LingoflyNegation: ez before the verb
The negation ez goes before the auxiliary verb, and the auxiliary moves forward with it: ikusi dut — I saw, but ez dut ikusi — I did not see. The main verb goes to the end. For example: “Ez dut euskaraz hitz egiten” — I do not speak Basque. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The negation ez goes before the auxiliary verb, and the auxiliary moves forward with it: ikusi dut — I saw, but ez dut ikusi — I did not see. The main verb goes to the end.
When the verb stands alone, ez simply goes in front: Ez dago urrun — it is not far. Two negatives together are normal here, not a mistake: Ez dago inor — there is nobody, word for word "not is nobody".
By example
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
Negation: how does it work in Basque?
The negation ez goes before the auxiliary verb, and the auxiliary moves forward with it: ikusi dut — I saw, but ez dut ikusi — I did not see. The main verb goes to the end.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Ez dut euskaraz hitz egiten” — I do not speak Basque. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.