Language/Northern-uzbek/Grammar/Relative-Clauses
Relative clauses are an important and powerful tool in the Northern Uzbek language. They allow us to create complex sentences with multiple clauses, providing additional information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause. In this lesson, you will learn how to use relative pronouns to construct these kinds of sentences.
Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: Expressing a desire fo an action & Pronouns.
What are Relative Clauses?
A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause that modifies a noun or pronoun in the main clause. It provides additional information about the noun or pronoun, such as its identity or characteristics. The relative clause usually starts with a relative pronoun, such as kim (who), nima (what), ku (which), or qaysi (which).
For example, consider the following sentence:
Bola kitob o'qiyotgan yigit movarida hayot bilan shug'ullanadi.
Here, the main clause is Bola movarida hayot bilan shug'ullanadi, which means "The boy is busy with life in the environment." We can add a relative clause to this sentence to provide additional information about yigit (boy), such as who he is or what he is doing:
Bola, kitob o'qiyotgan yigit, movarida hayot bilan shug'ullanadi.
Now, the sentence means "The boy who is reading a book is busy with life in the environment."
In Northern Uzbek, relative clauses can be used to modify any noun or pronoun in the main clause, not only the subject.
How to Form Relative Clauses in Northern Uzbek
To form a relative clause in Northern Uzbek, follow these simple steps:
- Identify the noun or pronoun that you want to modify in the main clause.
- Choose the appropriate relative pronoun based on the noun or pronoun's grammatical role in the relative clause (e.g. subject, object, possessive, etc.).
- Insert the relative pronoun at the beginning of the relative clause.
- Conjugate the verb in the relative clause according to the tense and aspect of the main clause.
Let's look at an example:
Men, tashrif buyurgan avvalgi chet elga sayohat qilgan odamman.
This sentence means "I am a person who has traveled abroad before." Here, the main clause is Men odamman (I am a person), and we want to add a relative clause to provide more information about this person. We can do this by following the steps above:
- The noun we want to modify is odam (person).
- We use the relative pronoun ku (which) because odam is the object of the relative clause.
- We insert the relative pronoun at the beginning of the relative clause: ku men tashrif buyurgan avvalgi chet elga sayohat qilgan (which I have traveled abroad before).
- We conjugate the verb in the relative clause in the past tense to agree with the tense of the main clause.
The final sentence is: Men, ku tashrif buyurgan avvalgi chet elga sayohat qilgan odamman.
Relative Pronouns in Northern Uzbek
Here are some of the most common relative pronouns used in Northern Uzbek:
- kim - who, whom
- nima - what, whatever
- ku - which
- qaysi - which
Relative pronouns decline in the same way as other pronouns in Northern Uzbek. Here is a table showing the declension of the relative pronoun kim:
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | kim | kimlar |
| Genitive | kimning | kimlarning |
| Dative | kimga | kimlarga |
| Accusative | kimni | kimlarni |
| Locative | kimda | kimlarda |
| Ablative | kimdan | kimlardan |
Examples
Here are some examples of relative clauses in Northern Uzbek:
| Northern Uzbek | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Men, yiliga bir marta qaytib kelgan shahardan gapiramiz. | men || yiliga bir marta qaytib kelgan shahardan gapiramiz | I speak of the city that I returned to once a year. |
| Uning o'zining nima hisobiga u yigitni ko'rib turadi? | uning o'zining nima hisobiga u yigitni ko'rib turadi | Why is he looking at the boy for what reason? |
| Odamlar qayerda, nima qiladiganiga qarab qaror qildim. | odamlar qayerda, nima qiladiganiga qarab qaror qildim | I made the decision based on where people were and what they were doing. |
Practice forming relative clauses in Northern Uzbek using different relative pronouns and verbs in different tenses and aspects. With practice, you will soon be able to create complex sentences with ease!
Other Lessons
- Adjective Agreement
- 0 to A1 Course
- Adjectives formed with suffix – li
- Verbal nouns
- Comparative Adjectives
- Expressing a desire fo an action
- Accusative case
- Forming sentences with negation
- The verb KELMOQ – to come