1- BASQUE ALPHABET
2- WORD ORDER
1 Basic S + V Ni lo egiten dut. I sleep.
2 Direct object S + V + DO Liburu hori irakurtzen dut. I read that book.
3 Indirect object S + V + DO + IO Liburua mutilari ematen diot. I give the boy the book.
4 Beneficiary S + V + DO + -rentzat + beneficiary Liburu bat erosten diot berarentzat. I buy a book for him.
5 IO pronoun S + V + DO + IO pronoun Liburua berari ematen diot. I give him the book.
6 Adjective S + Adj Liburua handia da. The book is big.
7 Adverb S + V + Adv Azkar irakurtzen du. He reads quickly.
8 Direct object + adverb S + Adv + V + DO Liburu hori azkar irakurtzen dut. I read that book quickly.
9 Time adverb S + V + Adv(time) Gaur lan egiten dut. I work today.
10 Place adverb S + V + Adv(place) Han bizi da. He lives there.
11 Prepositional phrase S + Postp + Place Liburua mahai gainean dago. The book is on the table.
12 DO + preposition S + V + DO + Postp + N Liburua mahai gainean jartzen dut. I put the book on the table.
13 Determiner + noun Det + N Liburu hau berria da. This book is new.
14 Determiner + adjective + noun Det + N + Adj Liburu handi hau berria da. This big book is new.
15 Numeral + noun Num + Adj + N Bi liburu berri daude han. There are two new books there.
16 Conjunction Clause + Conj + Clause Irakurtzen dut, eta berak idazten du. I read, and he writes.
17 Conjunction + objects S + V + DO + Conj + S + V + DO Liburua irakurtzen dut, eta berak gutun bat idazten du. I read the book, and he writes a letter.
18 Present passive S + passive verb Liburua irakurtzen da. The book is read.
19 Passive + agent S + passive verb + by + Agent Liburua irakasleak irakurria da. The book is read by the teacher.
20 Passive + IO S + passive verb + to + IO Liburua mutilari ematen zaio. The book is given to the boy.
21 Passive + IO + agent S + passive verb + to + IO + by + Agent Liburua mutilari irakasleak emana da. The book is given to the boy by the teacher.
22 Passive + adverb S + Adv + passive verb Liburua gaur irakurtzen da. The book is read today.
23 Passive + preposition S + passive verb + Postp + N Liburua mahai gainean jartzen da. The book is put on the table.
24 Passive + agent + adverb S + Adv + passive verb + by + Agent Liburua gaur Markek irakurria da. The book is read today by Mark.
25 Passive + agent + IO + adverb S + Adv + passive verb + to + IO + by + Agent Liburua gaur ikasleari irakasleak emana da. The book is given to the student today by the teacher.
26 Perfect passive S + past passive verb Liburua irakurria izan da. The book has been read / was read.
27 Perfect passive + agent S + past passive verb + by + Agent Liburua Markek irakurria izan da. The book has been read by Mark.
28 Future passive S + future passive verb Liburua irakurria izango da. The book will be read.
29 Future passive + agent S + future passive verb + by + Agent Liburua Markek irakurria izango da. The book will be read by Mark.
30 Modal passive S + modal + passive verb Liburua irakurri behar da. The book must be read.
31 Negative S + ez + V + DO Ez dut liburu hori irakurtzen. I do not read that book.
32 Negative passive S + ez + passive verb + by + Agent Liburua ez da Markek irakurtzen. The book is not read by Mark.
33 Yes/no question S + V + DO? Liburu hori irakurtzen duzu? Do you read that book?
34 Passive question S + passive verb? Liburua irakurtzen da? Is the book read?
35 Agent question Nork + V + DO? Nork irakurtzen du liburu hori? Who reads that book?
36 IO question Nori + S + V + DO? Nori ematen diozu liburua? To whom do you give the book?
37 Imperative Verb + DO Irakurri liburua! Read the book!
38 Imperative + IO Verb + DO + IO Eman liburua mutilari! Give the boy the book!
39 Passive imperative Let + S + passive verb Utz ezazu liburua irakurtzen! Let the book be read!
40 Infinitive / gerund Infinitive irakurri to read / reading
41 Infinitive + DO Infinitive + DO liburua irakurri to read the book
42 Passive infinitive Passive participle + izan irakurria izan to be read
43 Purpose S + V + -tzeko + V Jaten dut jolasteko. I eat to play / in order to play.
44 Relative clause N + relative clause Irakurtzen dudan liburua interesgarria da. The book that I read is interesting.
45 Passive relative N + passive relative clause Markek irakurritako liburua interesgarria da. The book that is read by Mark is interesting.
46 Conditional / if Baldin + clause, clause Denbora badut, irakurtzen dut. If I have time, I read.
47 Conditional + passive Baldin + passive clause, clause Liburua irakurtzen bada, gauza asko ikas daitezke. If the book is read, many things can be learned.
48 Reported speech S + speech verb + -(e)la + clause Irakurtzen ari zela esan zuen. He said that he was reading.
49 Reported question S + speech verb + ea/-(e)n + clause Irakurtzen ari nintzen galdetu zuen. He asked if I was reading.
50 Reported command/request S + eskatu + -(e)la + clause Liburu hori irakurtzeko eskatu zidan. He asked me to read that book.
ADVERBS:
1 Manner after V / DO S + DO + V + Adv Liburua azkar irakurtzen dut. I read the book quickly.
2 Place usually before V / at end S + Place + V Liburua etxean irakurtzen dut. I read the book at home.
3 Time beginning / end Time + Clause / Clause + Time Liburua atzo irakurri nuen. I read the book yesterday.
4 Frequency usually before V S + Adv + V Nik askotan liburuak irakurtzen ditut. I often read books.
5 Frequency + izan (be) before predicate / around V S + Adv + Adj + V Bera beti pozik dago. He is always happy.
6 Frequency + auxiliary before main verb / around auxiliary S + Adv + Aux + V Nik hori inoiz ez dut ikusi. I have never seen that.
7 Degree before Adj / Adv S + V + Adv + Adj/Adv Oso ona da. It is very good.
8 Degree + verb before V S + Adv + V + DO Nik hori benetan gustuko dut. I really like that.
9 Sentence adverb beginning / middle / end Adv + Clause Zorionez, irabazi nuen. Fortunately, I won.
10 Comment adverb usually beginning Adv + Clause Egia esan, ez dakit. Honestly, I don't know.
11 Linking adverb beginning / middle Clause + Adv + Clause Nekatuta nengoen; hala ere, lan egin nuen. I was tired; however, I worked.
12 Direction before / after V depending on expression S + Direction + V Kanpora joan zen. She went outside.
13 Definite frequency beginning / end Time expression + Clause Egunero joaten naiz hara. I go there every day.
14 Duration usually before / around V S + Duration + V Bi orduz ikasi nuen. I studied for two hours.
15 Purpose usually before V / end Clause + -tzeko Hara joan nintzen ikasteko. I went there to study.
INDIRECT OBJECT:
1 Singular noun IO S + V + DO + N-ari Nik liburua gizonari ematen diot. I give the book to the man.
2 Plural noun IO S + V + DO + N-ei Nik liburuak gizonei ematen dizkiet. I give the books to the men.
3 Proper-name IO S + V + Name-ri Nik liburua Aneri ematen diot. I give the book to Ane.
4 Dative pronoun IO S + V + DO + pronoun-ri Nik liburua hari ematen diot. I give the book to him/her.
5 1st-person IO S + V + DO + niri Nik liburua niri ematen didate. They give the book to me.
6 2nd-person IO S + V + DO + zuri Nik liburua zuri ematen dizut. I give the book to you.
7 1st-person plural IO ... + guri Nik liburua guri ematen digu. He/she gives the book to us.
8 2nd-person plural IO ... + zuei Nik liburua zuei ematen dizuet. I give the book to you (plural).
9 3rd-person plural IO ... + haiei Nik liburua haiei ematen diet. I give the book to them.
10 Recipient IO S + V + DO + recipient-DAT Nik ikasleari liburua eman diot. I gave the book to the student.
11 Beneficiary/recipient S + V + thing + person-DAT Nik Aneri opari bat erosi diot. I bought a present for Ane.
12 Experiencer IO S + experiencer-DAT + predicate Niri gustatzen zait liburua. I like the book.
13 Possessor/dative construction Person-DAT + noun Niri liburu bat falta zait. I am missing a book.
14 Affected person Person-DAT + verb Umeari erori zaio liburua. The book fell from/away from the child / The child had the book fall.
15 Dative with auxiliary agreement IO-DAT + auxiliary agrees with IO Nik hari liburua eman diot. I give the book to him/her.
GENITIVE:
Possessive genitive N + -en gizonaren liburua the man's book
Definite singular N + -aren emakumearen etxea the woman's house
Indefinite/question noren noren liburua? whose book?
Plural possessor N + -en gizonen etxea the men's house
Personal possessive nire/zure/haren… nire liburua my book
Demonstrative possessive honen/horren/haren… honen etxea this one's house
Proper-name genitive Name + -ren Aneren liburua Ane's book
Relationship genitive N + -en + N herriaren historia history of the town
INDEPENDENT:
English Singular Plural
mine nirea nireak
yours zurea zureak
his/hers harena harenak
ours gurea gureak
yours (plural) zuena zuenak
theirs haiena haienak
This book is mine. Liburu hau nirea da.
WAS GOING TO:
I was going to do Nik egiteko asmoa nuen.
You were going to do Zuk egiteko asmoa zenuen.
He/She was going to do Hark egiteko asmoa zuen.
We were going to do Guk egiteko asmoa genuen.
You were going to do Zuek egiteko asmoa zenuten.
They were going to do Haiek egiteko asmoa zuten.
Ni jatera nengoen. I was about to eat.
Zu jatera zeunden. You were about to eat.
Hura jatera zegoen. He/She was about to eat.
Gu jatera geunden. We were about to eat.
Zuek jatera zeundeten. You were about to eat. (Plural)
Haiek jatera zeuden. They were about to eat.
2- NOUNS
Case Indefinite Singular definite Plural definite
Absolutive liburu liburua liburuak
Ergative liburuk liburuak liburuek
Dative libururi liburuari liburuei
Genitive libururen liburuaren liburuen
Locative liburutan liburuan liburuetan
Ablative liburutatik liburutik liburuetatik
Allative liburutara liburura liburuetara
Terminative liburutaraino libururaino liburuetaraino
Instrumental liburuz liburuaz liburuez
Comitative libururekin liburuarekin liburuekin
Benefactive libururentzat liburuarentzat liburuentzat
Causal libururengatik liburuagatik liburuengatik
3- ADJECTIVES
Attributive adjective Noun + Adjective etxe handia the big house
Predicative adjective Subject + Adjective + izan Etxea handia da. The house is big.
Plural attributive Noun + Adjective + -ak etxe handiak the big houses
Plural predicative Subject + Adjective + dira Etxeak handiak dira. The houses are big.
Indefinite attributive Noun + Adjective etxe handi a big house / big house
Indefinite predicative Noun + Adjective + da Etxe bat handia da. A house is big.
TO BE VERB:
Present — “am / is / are”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni naiz I am
Zu zara You are
Hura da He/She/It is
Gu gara We are
Zuek zarete You are
Haiek dira They are
Past — “was / were”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni nintzen I was
Zu zinen You were
Hura zen He/She/It was
Gu ginen We were
Zuek zineten You were
Haiek ziren They were
Future — “will be”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni izango naiz I will be
Zu izango zara You will be
Hura izango da He/She/It will be
Gu izango gara We will be
Zuek izango zarete You will be
Haiek izango dira They will be
Conditional — “would be”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni nintzateke I would be
Zu zinateke You would be
Hura litzateke He/She/It would be
Gu ginateke We would be
Zuek zinatekete You would be
Haiek lirateke They would be
Present subjunctive
Pronoun Basque English
Ni naitezen that I be
Zu zaitezen that you be
Hura dadin that he/she/it be
Gu gaitezen that we be
Zuek zaitezten that you be
Haiek daitezen that they be
Imperative
Pronoun Basque English
Zu izan! Be!
Zuek izan zaitezte! Be!
Gu izan gaitezen! Let us be!
4- PRONOUNS
2. Personal pronouns by case
Using the standard zu (“you”) as an example:
Case I You He/She/It We You plural They
Absolutive ni zu hura gu zuek haiek
Ergative nik zuk hark guk zuek haiek
Dative niri zuri hari guri zuei haiei
Genitive nire zure haren gure zuen haien
Locative nigan zugan harengan gugan zuengan haiengan
Ablative nigandik zugandik harengandik gugandik zuengandik haiengandik
Allative nigana zugana harengana gugana zuengana haiengana
Instrumental nitaz zutaz hartaz gutaz zuekin haiekin
Comitative nirekin zurekin harekin gurekin zuekin haiekin
Some forms vary according to the exact construction and whether the pronoun is being used as a personal pronoun, possessive/genitive, or person-locative form.
3. Possessive pronouns / possessive determiners
Basque possessives normally come from the genitive forms of personal pronouns.
Basque English
nire my
hire your (informal)
zure your
haren his / her / its
gure our
zuen your
haien their
Examples:
- nire liburua = my book
- zure etxea = your house
- haren autoa = his/her car
- gure etxea = our house
- haien liburuak = their books
4. Independent possessive pronouns
When the possessive stands independently, Basque can use forms such as:
Basque English
nirea mine
hirea yours (informal)
zurea yours
harena his / hers / its
gurea ours
zuena yours
haiena theirs
Examples:
Liburua nirea da.
The book is mine.
Etxea gurea da.
The house is ours.
Autoa haiena da.
The car is theirs.
5. Demonstrative pronouns
Basque has a three-way distance distinction:
Distance Singular Plural English
Near speaker hau hauek this / these
Near listener hori horiek that / those
Far from both hura haiek that over there / those over there
Examples:
- Hau nire liburua da. = This is my book.
- Hori zure etxea da. = That is your house.
- Hura bere autoa da. = That one over there is his/her car.
