LingoflyQuestions with the particle al
A yes-or-no question in Basque is built with the particle al, which stands before the auxiliary verb: Ura al dago? — is there water? For example: “Ura al dago?” — Is there water? A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A yes-or-no question in Basque is built with the particle al, which stands before the auxiliary verb: Ura al dago? — is there water?
In conversation the same question is often asked by the tune of the voice alone: Ura dago? — many people speak this way. The particle al makes it a question on paper too, with no voice to help.
Question words need no "al": zer — what, nola — how, non — where, zenbat — how much. They turn the phrase into a question by themselves.
By example
- Do you speak English?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Questions with the particle al: how does it work in Basque?
A yes-or-no question in Basque is built with the particle al, which stands before the auxiliary verb: Ura al dago? — is there water?
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Ura al dago?” — Is there water? A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.