"I have" goes through dut
Basque has no verb "to have". In its place stands the auxiliary dut — "I have it". For example: “Lagun bat dut hemen” — I have a friend here. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Basque has no verb "to have". In its place stands the auxiliary dut — "I have it".
What you own goes in front of it: Lana dut — "work I-have", that is, I have a job. Hunger and cold are owned too, not felt: Gosea dut — "hunger I-have".
For several things — ditut: Bi haur ditut — "two children I-have".
By example
- Lagun bat dut hemenI have a friend here
- Gosea dutI am hungry (literally: I have hunger)
- Denbora duguWe have time (we have time)
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
"I have" goes through dut: how does it work in Basque?
Basque has no verb "to have". In its place stands the auxiliary dut — "I have it".
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Lagun bat dut hemen” — I have a friend here. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.