- Hauek nire liburuak dira. = These are my books.
6. Demonstratives in cases
Demonstratives decline for case.
hau — this
Case Form
Absolutive hau
Ergative honek
Dative honi
Genitive honen
Locative honetan
Ablative honetatik
Allative honetara
Instrumental honekin
hori — that
Case Form
Absolutive hori
Ergative horrek
Dative horri
Genitive horren
Locative horretan
Ablative horretatik
Allative horretara
Instrumental horrekin
hura — that over there
Case Form
Absolutive hura
Ergative hark
Dative hari
Genitive haren
Locative hartara / hartan
Ablative hartatik
Allative hartara
Instrumental harekin
7. Reflexive pronoun
The main reflexive form is based on norbera.
norbera = oneself / self
Person Basque
myself neure burua
yourself zeure burua
himself/herself bere burua
ourselves geure burua
yourselves zeuen burua
themselves beren burua
For example:
Neure burua ikusi dut.
I saw myself.
Bere burua ikusi du.
He/She saw himself/herself.
8. Reciprocal pronoun
The main reciprocal expression is:
elkar = each other / one another
Examples:
Elkar ikusten dute.
They see each other.
Elkarrekin hitz egiten dute.
They talk with each other.
elkar can take case endings:
- elkarri = to each other
- elkarrekin = with each other
- elkarren = each other's
- elkarrengandik = from each other
10. Indefinite pronouns
Basque English
norbait someone / somebody
zerbait something
inor anyone / anybody
ezer anything
edonor anyone / anybody
edozer anything
nornahi anyone / whoever
zernahi anything / whatever
bakoitza each / each one
bakoitza everyone individually / each one
denak everyone / all of them
guztiak all / everyone
Examples:
Norbait etorri da.
Someone has come.
Zerbait jan dut.
I ate something.
Inor ez dago hemen.
Nobody is here.
Ezer ez dut ikusi.
I didn't see anything.
Edonor etor daiteke.
Anyone can come.
11. Negative pronouns
Basque commonly forms negative pronouns using ez with interrogative/indefinite forms.
Basque English
inor ez nobody / no one
ezer ez nothing
inon ez nowhere
inoiz ez never
Examples:
Inor ez dago etxean.
Nobody is at home.
Ezer ez dut.
I have nothing.
12. Universal pronouns
Basque English
dena everything
denak everyone / all
guztia everything / the whole thing
guztiak everyone / all
bakoitza each one
bakoitzak each one (ergative)
Examples:
Dena ikusi dut.
I saw everything.
Denak etorri dira.
Everyone has come.
Guztia jan dut.
I ate everything.
5- VERB TENSES
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idazten dut I write / I am writing
Zu idazten duzu You write / You are writing
Hura idazten du He/She writes / is writing
Gu idazten dugu We write / are writing
Zuek idazten duzue You write / are writing
Haiek idazten dute They write / are writing
2. Present perfect — “have written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzi dut I have written
Zu idatzi duzu You have written
Hura idatzi du He/She has written
Gu idatzi dugu We have written
Zuek idatzi duzue You have written
Haiek idatzi dute They have written
3. Past habitual — “used to write / was writing”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idazten nuen I used to write / was writing
Zu idazten zenuen You used to write / were writing
Hura idazten zuen He/She used to write / was writing
Gu idazten genuen We used to write / were writing
Zuek idazten zenuten You used to write / were writing
Haiek idazten zuten They used to write / were writing
4. Past perfect — “had written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia nuen I had written
Zu idatzia zenuen You had written
Hura idatzia zuen He/She had written
Gu idatzia genuen We had written
Zuek idatzia zenuten You had written
Haiek idatzia zuten They had written
5. Future — “will write”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatziko dut I will write
Zu idatziko duzu You will write
Hura idatziko du He/She will write
Gu idatziko dugu We will write
Zuek idatziko duzue You will write
Haiek idatziko dute They will write
6. Future perfect — “will have written”
Basque can express future perfect with a future/perfect construction.
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia izango dut I will have written
Zu idatzia izango duzu You will have written
Hura idatzia izango du He/She will have written
Gu idatzia izango dugu We will have written
Zuek idatzia izango duzue You will have written
Haiek idatzia izango dute They will have written
7. Conditional — “would write”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatziko nuke I would write
Zu idatziko zenuke You would write
Hura idatziko luke He/She would write
Gu idatziko genuke We would write
Zuek idatziko zenukete You would write
Haiek idatziko lukete They would write
8. Conditional perfect — “would have written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatziko nukeen I would have written
Zu idatziko zenukeen You would have written
Hura idatziko lukeen He/She would have written
Gu idatziko genukeen We would have written
Zuek idatziko zenuketen You would have written
Haiek idatziko luketen They would have written
9. Present subjunctive
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatz dezadan that I write
Zu idatz dezazun that you write
Hura idatz dezan that he/she write
Gu idatz dezagun that we write
Zuek idatz dezazuen that you write
Haiek idatz dezaten that they write
10. Past subjunctive
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatz nezan that I wrote / should write
Zu idatz zenuen / contextual that you wrote
Hura idatz zezan that he/she write
Gu idatz genezan that we write
Zuek idatz zenezaten that you write
Haiek idatz zezaten that they write
11. Imperative — “write!”
Pronoun Basque English
Zu idatz ezazu! Write!
Zuek idatz ezazue! Write!
Gu idatz dezagun! Let us write!
6- PASSIVE TENSES
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia naiz I am written
Zu idatzia zara You are written
Hura idatzia da He/She/It is written
Gu idatziak gara We are written
Zuek idatziak zarete You are written
Haiek idatziak dira They are written
Examples:
- Liburua idatzia da. — The book is written.
- Liburuak idatziak dira. — The books are written.
Passive — past
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia nintzen I was written
Zu idatzia zinen You were written
Hura idatzia zen He/She/It was written
Gu idatziak ginen We were written
Zuek idatziak zineten You were written
Haiek idatziak ziren They were written
Examples:
- Liburua idatzia zen. — The book was written.
- Liburuak idatziak ziren. — The books were written.
Passive — future
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia izango naiz I will be written
Zu idatzia izango zara You will be written
Hura idatzia izango da He/She/It will be written
Gu idatziak izango gara We will be written
Zuek idatziak izango zarete You will be written
Haiek idatziak izango dira They will be written
Examples:
- Liburua idatzia izango da. — The book will be written.
- Liburuak idatziak izango dira. — The books will be written.
Passive — conditional
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia izango nintzateke I would be written
Zu idatzia izango zinateke You would be written
Hura idatzia izango litzateke He/She/It would be written
Gu idatziak izango ginateke We would be written
Zuek idatziak izango zinatekete You would be written
Haiek idatziak izango lirateke They would be written
Passive — conditional perfect
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia izango nintzatekeen I would have been written
Zu idatzia izango zinatekeen You would have been written
Hura idatzia izango zatekeen He/She/It would have been written
Gu idatziak izango ginatekeen We would have been written
Zuek idatziak izango zinateketen You would have been written
Haiek idatziak izango ziratekeen They would have been written
Passive — subjunctive
Pronoun Basque English
Ni idatzia izan nadin so that I may be written
Zu idatzia izan zaitezen so that you may be written
Hura idatzia izan dadin so that he/she/it may be written
Gu idatziak izan gaitezen so that we may be written
Zuek idatziak izan zaitezten so that you may be written
Haiek idatziak izan daitezen so that they may be written
Passive — imperative
Pronoun Basque English
Zu izan idatzia! be written!
Zuek izan idatziak! be written!
Gu izan gaitezen idatziak! let us be written!
7- NEGATION:
1. Negative present — “do not write / am not writing”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez dut idazten I do not write
Zu ez duzu idazten You do not write
Hura ez du idazten He/She does not write
Gu ez dugu idazten We do not write
Zuek ez duzue idazten You do not write
Haiek ez dute idazten They do not write
2. Negative present perfect — “have not written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez dut idatzi I have not written
Zu ez duzu idatzi You have not written
Hura ez du idatzi He/She has not written
Gu ez dugu idatzi We have not written
Zuek ez duzue idatzi You have not written
Haiek ez dute idatzi They have not written
3. Negative past habitual — “did not write / was not writing”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nuen idazten I did not write / was not writing
Zu ez zenuen idazten You did not write / were not writing
Hura ez zuen idazten He/She did not write / was not writing
Gu ez genuen idazten We did not write / were not writing
Zuek ez zenuten idazten You did not write / were not writing
Haiek ez zuten idazten They did not write / were not writing
4. Negative past perfect — “had not written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nuen idatzia I had not written
Zu ez zenuen idatzia You had not written
Hura ez zuen idatzia He/She had not written
Gu ez genuen idatzia We had not written
Zuek ez zenuten idatzia You had not written
Haiek ez zuten idatzia They had not written
5. Negative future — “will not write”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez dut idatziko I will not write
Zu ez duzu idatziko You will not write
Hura ez du idatziko He/She will not write
Gu ez dugu idatziko We will not write
Zuek ez duzue idatziko You will not write
Haiek ez dute idatziko They will not write
6. Negative future perfect — “will not have written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez dut idatzia izango I will not have written
Zu ez duzu idatzia izango You will not have written
Hura ez du idatzia izango He/She will not have written
Gu ez dugu idatzia izango We will not have written
Zuek ez duzue idatzia izango You will not have written
Haiek ez dute idatzia izango They will not have written
7. Negative conditional — “would not write”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nuke idatziko I would not write
Zu ez zenuke idatziko You would not write
Hura ez luke idatziko He/She would not write
Gu ez genuke idatziko We would not write
Zuek ez zenukete idatziko You would not write
Haiek ez lukete idatziko They would not write
8. Negative conditional perfect — “would not have written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nukeen idatziko I would not have written
Zu ez zenukeen idatziko You would not have written
Hura ez lukeen idatziko He/She would not have written
Gu ez genukeen idatziko We would not have written
Zuek ez zenuketen idatziko You would not have written
Haiek ez luketen idatziko They would not have written
Negative subjunctive
Present subjunctive
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez dezadan idatzi so that I do not write
Zu ez dezazun idatzi so that you do not write
Hura ez dezan idatzi so that he/she does not write
Gu ez dezagun idatzi so that we do not write
Zuek ez dezazuen idatzi so that you do not write
Haiek ez dezaten idatzi so that they do not write
Negative imperative
Pronoun Basque English
Zu ez idatzi! Don't write!
Zuek ez idatzi! Don't write!
Gu ez dezagun idatzi! Let's not write!
Negative izan (“to be”)
For completeness, here are the main negative forms of izan:
Tense Ni Zu Hura Gu Zuek Haiek
Present ez naiz ez zara ez da ez gara ez zarete ez dira
Past ez nintzen ez zinen ez zen ez ginen ez zineten ez ziren
Future ez naiz izango ez zara izango ez da izango ez gara izango ez zarete izango ez dira izango
Conditional ez nintzateke ez zinateke ez litzateke ez ginateke ez zinatekete ez lirateke
Subjunctive ez nadin ez zaitezen ez dadin ez gaitezen ez zaitezten ez daitezen
idazten dut → ez dut idazten
idatzi dut → ez dut idatzi
idatziko dut → ez dut idatziko
nuke idatziko → ez nuke idatziko
1. Negative passive — present
“am/is/are not written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez naiz idatzia I am not written
Zu ez zara idatzia You are not written
Hura ez da idatzia He/She/It is not written
Gu ez gara idatziak We are not written
Zuek ez zarete idatziak You are not written
Haiek ez dira idatziak They are not written
2. Negative passive — past
“was/were not written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nintzen idatzia I was not written
Zu ez zinen idatzia You were not written
Hura ez zen idatzia He/She/It was not written
Gu ez ginen idatziak We were not written
Zuek ez zineten idatziak You were not written
Haiek ez ziren idatziak They were not written
3. Negative passive — future
“will not be written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez naiz idatzia izango I will not be written
Zu ez zara idatzia izango You will not be written
Hura ez da idatzia izango He/She/It will not be written
Gu ez gara idatziak izango We will not be written
Zuek ez zarete idatziak izango You will not be written
Haiek ez dira idatziak izango They will not be written
4. Negative passive — conditional
“would not be written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nintzateke idatzia izango I would not be written
Zu ez zinateke idatzia izango You would not be written
Hura ez litzateke idatzia izango He/She/It would not be written
Gu ez ginateke idatziak izango We would not be written
Zuek ez zinatekete idatziak izango You would not be written
Haiek ez lirateke idatziak izango They would not be written
5. Negative passive — conditional perfect
“would not have been written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nintzatekeen idatzia izango I would not have been written
Zu ez zinatekeen idatzia izango You would not have been written
Hura ez litzatekeen idatzia izango He/She/It would not have been written
Gu ez ginatekeen idatziak izango We would not have been written
Zuek ez zinateketen idatziak izango You would not have been written
Haiek ez liratekeen idatziak izango They would not have been written
6. Negative passive — subjunctive
“so that … may not be written”
Pronoun Basque English
Ni ez nadin idatzia izan so that I may not be written
Zu ez zaitezen idatzia izan so that you may not be written
Hura ez dadin idatzia izan so that he/she/it may not be written
Gu ez gaitezen idatziak izan so that we may not be written
Zuek ez zaitezten idatziak izan so that you may not be written
Haiek ez daitezen idatziak izan so that they may not be written
8- QUESTIONS:
Type Basque formation / question word Example English
Yes/No verb + ? Etxean zaude? Are you at home?
Yes/No with al al + finite verb Etxean al zaude? Are you at home?
Who nor Nor da? Who is it?
Who — ergative nork Nork idatzi du? Who wrote it?
Whom nor Nor ikusi duzu? Whom did you see?
To whom nori Nori eman diozu? To whom did you give it?
Whose noren Noren liburua da? Whose book is it?
With whom norekin Norekin joan zara? With whom did you go?
What zer Zer egiten duzu? What do you do?
What — ergative zerk Zerk egin du hori? What did that?
To what zeri Zeri buruz ari zara? What are you talking about?
