lsa” is a comparing conjunction (linked).
4
Why is a comma put before the part with “esa”?
Because it separates the second part from the first and marks the compared part.