The choice of suffixes
One suffix may have several forms: the dative case comes as -ga, -ka, -qa. Normally -ga is written (maktabga, tog‘ga), after k it is -ka (eshikka, yurakka) and after q it is -qa (quloqqa). In classical poetry the ablative form -din occurs, while in present-day literary speech -dan is used. The choice of case changes the meaning: “Do‘stimni kutdim” – I waited for my friend; “Do‘stimdan kutdim” – I expected something (help) from my friend. Sometimes cases are synonymous: “sovg‘aga xursand bo‘ldi” – “sovg‘adan xursand bo‘ldi” (was glad about the present). Word-forming suffixes are also chosen by usage: hosildor yer (fertile land), kuchli odam (a strong person) – not “hosilli”, “kuchdor”; suhbatlashmoq (to converse) – not “suhbatlanmoq”. The suffix -ni shows a definite object: “kitob o‘qiyman” (I read books in general), “kitobni o‘qiyman” (I read that particular book).
| Word ends | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| vowel, other consonants | -ga | uyga, bog‘ga |
| k | -ka | tilakka, bilakka |
| q | -qa | qishloqqa, tayoqqa |
“Pick the suffix”: the teacher reads sentences with brackets (eshik…, quloq…, tog‘…) and students write the correct variant on the board.