With what zerekin Zerekin idazten duzu? What do you write with?
Which zein + noun Zein liburu irakurtzen duzu? Which book do you read?
How many/much zenbat + noun Zenbat liburu dituzu? How many books do you have?
Where non Non zaude? Where are you?
From where nondik Nondik zatoz? Where are you from?
To where nora Nora zoaz? Where are you going?
When noiz Noiz etorriko zara? When will you come?
Why zergatik Zergatik zoaz? Why are you going?
How nola Nola egiten duzu? How do you do it?
How often zenbat aldiz Zenbat aldiz irakurtzen duzu? How often do you read?
9- ADVERBS:
Basque English
orain now
gaur today
atzo yesterday
bihar tomorrow
etzi the day after tomorrow
herenegun the day before yesterday
lehen before / formerly
lehenago earlier / before
gero later / afterwards
geroago later
ondoren afterwards / after
aurretik beforehand / before
bitartean meanwhile / in the meantime
aldi berean at the same time
berehala immediately
laster soon
oraindik still / yet
dagoeneko already
berandu late
goiz early
gaur egun nowadays
aspaldi long ago
duela gutxi recently
berriki recently
inoiz ever / never
inoiz ez never
noizbait sometime / ever
noizbehinka occasionally
behin once
bi aldiz twice
sarritan often
maiz often
batzuetan sometimes
gutxitan rarely
beti always
sekula ever / ever at all
sekula ez never
2. Frequency adverbs
Basque English
beti always
ia beti almost always
maiz often
sarri often / frequently
sarritan frequently
askotan often
batzuetan sometimes
noizean behin from time to time
noizbehinka occasionally
gutxitan rarely
oso gutxitan very rarely
ia inoiz ez hardly ever
inoiz ez never
sekula ez never
behin once
bi aldiz twice
hiru aldiz three times
egunero every day
astero every week
hilero every month
urtero every year
3. Manner adverbs
Basque English
ondo well
gaizki badly
ongi well
poliki slowly
azkar quickly
bizkor quickly / briskly
astiro slowly / carefully
arreta handiz carefully
erraz easily
zailtasunez with difficulty
isilik silently
ozen loudly
argi clearly
zehazki precisely
zuzenean directly
zeharka indirectly
batera together
bakarrik alone / only
elkarrekin together / with each other
hala thus / that way
horrela like that / in that way
honela like this / in this way
nola how
halaxe exactly like that
horrexela exactly like that
4. Degree and intensity
Basque English
oso very
oso-oso very, very
nahiko quite / fairly
aski quite / enough
bereziki especially
izugarri extremely
ikaragarri extremely / tremendously
gehiegi too much / too
gutxiegi too little / not enough
asko much / a lot
gutxi little / not much
gehiago more
gutxiago less
ia almost
ia-ia almost / practically
erabat completely
guztiz completely
osorik completely / entirely
partzialki partially
neurri batean to some extent
apur bat a little
pixka bat a little
batere at all
batere ez not at all
hain so / so much
hainbeste so much / so many
horrenbeste that much / that many
zenbateraino to what extent
5. Place adverbs
Basque English
hemen here
hor there
han there / over there
hortxe right there
hementxe right here
hantxe right there
non where
inon anywhere / nowhere
nonbait somewhere
nonahi anywhere / everywhere
nonnahi anywhere / everywhere
edonon anywhere
hemendik from here / through here
hortik from there / through there
handik from there
nondik from where
inondik from anywhere
nora where to
inora anywhere to
hona to here
horra to there
hara to there
honaino as far as here
horraino as far as there
haraino as far as there
6. Affirmation
Basque English
bai yes
baietz yes / that it is so
hala so / indeed
benetan really / truly
egiazki truly
egia esan to tell the truth
noski of course
jakina of course / naturally
zalantzarik gabe without a doubt
ziur certainly / surely
seguru surely / certainly
bada well then / indeed
7. Negation
Basque English
ez not
inoiz ez never
sekula ez never
inon ez nowhere
inola ez in no way
inondik ez from nowhere / not at all
batere ez not at all
ezer ez nothing
inor ez nobody
inolaz ere ez absolutely not
ezta ere nor / neither
ez...ere not even
8. Probability and possibility
Basque English
agian perhaps / maybe
beharbada perhaps / maybe
akaso perhaps / maybe
seguruenik probably
ziurrenik probably
noski of course
ziur aski surely / probably
baliteke it may be / it is possible
litekeena da it is possible
antza apparently / evidently
antza denez apparently / it seems
dirudienez apparently / seemingly
nonbait apparently / somewhere, somehow (context-dependent)
9. Focus and limitation
Basque English
bakarrik only
soilik only
besterik ez nothing/anything else but
batez ere especially / mainly
bereziki especially
behintzat at least
gutxienez at least
gehienez at most
baino ez only
are even
ere also / too / even
baita also / too
bai eta... ere both...and / also
bederen at least
10. Addition
Basque English
ere also / too
gainera moreover / besides / additionally
halaber likewise / also
bestalde besides / on the other hand
horrez gain in addition to that
are even
baita also
orobat likewise / also
11. Contrast and concession
Basque English
hala ere however / nevertheless
ordea however / though
aldiz on the other hand / whereas
bestalde on the other hand
dena den nevertheless / anyway
nolanahi ere anyway / nevertheless
edonola ere in any case
hala eta guztiz ere nevertheless / even so
12. Result / consequence / discourse
Basque English
beraz therefore / so
hortaz therefore
horregatik therefore / for that reason
ondorioz consequently
halatan thus / therefore
orduan then
bestela otherwise
horrela thus / in this way
hala thus / so
bada then / well then
13. Approximation
Basque English
gutxi gorabehera approximately
ia almost
inguru approximately / around
-edo or so / approximately
behin-behinean temporarily / provisionally
gutxi gorabehera more or less / approximately
14. Sequence and ordering
Basque English
lehenik firstly / first
hasieran initially / at first
ondoren afterwards
gero then / afterwards
gerora later / subsequently
azkenean finally / eventually
bukatzeko finally / to finish
amaieran at the end
bitartean meanwhile
aldi berean at the same time
horren ondoren after that
aurretik beforehand
beranduago later
15. Interrogative adverbs
Basque English
nola how
non where
nondik from where
nora where to
noiz when
zergatik why
zenbat how much / how many
zenbateraino to what extent
zenbat aldiz how many times
zenbatetan how often
16. Indefinite adverbial forms
Basque English
nonbait somewhere
nonahi anywhere / everywhere
nonnahi anywhere / everywhere
edonon anywhere
inoiz ever
inoiz ez never
noizbait sometime / someday
noiznahi whenever
nolanahi however / in any way
inola in any way
inola ere in any way at all
inondik from anywhere
inondik ere from anywhere at all
inon anywhere
edonola however / in any manner
edonoiz anytime
edonon anywhere
edonola ere however / in any case
10- CONJUNCTIONS:
Basque English Example
eta and Ni eta zu. — You and I.
edo or Kafea edo tea? — Coffee or tea?
ala or / or else Kafea ala tea? — Coffee or tea?
baina but Txikia da, baina ederra. — It is small, but beautiful.
baizik but rather / but Ez dut tea nahi, kafea baizik. — I don't want tea, but rather coffee.
ezta nor / neither Nik ez, ezta berak ere. — Not me, nor him/her either.
ez...ez neither...nor Ez dut ez kafea ez tea nahi. — I want neither coffee nor tea.
bai...bai both...and Bai Jon bai Ane etorri dira. — Both Jon and Ane have come.
ez bakarrik... baita ere not only...but also Ez bakarrik irakurri, baita idatzi ere. — Not only read, but also write.
2. Additive conjunctions
Basque English
eta and
ere also / too
gainera moreover / besides
halaber likewise / also
orobat likewise / also
baita...ere also / as well
ezta...ere nor / neither
bai...bai both...and
Example:
Nik liburua irakurri dut eta filma ikusi dut.
= I read the book and watched the film.
3. Alternative conjunctions
Basque English
edo or
ala or / or else
bestela otherwise
edo...edo either...or
ala...ala either...or
nahi...nahi whether...or
zein...zein whether...or
Examples:
- Etxean edo eskolan. — At home or at school.
- Kafea ala tea nahi duzu? — Do you want coffee or tea?
- Edo etorriko zara, edo etxean geratuko zara. — Either you will come, or you will stay at home.
4. Contrast conjunctions
Basque English
baina but
baizik rather / but rather
ordea however / but
aldiz whereas / on the other hand
berriz whereas / again / on the other hand
hala ere nevertheless / however
dena den nevertheless / anyway
nolanahi ere nevertheless / anyway
halere nevertheless
hala eta guztiz ere nevertheless / even so
Note that ordea, aldiz, berriz, hala ere can function more like connective adverbs than simple conjunctions.
5. Causal conjunctions
Basque English
zeren because / for
zeren eta because
izan ere indeed / because
-elako because
-enez since / because
bait- because / since
horregatik therefore / for that reason
Examples:
Ez naiz joan, gaixorik nengoelako.
= I did not go because I was sick.
Ez naiz joan, gaixorik nengoenez.
= I did not go because/since I was sick.
6. Consecutive / result conjunctions
Basque English
beraz therefore / so
hortaz therefore
halatan thus / therefore
horregatik therefore / for that reason
ondorioz consequently
non...bait- so...that
hain...non so...that
hainbeste...non so much...that
hainbeste...ezen so much...that
Example:
Hain nekatuta nago, non ezin baitut lan egin.
= I am so tired that I cannot work.
7. Conditional conjunctions
Basque English
baldin if
baldin eta if
-ba if
-enean when / if, when
ezean if not / unless
bestela otherwise
baldin...ba if...then
Examples:
Euria egiten badu, etxean geratuko naiz.
= If it rains, I will stay at home.
Ez baduzu etortzen, ni joango naiz.
= If you don't come, I will go.
Euria egiten ez badu, joango gara.
= If it doesn't rain, we will go.
8. “Unless”
Basque commonly expresses unless with a negative conditional construction.
Basque English
ez bada unless / if not
ezean unless / if not
ez baduzu... unless you...
ez badu... unless he/she...
Example:
Ez baduzu ikasten, ez duzu gaindituko.
= Unless you study, you will not pass.
9. Temporal conjunctions
Basque English
eta and / and then
-enean when
-enean when / whenever
-tzean when / upon
-tuenean when / after
-tzen denean when
-tzen duen bitartean while
bitartean while / meanwhile
arte until
-artean while / until
aurretik before
ondoren after
gero then / afterwards
bezain laster as soon as
orduko by the time
harik eta...arte until
Examples:
Etxera iritsi naizenean, jan egingo dut.
= When I arrive home, I will eat.
Zu lanean zauden bitartean, ni etxean egongo naiz.
= While you are at work, I will be at home.
Etorri arte itxarongo dut.
= I will wait until you come.
10. “Before”
Basque English
aurretik before
baino lehen before
-tu baino lehen before doing
-tzen hasi aurretik before starting to...
Example:
Jan baino lehen eskuak garbitzen ditut.
= I wash my hands before eating.
11. “After”
Basque English
ondoren after
gero afterwards
-tu ondoren after doing
-tu eta gero after doing
baino geroago later than
Example:
Jan ondoren liburua irakurtzen dut.
= I read the book after eating.
12. “While”
Basque English
bitartean while / meanwhile
-tzen ari den bitartean while ... is doing
-n bitartean while
-en bitartean while
Example:
Liburua irakurtzen ari naizen bitartean, musika entzuten dut.
= While I am reading a book, I listen to music.
13. “Until”
Basque English
arte until
-arte until
harik eta...arte until
-tu arte until doing
Example:
Etorri arte itxarongo dut.
= I will wait until you come.
14. Purpose conjunctions
Basque English
-tzeko in order to
-tzeko asmoz with the intention of
-tzeko helburuarekin with the aim of
-tzeko so that / in order that
-n so that
-tzeko moduan so as to
Example:
Liburu bat erosten dut ikasteko.
= I buy a book in order to study.
For a purpose clause with a different subject:
Liburua eman diot irakur dezan.
= I gave him/her the book so that he/she could read.
15. Concessive conjunctions
Basque English
nahiz eta although / even though
arren although / even though
ba-...ere even if
-ela ere although / even though
hala ere nevertheless
nolanahi ere even so / nevertheless
nahiz... although / even if
Examples:
Nahiz eta nekatuta egon, lan egiten dut.
= Although I am tired, I work.
Nekatuta egon arren, lan egiten dut.
= Although I am tired, I work.
Euria egin arren, joango gara.
= Even though it rains, we will go.
16. “Even if”
Basque English
nahiz eta even if / although
ba-...ere even if
-ta ere even though / even if
-arren even if / although
Example:
Euria egiten badu ere, joango gara.
= Even if it rains, we will go.
17. “As if / as though”
Basque English
-balitz bezala as if he/she were
-balira bezala as if they were
bezala like / as
bailitzan as if he/she were
bailiran as if they were
Example:
Ezagutuko balu bezala hitz egiten du.
= He/She speaks as if he/she knew him/her.
18. “Only if”
Basque English
baldin eta...bada only if
-z gero if / provided that
baldin... if
soilik...baldin bada only if
Example:
Bakarrik etorriko naiz, baldin eta zu ere bazatoz.
= I will come only if you come too.
19. “Whether...or”
Basque English
ala...ala whether...or
nahi...nahi whether...or
zein...zein whether...or
-n ala ez whether...or not
ea...ala whether...or
Example:
Ez dakit etorriko den ala ez.
= I don't know whether he/she will come or not.
20. “That” as a conjunction
Basque generally uses -ela rather than a standalone word equivalent to English that after verbs of saying, knowing, thinking, etc.
Basque English
-ela that
-enik that / whether (in negative or certain constructions)
ea whether / if
Example:
Badakit etorriko dela.
= I know that he/she will come.
Uste dut etorriko dela.
= I think that he/she will come.
Ez dut uste etorriko denik.
= I don't think that he/she will come.
21. “Whether / if” indirect questions
Basque English
ea whether / if
-n whether / if
ala ez or not
ea...ala ez whether...or not
Examples:
Ez dakit ea etorriko den.
= I don't know whether he/she will come.
Ez dakit etorriko den ala ez.
= I don't know whether he/she will come or not.
22. Comparative conjunctions
Basque English
bezala as / like
bezain as...as
baino than
bezainbeste as much/many as
bezalaxe just as / just like
baino gehiago more than
baino gutxiago less than
Examples:
Zu bezain azkarra da.
= He/She is as fast as you.
Zu baino azkarragoa da.
= He/She is faster than you.
23. Correlative conjunctions
Basque English
bai...bai both...and
ez...ez neither...nor
edo...edo either...or
ala...ala either...or
bai...baita ere both...and also
ez bakarrik...baita ere not only...but also
nahi...nahi whether...or
zein...zein whether...or
11- POSTPOSITIONS:
Basque English meaning Example
-n / -en in, at, on etxean = at home
gainean on top of, on mahaiaren gainean = on the table
azpian under, beneath mahaiaren azpian = under the table
aurrean in front of etxearen aurrean = in front of the house
atzean behind etxearen atzean = behind the house
ondoan beside, next to nire ondoan = beside me
artean among, between lagunen artean = among friends
barruan inside kutxaren barruan = inside the box
kanpoan outside etxetik kanpo = outside the house
inguruan around hiriaren inguruan = around the city
erdian in the middle of gelaren erdian = in the middle of the room
aldean beside, around the side of etxearen aldean = beside the house
parean opposite, facing nire parean = opposite me
ondo-ondoan right beside nire ondo-ondoan = right beside me
2. Direction
Basque English meaning Example
-ra / -era to, toward etxera = homeward / to the house
-rantz toward etxerantz = toward home
aldera toward, in the direction of hirirantz / hiri aldera = toward the city
gana toward someone's location nigana = toward me
arte as far as, until etxeraino = as far as home
-raino up to, as far as etxeraino = as far as the house
barrura into etxe barrura = into the house
kanpora outside, outward etxetik kanpora = outside the house
aurrera forward, onward aurrera = forward
atzera backward, back atzera = backward
3. Source and separation
Basque English meaning Example
-tik / -etik from etxetik = from the house
-gandik from someone nigandik = from me
kanpotik from outside kanpotik = from outside
barrutik from inside barrutik = from inside
aurretik from before, beforehand bazkaldu aurretik = before lunch
atzetik from behind / following haren atzetik = behind him/her
ondotik after, following lanaren ondotik = after the work
4. Time
Basque English meaning Example
arte until bihar arte = until tomorrow
-artean during, while egunean zehar / egunaren artean*
-tik aurrera from ... onward gaurtik aurrera = from today onward
ondoren after bazkariaren ondoren = after lunch
aurretik before bazkariaren aurretik = before lunch
bitartean during, while, in the meantime lan egiten duzun bitartean = while you work
zehar throughout, through urtean zehar = throughout the year
barrena through, throughout urtean barrena = throughout the year
gero after, later bazkaldu eta gero = after eating
orduz gero since then / from that time ordutik gero = since then
*For temporal “during/while,” bitartean, zehar, and related constructions are generally more useful than treating artean as a direct equivalent of English “during.”
5. Instrument, means and manner
Basque English meaning Example
-z by, with, using autobusez = by bus
bidez by means of, through Internet bidez = through the Internet
-rekin with lagunarekin = with a friend
moduan in the manner of, as modu honetan = in this way
bezala like, as zu bezala = like you
bezalaxe just like, exactly as zuk bezalaxe = just like you
bitartez by means of, through haren bitartez = through him/her
6. Possession, relation and origin
Basque English meaning Example
-ren of, belonging to etxearen atea = the door of the house
-ko of/from/in, associated with Bilboko kaleak = the streets of Bilbao
-tako of/from among herrietako bat = one of the villages
jatorriz originally, by origin jatorriz Euskal Herrikoa = originally from the Basque Country
aldeko in favor of, on the side of proposamenaren aldeko = in favor of the proposal
aurkako against, opposed to proposamenaren aurkako = against the proposal
7. Comitative and accompaniment
Basque English meaning Example
-rekin with nirekin = with me
batera together with, along with nirekin batera = together with me
elkarrekin together, with each other elkarrekin lan egiten dute = they work together
lagun accompanied by / with lagun joan = go with a companion
8. Benefactive and purpose
Basque English meaning Example
-rentzat for, intended for haurrentzat = for children
-rako for, intended for lanerako tresna = a tool for work
-tzat as, for, considered as laguntzat hartu = consider as a friend
-tzeko for the purpose of, in order to ikasteko = in order to study
asmoz with the intention of ikasteko asmoz = with the intention of studying
helburuarekin with the aim of ikasteko helburuarekin = with the aim of studying
9. Cause and reason
Basque English meaning Example
-gatik because of, due to euriagatik = because of the rain
-rengatik because of harengatik = because of him/her
ondorioz as a result of istripuaren ondorioz = as a result of the accident
zaila dela eta because of the fact that... arazoa dela eta = because of the problem
-en ondorioz as a consequence of erabakiaren ondorioz = as a consequence of the decision
-en erruz because of, due to someone's fault haren erruz = because of him/her
10. Comparison
Basque English meaning Example
baino than ni baino handiagoa = bigger than me
bezain as ... as zu bezain azkar = as fast as you
bezala like, as haur bat bezala = like a child
adina as much/as many as zuk adina = as much as you
bezainbeste as much/as many as zuk bezainbeste = as much as you
11. About / concerning
Basque English meaning Example
-ri buruz about, concerning euskarari buruz = about Basque
-en inguruan about, concerning, around gaiaren inguruan = about the subject
-en gainean about, concerning; on arazoaren gainean = concerning the issue
-z about, concerning horretaz hitz egin = talk about that
-ren inguruko concerning, related to gaiaren inguruko liburua = a book about the subject
12. Opposition
Basque English meaning Example
-en aurka against haren aurka = against him/her
-ren kontra against erabakiaren kontra = against the decision
-ren aurrean in the face of, before arazoaren aurrean = in the face of the problem
-en alde in favor of proposamenaren alde = in favor of the proposal
-en ordez instead of niaren ordez = instead of me
ordez instead of, in place of haren ordez = instead of him/her
13. Beyond, within, outside, around
Basque English meaning Example
-tik kanpo outside, beyond hiritik kanpo = outside the city
-tik barru within, inside ordubetetik barru = within an hour
-ren barruan within, inside aste baten barruan = within a week
-ren barrutik from within etxearen barrutik = from inside the house
-tik gora more than, above hamarretik gora = more than ten
-tik behera less than, below hamarretik behera = below ten
-tik harago beyond hiritik harago = beyond the city
-tik hona since, from then until now urte hartatik hona = since that year
14. Spatial relational postpositions
These are especially important because Basque commonly builds relations with noun + genitive + relational noun:
Basque English
gainean on top of
azpian underneath
aurrean in front of
atzean behind
ondoan beside
artean among / between
barruan inside
kanpoan outside
inguruan around
erdian in the middle of
aldean beside / on the side of
parean opposite
kontra against
aurka against
alde in favor of / on the side of
ordez instead of
bitartean during / while
zehar through / throughout
barrena through / throughout
harago beyond
aurrera forward / onward
atzera backward
15. The most important Basque postposition patterns
Pattern Meaning Example
N + -n in/at/on N etxean = in the house
N + -tik from N etxetik = from the house
N + -ra to N etxera = to the house
N + -rekin with N lagunarekin = with the friend
N + -rentzat for N haurrentzat = for children
N + -gatik because of N eurengatik = because of them
N + -ren gainean on top of N mahaiaren gainean = on the table
N + -ren azpian under N mahaiaren azpian = under the table
N + -ren aurrean in front of N etxearen aurrean = in front of the house
N + -ren atzean behind N etxearen atzean = behind the house
N + -ren ondoan beside N etxearen ondoan = beside the house
N + -ren artean among/between N etxeen artean = between the houses
N + -ren barruan inside N kutxaren barruan = inside the box
N + -ren kanpoan outside N hiriaren kanpoan = outside the city
N + -ren inguruan around/about N gaiaren inguruan = about the subject
N + -ren alde in favor of N proposamenaren alde = in favor of the proposal
N + -ren aurka against N proposamenaren aurka = against the proposal
N + -ren ordez instead of N haren ordez = instead of him/her
N + -ri buruz about N liburuari buruz = about the book
N + -en bidez through/by means of N Interneten bidez = through the Internet
N + -en bitartez through/by means of N haren bitartez = through him/her
N + -ren ondoren after N lanaren ondoren = after the work
N + -ren aurretik before N bazkariaren aurretik = before lunch
N + -ren zehar throughout/through N urtearen zehar = throughout the year
12- DETERMINERS
Basque English Example
-a the (singular) liburua = the book
-ak the (plural) liburuak = the books
The article is normally attached to the end of the noun/adjective phrase.
Indefinite Definite singular Definite plural
liburu liburua liburuak
etxe handi etxe handia etxe handiak
gizon on gizon ona gizon onak
2. Demonstrative determiners
Basque has three demonstrative series based on distance.
Singular Plural English
hau hauek this / these
hori horiek that / those near you
hura haiek that / those over there
Used with nouns:
Basque English
liburu hau this book
liburu hauek these books
liburu hori that book
liburu horiek those books
liburu hura that book over there
liburu haiek those books over there
Demonstratives in cases
Case hau hori hura
Absolutive hau hori hura
Ergative honek horrek hark
Dative honi horri hari
Genitive honen horren haren
Locative honetan horretan hartan
Ablative honetatik horretatik hartatik
Allative honetara horretara hartara
Comitative honekin horrekin harekin
3. Indefinite determiners
Basque English
bat a / one
batzuk some / several
zenbait some / several
hainbat several / many
bakoitz each / every
bakoitza each one / each
edozein any
edonor anyone / any person
edozer anything / any thing
edonon anywhere
nornahi anyone / whoever
zernahi anything / whatever
nonbait somewhere
noizbait sometime / ever
norbeit someone
zerbait something
Examples:
- liburu bat = a book
- liburu batzuk = some books
- zenbait liburu = some books
- hainbat liburu = several books
- edozein liburu = any book
- liburu bakoitza = each book
4. Quantifying determiners
Basque English
asko much / many / a lot of
gutxi little / few
gehiago more
gutxiago less / fewer
nahiko enough / quite a lot of
gehiegi too much / too many
gutxiegi too little / too few
asko a lot
pixka bat a little / a bit
apur bat a little
zenbait some / several
hainbat several / many
denbora asko a lot of time
liburu asko many books
liburu gutxi few books
liburu gehiago more books
liburu gutxiago fewer books
Examples:
- liburu asko = many books
- liburu gutxi = few books
- liburu gehiago = more books
- liburu gehiegi = too many books
- liburu nahiko = enough books
5. Universal determiners
Basque English
guzti all / whole
guztia all of it / the whole thing
guztiak all of them
den every / all that
dena everything / all of it
denak everyone / all of them
bakoitz each / every
bakoitza each one
Examples:
- liburu guztiak = all the books
- liburu bakoitza = each book
- dena = everything
- denak = everyone / all of them
6. Distributive determiners
Basque English
bakoitz each / every
bakoitza each one
bana one each
bakoitzeko for each
bakoitzarentzat for each one
Examples:
- Ikasle bakoitzak liburu bat du. = Each student has a book.
- Bi sagar bana eman dizkiet. = I gave them two apples each.
7. Interrogative determiners
These determine a noun when asking a question.
Basque English Example
zein which zein liburu? = which book?
zenbat how many / how much zenbat liburu? = how many books?
nolako what kind of nolako etxea? = what kind of house?
zer what zer liburu? = what book?
zein which zein etxe? = which house?
Declined interrogatives
Basque English
zeinek which one (ergative)
zeini to which
zeinen whose / of which
zeinetan in/on which
zeinetatik from which
zeinetara to which
zeinekin with which
zenbatek how many (ergative)
zenbati to how many
zenbaten of how many
zenbatetan in how many / how often
zenbatetatik from how many
zenbatetara to how many
zenbatekin with how many
8. Negative determiners
Basque negative words commonly occur with ez or in negative-polarity constructions.
Basque English
inor anyone / anybody
ezer anything
inon anywhere
inoiz ever
inola in any way
inolako any kind of
inongo of/from anywhere
inongo ...-rik no ... whatsoever
With ez:
- inor ez = nobody
- ezer ez = nothing
- inon ez = nowhere
- inoiz ez = never
- inola ez = in no way
- inolako libururik ez = no book of any kind
Example:
Ez dut inolako libururik.
= I don't have any book whatsoever.
9. Negative-polarity determiners
These are particularly important in negative sentences.
Basque English
inor anyone
ezer anything
inongo any / of any
inolako any kind of
inon anywhere
inoiz ever
inola in any way
Examples:
- Ez dut inor ikusi. = I didn't see anyone.
- Ez dut ezer ikusi. = I didn't see anything.
- Ez dut inolako arazorik. = I don't have any kind of problem.
10. Person-related indefinite determiners
Basque English
nor who
norbait someone
inor anyone
edonor anyone / anybody
nornahi anyone / whoever
denak everyone / all of them
bakoitza each one
Examples:
- nor = who
- norbaitek = someone
- inork = anyone (ergative)
- edonork = anyone
- nornahik = whoever / anyone
11. Thing-related indefinite determiners
Basque English
zer what
zerbait something
ezer anything
edozer anything / whatever
zernahi whatever
dena everything
ezer ez nothing
Examples:
- zerbait = something
- Ez dut ezer. = I have nothing.
- Edozer jan dezakezu. = You can eat anything.
- Dena prest dago. = Everything is ready.
12. Place-related determiners
Basque English
nonbait somewhere
inon anywhere
edonon anywhere
nonahi everywhere
nonnahi anywhere / wherever
inongo of/from anywhere
edonongo from/of anywhere
Examples:
- nonbait = somewhere
- Ez dago inon. = It isn't anywhere.
- Edonon aurki dezakezu. = You can find it anywhere.
- Nonahi dago. = It is everywhere.
13. Time-related indefinite determiners
Basque English
noizbait sometime / ever
inoiz ever
inoiz ez never
noiznahi whenever
edonoiz at any time
beti always
behin once
Examples:
- Noizbait etorriko da. = He/She will come sometime.
- Edonoiz etor zaitezke. = You can come at any time.
- Ez dut inoiz ikusi. = I have never seen it.
14. Possessive determiners
Basque possessives function as noun modifiers/determiners.
Basque English
nire my
hire your (informal singular)
zure your
haren his / her
gure our
zuen your (plural/formal)
haien their
Examples:
Basque English
nire liburua my book
zure etxea your house
haren autoa his/her car
gure lagunak our friends
zuen irakaslea your teacher
haien etxea their house
15. Possessive vs independent possessive
This distinction is useful because the independent forms can function as pronouns rather than noun determiners.
Possessive determiner English Independent possessive English
nire my nirea mine
hire your hիրեa / hirea yours
zure your zurea yours
haren his/her harena his/hers
gure our gurea ours
zuen your zuena yours
haien their haiena theirs
Examples:
- Nire liburua da. = It is my book.
- Liburu hau nirea da. = This book is mine.
16. Numeral determiners
Cardinal numbers
Basque English
bat one
bi two
hiru three
lau four
bost five
sei six
zazpi seven
zortzi eight
bederatzi nine
hamar ten
hamaika eleven
hamabi twelve
hamahiru thirteen
hogei twenty
hogeita hamar thirty
ehun hundred
mila thousand
milioi bat one million
Examples:
- liburu bat = one book
- bi liburu = two books
- hiru liburu = three books
- hamar liburu = ten books
17. Ordinal determiners
Basque English
lehen first
bigarren second
hirugarren third
laugarren fourth
bosgarren fifth
seigarren sixth
zazpigarren seventh
zortzigarren eighth
bederatzigarren ninth
hamargarren tenth
-garren ordinal-forming element
Examples:
- lehenengo liburua = the first book
- bigarren liburua = the second book
- hirugarren liburua = the third book
18. Fractional/quantitative determiners
Basque English
erdi half
laurden quarter
heren third
zati bat a part
asko much/many
gutxi little/few
gehiago more
gutxiago less/fewer
bikoitz double
hirukoitz triple
Examples:
- liburuaren erdia = half of the book
- ordu erdi = half an hour
- laurden bat = a quarter
- jendearen heren bat = one third of the people
19. Approximate/collective determiners
Basque English
inguru approximately / around
gutxi gorabehera approximately
dozenaka dozens of
ehunka hundreds of
milaka thousands of
hamarnaka tens of
asko many / a lot of
hainbat several / many
zenbait some / several
Examples:
- ehunka pertsona = hundreds of people
- milaka liburu = thousands of books
- hainbat arazo = several problems
- zenbait ikasle = some students
20. Totality and entirety
Basque English
oso whole / entire
guzti all
den every / all that
dena everything / the whole thing
osorik entirely / whole
guztiz completely
Examples:
- etxe osoa = the whole house
- liburu guztiak = all the books
- egun osoa = the whole day
- dena = everything
21. Restrictive determiners
Basque English
bakarrik only
soilik only
besterik else / other
baino ez only / nothing but
besterik ez nothing else / only
Examples:
- Liburu bat bakarrik dut. = I have only one book.
- Hori besterik ez dut. = I have nothing else.
- Bi liburu baino ez ditut. = I have only two books.
22. Other important determiner-like forms
Basque English
beste other / another
beste bat another one
besteak the others
ber same
bera the same one
beraiek they themselves / those same ones
halako such a / such
honelako like this / this kind of
horrelako like that / that kind of
halako such
inolako any kind of
nolako what kind of
bestelako different / other kind of
zenbait certain / some
hainbat several / various
13- IF CONDITIONAL
Zero ba- + present → present Euria egiten badu, lurra bustitzen da.
First ba- + present → future Euria egiten badu, etxean geratuko naiz.
Second hypothetical ba- → conditional Denbora izango banu, irakurriko nuke.
Third past hypothetical → conditional perfect Gehiago ikasi banu, gaindituko nukeen.
Mixed 1 past hypothetical → present conditional Ikasi izan banu, orain prest egongo nintzateke.
Mixed 2 present hypothetical → past consequence Denbora izango banu, atzo etorri izango nintzatekeen.
Negative if ez + ba- Ez baduzu ikasten...
Unless -ezean / ez bada Ikasi ezean...
Even if ba- ... ere Euria egiten badu ere...
Although nahiz eta / -arren Euria egin arren...
Only if baldin eta... Baldin eta etortzen bazara...
Provided that baldin eta / betiere Betiere garaiz bazatoz...
What if? zer gertatuko litzateke...? Zer gertatuko litzateke...?
If it weren't for -gatik ez balitz Zuregatik ez balitz...
1. Real/possible “if” — ba-
Using izan = to be:
Pronoun Basque “if…” English
Ni banaiz if I am
Zu bazara if you are
Hura bada if he/she is
Gu bagara if we are
Zuek bazarete if you are
Haiek badira if they are
With a verb
Using etorri = to come:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni etortzen banaiz if I come
Zu etortzen bazara if you come
Hura etortzen bada if he/she comes
Gu etortzen bagara if we come
Zuek etortzen bazarete if you come
Haiek etortzen badira if they come
2. Hypothetical “if” — bal-
For hypothetical “if I were / if you were…”:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni banintz if I were
Zu bazina if you were
Hura balitz if he/she were
Gu bagina if we were
Zuek bazinete if you were
Haiek balira if they were
Examples:
- Ni aberatsa banintz = if I were rich
- Zu aberatsa bazina = if you were rich
- Hura aberatsa balitz = if he/she were rich
- Gu aberatsak bagina = if we were rich
- Zuek aberatsak bazinete = if you were rich
- Haiek aberatsak balira = if they were rich
3. Hypothetical “if I had…” — banu
Using izan in the sense of possession, izan + object:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni banu if I had
Zu bazenu if you had
Hura balu if he/she had
Gu bagenu if we had
Zuek bazenute if you had
Haiek balute if they had
Examples:
Denbora banu, etorriko nintzateke.
= If I had time, I would come.
Denbora bazenu, etorriko zinateke.
= If you had time, you would come.
Denbora balu, etorriko litzateke.
= If he/she had time, he/she would come.
4. “If I do/write/read…” — transitive verbs
For a transitive verb such as idatzi = to write, the conditional auxiliary also reflects the object.
With liburua = the book:
Pronoun Basque English
Nik liburua idazten badut if I write the book
Zuk liburua idazten baduzu if you write the book
Hark liburua idazten badu if he/she writes the book
Guk liburua idazten badugu if we write the book
Zuek liburua idazten baduzue if you write the book
Haiek liburua idazten badute if they write the book
Notice that the subject pronouns are ergative:
nik, zuk, hark, guk, zuek, haiek
rather than:
ni, zu, hura, gu, zuek, haiek.
5. “If I would/could…” — conditional result forms
These are the forms normally used for the result clause, corresponding roughly to English would.
Pronoun Basque English
Nik nuke I would
Zuk zenuke you would
Hark luke he/she would
Guk genuke we would
Zuek zenukete you would
Haiek lukete they would
Example:
Denbora izango banu, liburua irakurriko nuke.
= If I had time, I would read the book.
6. “Would have” forms
Pronoun Basque English
Nik nukeen I would have
Zuk zenukeen you would have
Hark lukeen he/she would have
Guk genukeen we would have
Zuek zenuketen you would have
Haiek luketen they would have
Example:
Gehiago ikasi banu, azterketa gaindituko nukeen.
= If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.
1. Would write — conditional
Pattern: idatziko + nuke/zenuke/luke...
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik liburua idatziko nuke. I would write the book.
Zu Zuk liburua idatziko zenuke. You would write the book.
Hura Hark liburua idatziko luke. He/She would write the book.
Gu Guk liburua idatziko genuke. We would write the book.
Zuek Zuek liburua idatziko zenukete. You would write the book.
Haiek Haiek liburua idatziko lukete. They would write the book.
2. Would be writing — habitual/ongoing hypothetical
Basque can use idazten + conditional auxiliary when the intended meaning is an ongoing or habitual hypothetical action.
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik liburua idazten nuke. I would write / would be writing the book.
Zu Zuk liburua idazten zenuke. You would write / would be writing the book.
Hura Hark liburua idazten luke. He/She would write / would be writing the book.
Gu Guk liburua idazten genuke. We would write / would be writing the book.
Zuek Zuek liburua idazten zenukete. You would write / would be writing the book.
Haiek Haiek liburua idazten lukete. They would write / would be writing the book.
3. Would have written — conditional perfect
Pattern: idatzi + conditional auxiliary + -en
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik liburua idatzi izango nukeen. I would have written the book.
Zu Zuk liburua idatzi izango zenukeen. You would have written the book.
Hura Hark liburua idatzi izango lukeen. He/She would have written the book.
Gu Guk liburua idatzi izango genukeen. We would have written the book.
Zuek Zuek liburua idatzi izango zenuketen. You would have written the book.
Haiek Haiek liburua idatzi izango luketen. They would have written the book.
4. Would not write — negative conditional
Pattern: ez + conditional auxiliary + idatziko
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik ez nuke liburua idatziko. I would not write the book.
Zu Zuk ez zenuke liburua idatziko. You would not write the book.
Hura Hark ez luke liburua idatziko. He/She would not write the book.
Gu Guk ez genuke liburua idatziko. We would not write the book.
Zuek Zuek ez zenukete liburua idatziko. You would not write the book.
Haiek Haiek ez lukete liburua idatziko. They would not write the book.
5. Would not have written — conditional perfect negative
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik ez nukeen liburua idatziko. I would not have written the book.
Zu Zuk ez zenukeen liburua idatziko. You would not have written the book.
Hura Hark ez lukeen liburua idatziko. He/She would not have written the book.
Gu Guk ez genukeen liburua idatziko. We would not have written the book.
Zuek Zuek ez zenuketen liburua idatziko. You would not have written the book.
Haiek Haiek ez luketen liburua idatziko. They would not have written the book.
1. Would not write
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik ez nuke liburua idatziko. I would not write the book.
Zu Zuk ez zenuke liburua idatziko. You would not write the book.
Hura Hark ez luke liburua idatziko. He/She would not write the book.
Gu Guk ez genuke liburua idatziko. We would not write the book.
Zuek Zuek ez zenukete liburua idatziko. You would not write the book.
Haiek Haiek ez lukete liburua idatziko. They would not write the book.
2. Would not be writing
For an ongoing/habitual hypothetical action:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik ez nuke liburua idazten. I would not be writing the book.
Zu Zuk ez zenuke liburua idazten. You would not be writing the book.
Hura Hark ez luke liburua idazten. He/She would not be writing the book.
Gu Guk ez genuke liburua idazten. We would not be writing the book.
Zuek Zuek ez zenukete liburua idazten. You would not be writing the book.
Haiek Haiek ez lukete liburua idazten. They would not be writing the book.
3. Would not have written
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik ez nukeen liburua idatziko. I would not have written the book.
Zu Zuk ez zenukeen liburua idatziko. You would not have written the book.
Hura Hark ez lukeen liburua idatziko. He/She would not have written the book.
Gu Guk ez genukeen liburua idatziko. We would not have written the book.
Zuek Zuek ez zenuketen liburua idatziko. You would not have written the book.
Haiek Haiek ez luketen liburua idatziko. They would not have written the book.
4. Would not have been writing
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Nik ez nukeen liburua idazten. I would not have been writing the book.
Zu Zuk ez zenukeen liburua idazten. You would not have been writing the book.
Hura Hark ez lukeen liburua idazten. He/She would not have been writing the book.
Gu Guk ez genukeen liburua idazten. We would not have been writing the book.
Zuek Zuek ez zenuketen liburua idazten. You would not have been writing the book.
Haiek Haiek ez luketen liburua idazten. They would not have been writing the book.
1. Would be written
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ni idatzia izango nintzateke. I would be written.
Zu Zu idatzia izango zinateke. You would be written.
Hura Hura idatzia izango litzateke. He/She/It would be written.
Gu Gu idatziak izango ginateke. We would be written.
Zuek Zuek idatziak izango zinatekete. You would be written.
Haiek Haiek idatziak izango lirateke. They would be written.
2. Would be being written
For an action in progress, Basque can use idazten ari izan:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ni idazten ari izango nintzateke. I would be being written.
Zu Zu idazten ari izango zinateke. You would be being written.
Hura Hura idazten ari izango litzateke. He/She/It would be being written.
Gu Gu idazten ari izango ginateke. We would be being written.
Zuek Zuek idazten ari izango zinatekete. You would be being written.
Haiek Haiek idazten ari izango lirateke. They would be being written.
However, this is not normally the most natural way to express an English progressive passive. Basque often restructures such sentences.
3. Would have been written
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ni idatzia izango nintzatekeen. I would have been written.
Zu Zu idatzia izango zinatekeen. You would have been written.
Hura Hura idatzia izango litzatekeen. He/She/It would have been written.
Gu Gu idatziak izango ginatekeen. We would have been written.
Zuek Zuek idatziak izango zinateketen. You would have been written.
Haiek Haiek idatziak izango liratekeen. They would have been written.
1. Would not be written
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ni ez nintzateke idatzia izango. I would not be written.
Zu Zu ez zinateke idatzia izango. You would not be written.
Hura Hura ez litzateke idatzia izango. He/She/It would not be written.
Gu Gu ez ginateke idatziak izango. We would not be written.
Zuek Zuek ez zinatekete idatziak izango. You would not be written.
Haiek Haiek ez lirateke idatziak izango. They would not be written.
2. Would not be being written
For a progressive passive meaning:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ni ez nintzateke idazten ari izango. I would not be being written.
Zu Zu ez zinateke idazten ari izango. You would not be being written.
Hura Hura ez litzateke idazten ari izango. He/She/It would not be being written.
Gu Gu ez ginateke idazten ari izango. We would not be being written.
Zuek Zuek ez zinatekete idazten ari izango. You would not be being written.
Haiek Haiek ez lirateke idazten ari izango. They would not be being written.
This English meaning is awkward in both languages; Basque normally restructures such a sentence rather than using a direct equivalent.
3. Would not have been written
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ni ez nintzatekeen idatzia izango. I would not have been written.
Zu Zu ez zinatekeen idatzia izango. You would not have been written.
Hura Hura ez litzatekeen idatzia izango. He/She/It would not have been written.
Gu Gu ez ginatekeen idatziak izango. We would not have been written.
Zuek Zuek ez zinateketen idatziak izango. You would not have been written.
Haiek Haiek ez liratekeen idatziak izango. They would not have been written.
4. Would not have been being written
A very literal progressive-perfect passive equivalent:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ni ez nintzatekeen idazten ari izango. I would not have been being written.
Zu Zu ez zinatekeen idazten ari izango. You would not have been being written.
Hura Hura ez litzatekeen idazten ari izango. He/She/It would not have been being written.
Gu Gu ez ginatekeen idazten ari izango. We would not have been being written.
Zuek Zuek ez zinateketen idazten ari izango. You would not have been being written.
Haiek Haiek ez liratekeen idazten ari izango. They would not have been being written.
1. Basic “if” — ba-
The most basic conditional marker is ba-, attached to a finite verb/auxiliary.
Basque English Use
ba- if Basic conditional marker
bada if it is / if there is izan
banaiz if I am izan
bazara if you are izan
bagara if we are izan
badira if they are izan
badut if I have/do it transitive
baduzu if you have/do it transitive
badu if he/she has/does it transitive
badugu if we have/do it transitive
baduzue if you have/do it transitive
badute if they have/do it transitive
Example:
Euria egiten badu, etxean geratuko naiz. = If it rains, I will stay at home.
2. Explicit “if” — baldin / baldin eta
Basque English
baldin if
baldin eta if / provided that
Used to make the conditional more explicit or emphatic.
Baldin badator, esango diot. = If he/she comes, I will tell him/her.
3. Hypothetical “if” — bal-
For unreal, hypothetical, or contrary-to-fact situations.
Basque English
banintz if I were
bazina if you were
balitz if he/she were
bagina if we were
bazinete if you were
balira if they were
Example:
Aberatsa banintz, etxe handi bat erosiko nuke.
= If I were rich, I would buy a big house.
4. Hypothetical “if I had” — banu-type forms
Basque English
banu if I had
bazenu if you had
balu if he/she had
bagenu if we had
bazenute if you had
balute if they had
Example:
Denbora gehiago banu, gehiago ikasiko nuke.
= If I had more time, I would study more.
5. “Would” — -ke
The conditional auxiliary expresses the result clause “would.”
Basque English
nuke I would
zenuke you would
luke he/she would
genuke we would
zenukete you would
lukete they would
Example:
Denbora banu, liburua irakurriko nuke.
= If I had time, I would read the book.
6. “Would have” — conditional past
Basque English
nukeen I would have
zenukeen you would have
lukeen he/she would have
genukeen we would have
zenuketen you would have
luketen they would have
Example:
Gehiago ikasi banu, azterketa gaindituko nukeen.
= If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.
7. Negative “if” — ez + ba-
Basque English
ez banaiz if I am not
ez bazara if you are not
ez bada if he/she is not
ez bagara if we are not
ez bazarete if you are not
ez badira if they are not
Example:
Ez baduzu ikasten, ez duzu gaindituko.
= If you don't study, you won't pass.
8. “Unless” — -ezean / ez bada
Basque English
ezean unless / if not
ez bada unless / if it is not
ez badu unless / if he/she doesn't
ez baduzu unless / if you don't
ez badugu unless / if we don't
ez badute unless / if they don't
Example:
Ikasi ezean, ez duzu gaindituko.
= Unless you study, you won't pass.
9. “Even if” — ba- ... ere
Basque English
bada ere even if it is
banaiz ere even if I am
bazara ere even if you are
badu ere even if he/she has/does
badut ere even if I have/do
badugu ere even if we have/do
Example:
Euria egiten badu ere, joango gara.
= Even if it rains, we will go.
10. “Although / even though” — nahiz eta
Basque English
nahiz eta although / even though / even if
nahiz eta nekatuta egon although I am tired
nahiz eta euria egin although it rains
Example:
Nahiz eta nekatuta egon, lan egiten dut.
= Although I am tired, I work.
11. “Although / even though” — -arren
The suffix -arren expresses concession.
Basque English
egon arren although being
egin arren although doing
etorri arren although coming
ikasi arren although studying
Example:
Nekatuta egon arren, lan egiten dut.
= Although I am tired, I work.
12. “Even if” — -ba ... ere
Basque English
banaiz ere even if I am
bazara ere even if you are
bada ere even if he/she is
bagara ere even if we are
bazarete ere even if you are
badira ere even if they are
Example:
Nekatuta banago ere, lan egingo dut.
= Even if I am tired, I will work.
13. “As if” — -balitz bezala
Basque English
balitz bezala as if he/she were
balira bezala as if they were
banintz bezala as if I were
bazina bezala as if you were
Example:
Ezagutuko balu bezala hitz egiten du.
= He/She speaks as if he/she knew him/her.
14. “Only if” — baldin eta / bakarrik ... baldin bada
Basque English
baldin eta if / only if, depending on context
bakarrik ... baldin bada only if
soilik ... baldin bada only if
Example:
Bakarrik etorriko naiz, baldin eta zu ere bazatoz.
= I will come only if you also come.
15. “Provided that / as long as”
Basque English
baldin eta provided that
betiere provided that / as long as
...-nez gero if / once / provided that
baldin... provided that
Example:
Etorriko naiz, betiere garaiz iristen bazara.
= I will come, as long as you arrive on time.
16. “If it weren't for”
Basque English
-gatik ez balitz if it weren't for
-gatik izan ez balitz if it hadn't been for
Examples:
Zuregatik ez balitz, ez nuke lana lortuko.
= If it weren't for you, I wouldn't get the job.
Zuregatik izan ez balitz, arazo handiagoa izango zen.
= If it hadn't been for you, it would have been a bigger problem.
17. “What if?”
Basque English
Zer gertatuko litzateke...? What would happen if...?
Zer egingo zenuke...? What would you do if...?
Example:
Zer gertatuko litzateke euria egingo balu?
= What would happen if it rained?
18. “If only / I wish”
Basque English
Nahiago nuke... I wish / I would rather...
Nahiago nuke ... bazina I wish you were...
Nahiago nuke ... izan bazina I wish you had been...
Examples:
Nahiago nuke hemen egongo bazina.
= I wish you were here.
Nahiago nuke lehenago etorri izan bazina.
= I wish you had come earlier.
14- COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE
Type Basque formation / expression English Example
Positive adjective big handia = big
Comparative adjective + -ago bigger / more handiagoa = bigger
More than baino + adjective + -ago more … than hau baino handiagoa = bigger than this
Less / fewer gutxiago less / fewer gutxiago = less
More gehiago more gehiago = more
More than baino gehiago more than hiru baino gehiago = more than three
Less than baino gutxiago less than hiru baino gutxiago = less than three
Superlative adjective + -en + article the most / -est handiena = biggest
Least gutxien the least gutxien gustatzen = like least
Equality bezain + adjective as … as zu bezain handia = as big as you
Not as…as ez + adjective + bezain not as … as ez da zu bezain handia = not as big as you
Equal quantity adina as much/many as zuk adina = as much/many as you
Equal quantity bezainbeste as much/many as zuk bezainbeste = as much/many as you
Better hobe better hobea = better
Best onena the best hau da onena = this is the best
Worse okerrago worse okerragoa = worse
Worst txarrena / okerrena worst hau da okerrena = this is the worst
Much more askoz + -ago much more / much …-er askoz handiagoa = much bigger
Slightly more apur bat/pixka bat + -ago slightly/a little more pixka bat handiagoa = a little bigger
More and more gero eta + -ago more and more gero eta handiagoa = bigger and bigger
Less and less gero eta gutxiago less and less gero eta gutxiago = less and less
The more…the more zenbat eta …-ago, hainbat eta …-ago the more…the more zenbat eta gehiago ikasi, hainbat eta gehiago dakizu
Too adjective + -egi too … handiegia = too big
Enough nahikoa + adjective … enough nahikoa handia = big enough
Too … to -egi + infinitive too … to txikiegia sartzeko = too small to enter
As … as possible ahal bezain + adjective/adverb as … as possible ahal bezain azkar = as fast as possible
More than ever inoiz baino + -ago more … than ever inoiz baino zoriontsuago = happier than ever
At least gutxienez at least gutxienez hiru = at least three
At most gehienez at most gehienez hiru = at most three
No more than baino gehiago ez no more than hiru baino gehiago ez = no more than three
No less than baino gutxiago ez no less than hiru baino gutxiago ez = no less than three
More nouns noun + gehiago more + noun liburu gehiago = more books
Fewer nouns noun + gutxiago fewer + noun liburu gutxiago = fewer books
More action baino gehiago + verb … more than zuk baino gehiago irakurtzen dut = I read more than you
Less action baino gutxiago + verb … less than zuk baino gutxiago irakurtzen dut = I read less than you
Same berdina / bera the same zurearen berdina = the same as yours
Unlike ez bezala unlike nire ez bezala = unlike me
15- RELATIVE CLAUSES
Type Basque formation English Example
Basic relative [verb + -(e)n] + noun who/that/which etorri den gizona = the man who came
Present relative verb + -en + noun who/that/which … lan egiten duen gizona = the man who works
Past relative verb + -en + noun who/that/which … etorri zen gizona = the man who came
Future relative verb + -ko + den + noun who/that/which will… etorriko den gizona = the man who will come
Relative with izan den + noun who/that is irakaslea den gizona = the man who is a teacher
Relative with egon dagoen + noun who/that is located etxean dagoen gizona = the man who is at home
Subject relative [S + V-(e)n] + noun who/that does… liburua irakurtzen duen gizona = the man who reads the book
Direct-object relative [S + noun + V-(e)n] + noun whom/that… nik irakurri dudan liburua = the book that I read
Indirect-object relative [IO + S + V-(e)n] + noun to whom… nik liburua eman diodan gizona = the man to whom I gave the book
Possessive/genitive relative [genitive + noun] + -(e)n whose… autoa hondatu zaion gizona = the man whose car was damaged
Relative with noren noren + noun + -(e)n whose… noren etxea den galdetu dut = I asked whose house it is
Locative relative [place + -(e)n] + noun where… bizi naizen hiria = the city where I live
Ablative relative [place + -tik + -(e)n] + noun from which… etorri naizen lekua = the place from which I came
Allative relative [place + -ra + -(e)n] + noun to which… joan naizen hiria = the city to which I went
Comitative relative [noun + -rekin + -(e)n] + noun with whom/which… hitz egin dudan gizona = the man with whom I spoke
Instrumental relative [noun + -z + -(e)n] + noun with/by which… idatzi dudan boligrafoa = the pen with which I wrote
Benefactive relative [noun + -rentzat + -(e)n] + noun for whom… oparia erosi diodan haurrak = the child for whom I bought the gift
Causal relative [noun + -gatik + -(e)n] + noun because of which… arazoa sortu den arrazoia = the reason because of which the problem arose
Relative with question word nor/zer/zein + -(e)n who/what/which nor etorri den = who came
Embedded relative [relative clause] + noun + copula it is the … who/that… etorri den gizona irakaslea da = the man who came is a teacher
Indefinite relative norbait/zerbait + relative clause someone/something who/that… etorri den norbait = someone who came
Universal relative datorren oro / datorren guztia everyone/everything that… dakidan guztia = everything that I know
Negative relative ez + verb + -(e)n + noun who/that does not… etorri ez den gizona = the man who did not come
Relative with -enik verb + -enik that/whether… etorri denik = that he/she has come
Relative with bait- bait- + verb who/which… etorri baita = who/which has come
Restrictive relative [relative clause] + noun the … that/who… irakurri dudan liburua = the book that I read
Non-restrictive meaning [relative clause] + noun, often contextual which/who… atzo etorri zen Ane = Ane, who came yesterday
Reduced/participial-style participle + noun …-ed / …-ing idatzitako liburua = the written book
Nominalized relative verb + -tzea / -tzen the act of… irakurtzea gustatzen zait = I like reading
Type Basque formation Example
Past participle + noun Participle + noun idatzitako liburua = the book written
Passive reduced relative -tako / -dako + noun erositako etxea = the house that was bought
Action completed by subject -tako / -dako + noun nik idatzitako liburua = the book I wrote
Location/state dagoen + noun mahai gainean dagoen liburua = the book on the table
Present participial meaning -tzen ari den + noun irakurtzen ari den gizona = the man reading
Completed action -tako / -dako + noun atzo egindako lana = the work done yesterday
Adjective-like participle Participle + noun hautsitako leihoa = the broken window
Instrument/object noun + participle + noun idazteko erabilitako boligrafoa = the pen used for writing
16- REPORTED SPEECH AND DIRECT SPEECH
Type Basque formation Example English
Reported statement [clause] + -ela + esan Berak etorriko dela esan du. He/she said that he/she will come.
Past reported statement [clause] + -ela + esan zuen Berak etorri zela esan zuen. He/she said that he/she came.
Negative reported statement ez + verb + -ela + esan Ez dela etorriko esan du. He/she said that he/she will not come.
Reported present verb + -ela Lan egiten duela esan du. He/she said that he/she works.
Reported past verb + -ela Lan egin zuela esan du. He/she said that he/she worked.
Reported future -ko + auxiliary + -ela Lan egingo duela esan du. He/she said that he/she will work.
Reported progressive -tzen ari + auxiliary + -ela Lanean ari dela esan du. He/she said that he/she is working.
Reported perfect participle + auxiliary + -ela Lan egin duela esan du. He/she said that he/she has worked.
Reported conditional conditional auxiliary + -ela Etorriko litzatekeela esan du. He/she said that he/she would come.
Reported command -tzeko + esan/agindu Etor dadin esan du. He/she told him/her to come.
Reported negative command ez + infinitive + -tzeko + esan Ez etortzeko esan du. He/she told him/her not to come.
Reported request -tzeko eskatu Etortzeko eskatu dio. He/she asked him/her to come.
Reported permission -tzeko baimena eman Joateko baimena eman dio. He/she gave him/her permission to leave.
Reported question ea + clause + esan/galdetu Ea etorriko den galdetu du. He/she asked whether he/she would come.
Reported yes/no question ea + clause Ea etxean dagoen galdetu du. He/she asked if he/she was at home.
Reported wh-question question word + clause + -en Non dagoen galdetu du. He/she asked where it was.
Reported “who” question nor + clause + -en Nor etorri den galdetu du. He/she asked who came.
Reported “what” question zer + clause + -en Zer egin duen galdetu du. He/she asked what he/she did.
Reported “when” question noiz + clause + -en Noiz etorriko den galdetu du. He/she asked when he/she would come.
Reported “why” question zergatik + clause + -en Zergatik joan den galdetu du. He/she asked why he/she left.
Reported “how” question nola + clause + -en Nola egin duen galdetu du. He/she asked how he/she did it.
Reported “which” question zein + noun + clause + -en Zein liburu erosi duen galdetu du. He/she asked which book he/she bought.
Reported “how many” question zenbat + noun + clause + -en Zenbat liburu erosi dituen galdetu du. He/she asked how many books he/she bought.
Reported suggestion -tzea proposatu Joatea proposatu du. He/she suggested going.
Reported advice -tzeko aholkatu Goiz etortzeko aholkatu dio. He/she advised him/her to come early.
Reported warning -tzeko ohartarazi Kontuz ibiltzeko ohartarazi dio. He/she warned him/her to be careful.
Reported promise -ko + hitza eman/agindu Etorriko dela agindu du. He/she promised that he/she would come.
Reported belief -ela + uste izan/pentsatu Etorriko dela uste du. He/she thinks that he/she will come.
Reported knowledge -ela jakin Etorri dela badaki. He/she knows that he/she came.
Reported possibility -ela baliteke Etorriko dela baliteke. It is possible that he/she will come.
Reported doubt -en zalantza izan Etorriko den zalantza du. He/she doubts whether he/she will come.
Reported information -ela jakinarazi Etorriko dela jakinarazi du. He/she announced that he/she will come.
Reported rumor/hearsay omen + finite verb Etorriko omen da. Apparently/hearsay, he/she will come.
Reported hearsay past omen + auxiliary Atzo etorri omen zen. Apparently, he/she came yesterday.
Reported appearance antza denez / dirudienez Etorriko dela dirudi. It seems that he/she will come.
17- INFINITIVES AND VERBAL NOUNS
Type Basque formation Example English
Infinitive / verbal base verb stem + infinitive ending idatzi to write / write
Infinitive as complement infinitive + verb idatzi nahi dut I want to write
Infinitive as purpose -tzeko idazteko etorri naiz I came to write
Infinitive of purpose -tzeko + noun/verb ikasteko denbora time to study
Nominalized infinitive -tzea idaztea gustatzen zait I like writing / to write
Nominalized infinitive as subject -tzea + verb Irakurtzea ona da. Reading is good.
Nominalized infinitive as object -tzea + verb Idaztea maite dut. I love writing.
Gerund / ongoing action -tzen idazten writing
Be busy doing -tzen ari izan idazten ari naiz I am writing
While doing -tzen + bitartean idazten ari den bitartean while writing
Before doing -tu baino lehen idatzi baino lehen before writing
After doing -tu ondoren idatzi ondoren after writing
Without doing -tu gabe idatzi gabe without writing
Instead of doing -tu beharrean idatzi beharrean instead of writing
By doing -z idatziz by writing
Upon doing -tzean idaztean when/upon writing
Until doing -tu arte idatzi arte until writing
As soon as doing -tu bezain laster idatzi bezain laster as soon as writing
Having done -ta / -ik idatzita having written / written
Gerund-like manner -z barrez laughing
Ability to do -tzen jakin / ahal izan idazten jakin know how to write
Want to do infinitive + nahi izan idatzi nahi dut I want to write
Need to do infinitive + behar izan idatzi behar dut I need to write
Have to do infinitive + behar izan idatzi behar dut I have to write
Can do infinitive + ahal izan idatzi ahal dut I can write
Start doing -tzen hasi idazten hasi naiz I started writing
Stop doing -tzeari utzi idazteari utzi diot I stopped writing
Continue doing -tzen jarraitu idazten jarraitu dut I continued writing
Keep doing -tzen jarraitu irakurtzen jarraitu dut I kept reading
English Basque Formation
I am happy seeing you. Pozik nago zu ikusten. S + pozik egon + [zu + verb--tzen]
I am happy to see you. Pozik nago zu ikusteaz. S + pozik egon + [zu + verb--tzeaz]
I plan to eat. Jateko asmoa dut. [verb--tzeko] + asmoa izan
I plan eating. Jateko asmoa dut. [verb--tzeko] + asmoa izan
I see him run. Ikusten dut hura korrika egiten. S + ikusi + DO + [verb--tzen]
I see him running. Ikusten dut hura korrika egiten. S + ikusi + DO + [verb--tzen]
I eat to play. Jaten dut jolasteko. S + verb + [verb--tzeko]
I eat in order to play. Jaten dut jolasteko. S + verb + [verb--tzeko]
18- SUBJUNCTIVE
1. Present subjunctive — izan / auxiliary
For an intransitive verb such as etorri (“to come”):
Person Formation Example English
Ni etorri + nadin Etorri nadin. Let me come.
Zu etorri + zaitezen Etorri zaitezen. May you come / that you come.
Hura etorri + dadin Etorri dadin. Let him/her come.
Gu etorri + gaitezen Etorri gaitezen. Let us come.
Zuek etorri + zaitezten Etorri zaitezten. May you come.
Haiek etorri + daitezen Etorri daitezen. Let them come.
The auxiliary forms are:
nadin, zaitezen, dadin, gaitezen, zaitezten, daitezen
2. Subjunctive with a transitive verb
With idatzi (“to write”), the auxiliary changes according to the object and subject.
For example, liburua = “the book”:
Person Basque English
Ni Liburua idatz dezadan. Let me write the book.
Zu Liburua idatz dezazun. That you write the book.
Hura Liburua idatz dezan. Let him/her write the book.
Gu Liburua idatz dezagun. Let us write the book.
Zuek Liburua idatz dezazuen. That you write the book.
Haiek Liburua idatz dezaten. Let them write the book.
The key auxiliary pattern is:
dezadan → dezazun → dezan → dezagun → dezazuen → dezaten
3. Subjunctive for commands / “let”
The subjunctive can express a command or suggestion, especially in subordinate constructions.
English Basque
Let me go. Joan nadin.
Let him come. Etor dadin.
Let us go. Joan gaitezen.
Let them come. Etor daitezen.
Let me write the book. Liburua idatz dezadan.
Let us read the book. Liburua irakur dezagun.
For direct everyday commands, however, Basque also has an imperative:
- Etorri! = Come!
- Joan! = Go!
- Idatz ezazu! = Write it!
4. Subjunctive after “want”
A very important use is after verbs expressing a desire.
nahi izan + subjunctive
For example:
Nahi dut etor zaitezen.
I want you to come.
Formation:
nahi dut + [subject + subjunctive]
More examples:
- Nahi dut joan zaitezen. = I want you to go.
- Nahi dut berak etor dadin. = I want him/her to come.
- Nahi dut liburua irakur dezazun. = I want you to read the book.
- Nahi dugu gurekin etor zaitezten. = We want you to come with us.
5. Subjunctive after “ask/request”
eskatu + subjunctive
Zurekin etor zaitezen eskatu dizut.
I asked you to come with me.
Another common construction is -tzeko:
Zurekin etortzeko eskatu dizut.
I asked you to come with me.
So Basque has more than one way of expressing English “ask someone to...”.
6. Subjunctive for purpose
Subjunctive constructions can express purpose, especially with -n subordinate clauses.
Etor dadin deitu diot.
I called him/her so that he/she would come.
Formation:
[subjunctive clause] + main verb
- Ikas dezan laguntzen diot. = I help him/her so that he/she can study.
- Joan zaitezen nahi dut. = I want you to go.
- Etor daitezen deitu diegu. = We called them so that they would come.
7. Negative subjunctive
Place ez before the subjunctive auxiliary.
Positive Negative
etorri nadin etorri ez nadin
etorri zaitezen etorri ez zaitezen
etorri dadin etorri ez dadin
etorri gaitezen etorri ez gaitezen
etorri zaitezten etorri ez zaitezten
etorri daitezen etorri ez daitezen
With a transitive verb:
- Liburua idatz dezadan. = Let me write the book.
- Liburua idatz ez dezadan. = Let me not write the book.
- Liburua idatz dezazun. = That you write the book.
- Liburua idatz ez dezazun. = That you not write the book.
8. Subjunctive vs imperative
Function Subjunctive Imperative
Let me come. Etorri nadin. —
Come! — Etorri!
Let us go. Joan gaitezen. Goazen!
Let him come. Etor dadin. —
Write the book! — Idatz ezazu liburua!
Let him write the book. Liburua idatz dezan. —
9. Main subjunctive forms to memorize
Intransitive / izan-type:
Person Subjunctive auxiliary
I nadin
you zaitezen
he/she dadin
we gaitezen
you plural zaitezten
they daitezen
Transitive / edun-type with singular definite object:
Person Subjunctive auxiliary
I dezadan
you dezazun
he/she dezan
we dezagun
you plural dezazuen
they dezaten
Core patterns
English function Basque formation Example
Let me... verb + nadin Etorri nadin.
Let him/her... verb + dadin Etorri dadin.
Let us... verb + gaitezen Joan gaitezen.
Let them... verb + daitezen Etorri daitezen.
I want you to... nahi dut + subjunctive Nahi dut etor zaitezen.
I want him/her to... nahi dut + subjunctive Nahi dut etor dadin.
I want you to write it nahi dut + subjunctive Nahi dut idatz dezazun.
so that he/she... subjunctive clause Etor dadin deitu diot.
negative subjunctive verb + ez + auxiliary Etorri ez dadin.
19- TAG QUESTIONS
Type Basque formation Example English
Positive statement → negative tag statement + ezta? Ona da, ezta? It is good, isn't it?
Positive statement → negative tag statement + ezta hala? Ona da, ezta hala? It is good, isn't it?
Positive statement → negative tag statement + ez al da? Ona da, ez al da? It is good, isn't it?
Negative statement → positive tag negative statement + ezta? Ez da ona, ezta? It isn't good, is it?
With izan statement + ezta? Etxean zaude, ezta? You are at home, aren't you?
With transitive verb statement + ezta? Liburua irakurri duzu, ezta? You read the book, didn't you?
Past statement + ezta? Atzo etorri zinen, ezta? You came yesterday, didn't you?
Future statement + ezta? Bihar etorriko zara, ezta? You will come tomorrow, won't you?
Conditional statement + ezta? Etorriko zinateke, ezta? You would come, wouldn't you?
Negative ez + statement + ezta? Ez zara etorriko, ezta? You won't come, will you?
English Basque
Aren’t you at home? Ez zaude etxean?
Aren’t you at home? Ez al zaude etxean?
Isn’t he/she a teacher? Ez da irakaslea?
Isn’t he/she a teacher? Ez al da irakaslea?
Aren’t we ready? Ez gaude prest?
Aren’t you (plural) ready? Ez zaudete prest?
Aren’t they here? Ez daude hemen?
2. Negative questions with idatzi — “to write”
Pronoun Negative question English
Ni Ez dut idazten? Don’t I write?
Zu Ez duzu idazten? Don’t you write?
Hura Ez du idazten? Doesn’t he/she write?
Gu Ez dugu idazten? Don’t we write?
Zuek Ez duzue idazten? Don’t you write?
Haiek Ez dute idazten? Don’t they write?
With al:
Pronoun Basque English
Ni Ez al dut idazten? Don’t I write?
Zu Ez al duzu idazten? Don’t you write?
Hura Ez al du idazten? Doesn’t he/she write?
Gu Ez al dugu idazten? Don’t we write?
Zuek Ez al duzue idazten? Don’t you write?
Haiek Ez al dute idazten? Don’t they write?
3. Negative questions in different tenses
English Basque
Don’t you write? Ez duzu idazten?
Didn’t you write? Ez zenuen idatzi?
Haven’t you written? Ez duzu idatzi?
Won’t you write? Ez duzu idatziko?
Wouldn’t you write? Ez zenuke idatziko?
Wouldn’t you have written? Ez zenukeen idatziko?
With al:
English Basque
Don’t you write? Ez al duzu idazten?
Didn’t you write? Ez al zenuen idatzi?
Haven’t you written? Ez al duzu idatzi?
Won’t you write? Ez al duzu idatziko?
Wouldn’t you write? Ez al zenuke idatziko?
Wouldn’t you have written? Ez al zenukeen idatziko?
4. Negative questions with izan (“to be”)
English Basque
Am I not ready? Ez al naiz prest?
Aren’t you ready? Ez al zara prest?
Isn’t he/she ready? Ez al da prest?
Aren’t we ready? Ez al gara prest?
Aren’t you (plural) ready? Ez al zarete prest?
Aren’t they ready? Ez al dira prest?
5. Negative questions with question words
A question word can combine with a negative clause:
English Basque
Why don't you come? Zergatik ez zara etortzen?
Why doesn't he/she come? Zergatik ez da etortzen?
Why don't they write? Zergatik ez dute idazten?
Where aren't you going? Nora ez zara joaten?
Who doesn't know? Nork ez daki?
What don't you understand? Zer ez duzu ulertzen?
When don't you work? Noiz ez duzu lan egiten?
How don't you know? Nola ez dakizu?
6. Negative question vs. ala ez?
ala ez? means “or not?” and explicitly presents the alternative.
Basque English
Ez zara etorriko? Aren't you coming?
Ez al zara etorriko? Aren't you coming?
Etorriko zara ala ez? Are you coming or not?
Ez duzu egingo? Aren't you going to do it?
Egingo duzu ala ez? Will you do it or not?
20- MODAL WORDS
can / be able to ahal izan can, be able to Egin ahal dut. = I can do it.
can / may daiteke can, may Etor daiteke. = He/she may/can come.
be possible posible izan be possible Posible da. = It is possible.
be possible baliteke may, might Baliteke etortzea. = He/she may come.
might liteke might, may Litekeena da etortzea. = He/she might come.
must / have to behar izan must, have to Joan behar dut. = I must/have to go.
need to behar izan need to Lan egin behar dut. = I need to work.
should / ought to behar luke should, ought to Joan beharko luke. = He/she should go.
should komeni izan should, it is advisable Joatea komeni da. = You should go.
should / be advisable hobe izan should, it would be better Hobe da joatea. = You should go / It is better to go.
want to nahi izan want to Joan nahi dut. = I want to go.
wish / would like nahi izan want, would like Ikusi nahi zaitut. = I want to see you.
like to / enjoy gustatu like Irakurtzea gustatzen zait. = I like reading.
prefer nahiago izan prefer, would rather Etxean geratzea nahiago dut. = I prefer to stay home.
be willing to prest egon be willing/ready to Laguntzeko prest nago. = I am willing to help.
be unwilling to ez izan prest be unwilling/not ready Ez dago laguntzeko prest. = He/she is unwilling to help.
dare to ausartu dare to Ez naiz galdetzera ausartzen. = I don't dare to ask.
be afraid to beldur izan be afraid to Ez dut joateko beldurrik. = I am not afraid to go.
be supposed to behar izan be supposed to Gaur etorri behar du. = He/she is supposed to come today.
be expected to espero izan be expected to Etortzea espero da. = He/she is expected to come.
be allowed to baimena izan be allowed to Sartzeko baimena dut. = I am allowed to enter.
allow utzi let, allow Joaten utzi diot. = I let him/her go.
forbid debekatu forbid Ez dute sartzea onartzen. = They do not allow entry.
forbid debekatuta egon be forbidden Hemen erretzea debekatuta dago. = Smoking is forbidden here.
need behar izan need Dirua behar dut. = I need money.
not need to ez behar izan not need to Ez duzu etorri behar. = You don't need to come.
have no need to ez dago beharrik there is no need to Ez dago kezkatu beharrik. = There is no need to worry.
be likely to litekeena izan be likely to Etortzea litekeena da. = He/she is likely to come.
probably ziurrenik probably Ziurrenik etorriko da. = He/she will probably come.
certainly ziur aski certainly/probably Ziur aski etorriko da. = He/she will certainly/probably come.
surely seguru asko surely, probably Seguru asko etorriko da. = He/she will probably come.
perhaps agian perhaps, maybe Agian etorriko da. = Maybe he/she will come.
perhaps beharbada perhaps Beharbada etorriko da. = Perhaps he/she will come.
maybe akaso maybe Akaso etorriko da. = Maybe he/she will come.
apparently antza apparently Antza, etorriko da. = Apparently, he/she will come.
apparently dirudienez apparently, seemingly Dirudienez, etorriko da. = Apparently, he/she will come.
supposedly / reportedly omen supposedly, reportedly Etorriko omen da. = He/she is reportedly coming.
certainly noski certainly, of course Noski etorriko da. = He/she will certainly come.
of course jakina of course Jakina, lagunduko dizut. = Of course, I'll help you.
probably seguruenik probably Seguruenik etorriko da. = He/she will probably come.
possibly agian / baliteke possibly Baliteke berandu iristea. = He/she may arrive late.
definitely zalantzarik gabe definitely, without doubt Zalantzarik gabe etorriko da. = He/she will definitely come.
certainly ziur certainly, surely Ziur etorriko dela. = Surely he/she will come.
probably not ziurrenik ez probably not Ziurrenik ez da etorriko. = He/she probably won't come.
must not ezin ... must not / cannot Ezin duzu sartu. = You must not/cannot enter.
cannot ezin izan cannot, be unable to Ezin dut egin. = I cannot do it.
cannot possibly ezinezkoa izan be impossible Ezinezkoa da egitea. = It is impossible to do.
may not baliteke ez... may not Baliteke ez etortzea. = He/she may not come.
might not litekeena da ez... might not Litekeena da ez etortzea. = He/she might not come.
ought to beharko luke ought to Egin beharko luke. = He/she ought to do it.
would rather nahiago izan would rather Ez joatea nahiago nuke. = I would rather not go.
would like nahiko nuke would like Joan nahiko nuke. = I would like to go.
be about to -tzear egon be about to Joatear nago. = I am about to leave.
be on the point of -tzeko zorian egon be on the point of Erortzeko zorian dago. = He/she is about to fall.
manage to lortu manage to Amaitzea lortu dut. = I managed to finish.
fail to ez lortu fail to Ez dut amaitzea lortu. = I failed to finish.
try to saiatu try to Saiatuko naiz egiten. = I will try to do it.
intend to asmoa izan intend to Joateko asmoa dut. = I intend to go.
plan to plana egin / asmoa izan plan to Joateko plana egin dut. = I have made a plan to go.
hope to espero izan hope to Etortzea espero dut. = I hope to come.
promise to agindu promise to Etorriko naizela agindu dut. = I promised to come.
decide to erabaki decide to Joatea erabaki dut. = I decided to go.
be able to ahal izan be able to Igeri egin ahal dut. = I can swim.
The core modal constructions
These are the most important ones to learn:
Construction Meaning Example
ahal izan + verb can / be able to Egin ahal dut. = I can do it.
ezin izan + verb cannot Ezin dut egin. = I cannot do it.
behar izan + verb must / have to / need to Joan behar dut. = I must go.
nahi izan + verb want to Joan nahi dut. = I want to go.
nahiago izan + verb prefer / would rather Joan nahiago dut. = I prefer to go.
baliteke + -tzea may / might Baliteke etortzea. = He/she may come.
litekeena da + -tzea may / might / be likely Litekeena da etortzea. = He/she might/is likely to come.
komeni izan + -tzea should / be advisable Joatea komeni da. = You should go.
hobe izan + -tzea should / would be better Joatea hobe da. = It would be better to go.
-tzeko baimena izan be allowed to Sartzeko baimena dut. = I am allowed to enter.
-tzear egon be about to Joatear nago. = I am about to leave.
-tzeko zorian egon be on the point of Erortzeko zorian dago. = He/she is about to fall.
-tzeko asmoa izan intend to Joateko asmoa dut. = I intend to go.
-tzea espero izan hope to Etortzea espero dut. = I hope to come.
-tzea lortu manage to Amaitzea lortu dut. = I managed to finish.
-tzen saiatu try to Egiten saiatu naiz. = I tried to do it.
21- THERE IS / HAVE / BE
English Basque
There is a book. Liburu bat dago.
There is the book. Liburua dago.
There are books. Liburuak daude.
There are some books. Liburu batzuk daude.
There is a house. Etxe bat dago.
There are houses. Etxeak daude.
There is a problem. Arazo bat dago.
There are problems. Arazoak daude.
2. “There is/are” with location
English Basque
There is a book on the table. Liburu bat dago mahai gainean.
There are books on the table. Liburuak daude mahai gainean.
There is a man in the house. Gizon bat dago etxean.
There are children in the park. Haurrak daude parkean.
There is a car outside. Auto bat dago kanpoan.
3. Past: “There was / There were”
The past forms are zegoen (singular) and zeuden (plural).
English Basque
There was a book. Liburu bat zegoen.
There was a house. Etxe bat zegoen.
There were books. Liburuak zeuden.
There were many people. Jende asko zegoen.
There were children in the park. Haurrak zeuden parkean.
4. Future: “There will be”
Use egongo da for singular and egongo dira for plural.
English Basque
There will be a book. Liburu bat egongo da.
There will be a problem. Arazo bat egongo da.
There will be books. Liburuak egongo dira.
There will be many people. Jende asko egongo da.
5. Negative: “There is no / There are no”
The negative existential construction is particularly important:
ez dago = there is not / there is no
ez daude = there are not
English Basque
There is no book. Ez dago libururik.
There are no books. Ez dago libururik.
The books are not there. Liburuak ez daude han.
There is nobody. Ez dago inor.
There is nothing. Ez dago ezer.
There is nowhere to go. Ez dago nora joanik.
Notice that ez dago libururik is used naturally for “there are no books,” with the noun in the partitive (libururik).
6. Questions: “Is/Are there...?”
English Basque
Is there a book? Ba al dago libururik?
Is there a problem? Ba al dago arazorik?
Are there books? Ba al dago libururik?
Is there anyone here? Ba al dago inor hemen?
Is there anything to eat? Ba al dago ezer jateko?
You can also encounter the simpler:
Dago libururik? = Is there a book/Are there any books?
7. “There was no / There were no”
English Basque
There was no book. Ez zegoen libururik.
There were no books. Ez zegoen libururik.
There was nobody. Ez zegoen inor.
There was nothing. Ez zegoen ezer.
Pronoun Basque English
Nik badut I have
Zuk baduzu you have
Hark badauka he/she has
Guk badugu we have
Zuek baduzue you have
Haiek badute they have
The ba- forms above emphasize existence/possession. Without ba-:
Pronoun Basque English
Nik dut I have
Zuk duzu you have
Hark dauka he/she has
Guk dugu we have
Zuek duzue you have
Haiek dute they have
Examples:
- Liburu bat dut. = I have a book.
- Auto bat duzu. = You have a car.
- Etxe bat dauka. = He/she has a house.
- Bi anaia ditut. = I have two brothers.
- Dirua dugu. = We have money.
2. Negative “have”
Use ez before the auxiliary:
English Basque
I don't have a book. Ez dut libururik.
You don't have a car. Ez duzu autorik.
He/she doesn't have money. Ez dauka dirurik.
We don't have time. Ez dugu denborarik.
They don't have children. Ez dute seme-alabarik.
Notice the partitive -ik after an indefinite object in negative possession:
libururik = any/no book
dirurik = any/no money
autorik = any/no car
3. Past “had”
eduki has past forms:
Pronoun Basque English
Nik nuen I had
Zuk zenuen you had
Hark zuen he/she had
Guk genuen we had
Zuek zenuten you had
Haiek zuten they had
Examples:
- Liburu bat nuen. = I had a book.
- Auto bat zenuen. = You had a car.
- Dirua zuen. = He/she had money.
- Bi etxe genituen. = We had two houses.
4. Future “will have”
Pronoun Basque English
Nik izango dut I will have
Zuk izango duzu you will have
Hark izango du he/she will have
Guk izango dugu we will have
Zuek izango duzue you will have
Haiek izango dute they will have
Examples:
- Bihar denbora izango dut. = I will have time tomorrow.
- Etxe bat izango dugu. = We will have a house.
- Diru gehiago izango dute. = They will have more money.
5. “Have” as an experience/state
Basque often uses izan rather than directly translating English have.
English Basque
I have a headache. Buruko mina dut.
I have a problem. Arazo bat dut.
I have an idea. Ideia bat dut.
I have a fever. Sukarra dut.
I have time. Denbora dut.
I have a question. Galdera bat dut.
Literally, these use a construction closer to “the headache/problem/idea is mine/to me.”
6. “Have to” — behar izan
English have to is different from possessive have.
-t/z + behar izan = have to / must
English Basque
I have to go. Joan behar dut.
You have to work. Lan egin behar duzu.
He/she has to study. Ikasi behar du.
We have to leave. Joan behar dugu.
They have to wait. Itxaron behar dute.
Direct command verb! Etorri! = Come!
Negative command ez + verb! Ez etorri! = Don't come!
Command with object verb + auxiliary Idatz ezazu! = Write it!
Let me verb + nadin / dezadan Etorri nadin. = Let me come.
Let's verb + gaitezen / dezagun Joan gaitezen! = Let's go!
Let him/her verb + dadila / dezala Etor dadila. = Let him/her come.
Let them verb + daitezela / dezatela Etor daitezela. = Let them come.
Please ..., mesedez Etorri, mesedez. = Please come.
1. “Be written!” / “Get written!”
For a singular object:
English Basque
Be written! Idatzia izan dadila!
Let it be written! Idatzia izan dadila!
Let the book be written! Liburua idatzia izan dadila!
For plural:
English Basque
Let them be written! Idatziak izan daitezela!
Let the books be written! Liburuak idatziak izan daitezela!
Here:
- idatzia = written, singular
- idatziak = written, plural
- izan = be
- dadila = let it be
- daitezela = let them be
2. Passive imperative with other verbs
English Basque
Let it be read! Irakurria izan dadila!
Let it be done! Egina izan dadila!
Let it be seen! Ikusia izan dadila!
Let it be bought! Erosia izan dadila!
Let it be opened! Irekia izan dadila!
Let it be closed! Itxia izan dadila!
Let it be sent! Bidalita izan dadila!
Let it be taken! Hartutakoa izan dadila!
The exact participial form can vary depending on whether you mean a completed/resultative state or a true passive event.
3. Negative passive imperatives
For “Let it not be written”:
English Basque
Let it not be written! Ez dadila idatzia izan!
Let them not be written! Ez daitezela idatziak izan!
Let the book not be written! Ez dadila liburua idatzia izan!
Let the books not be written! Ez daitezela liburuak idatziak izan!
However, for a direct prohibition, Basque normally uses the much simpler ez + infinitive:
Ez idatzi liburua! = Don't write the book!
4. “Be + past participle” vs. imperative
English:
Write the book!
Let the book be written!
Basque distinguishes them:
English Basque
Write the book! Idatz ezazu liburua!
Let the book be written! Liburua idatzia izan dadila!
So the general pattern for a passive imperative-like construction is:
[past participle] + izan + subjunctive/imperative auxiliary