izan and egon — the two verbs "to be"
English has one verb "to be". Basque has two, and it keeps them apart. For example: “Errusiarra naiz” — I am from Russia (that is what I am, always). A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English has one verb "to be". Basque has two, and it keeps them apart.
izan is for what a person or a thing always is: a job, a birthplace, a character. egon is for a state and a place: where you are, how you feel, what mood you are in.
So Errusiarra naiz is about where you are from, and that does not change. But Ondo nago — I am fine — is only about right now.
Table
| izan | egon | |
|---|---|---|
| ni | naiz | nago |
| zu | zara | zaude |
| hura | da | dago |
| gu | gara | gaude |
| haiek | dira | daude |
By example
- Errusiarra naizI am from Russia (that is what I am, always)
- Ondo nagoI am well (right now)
- Kafea bero dagoThe coffee is hot (right now)
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
izan and egon — the two verbs "to be": how does it work in Basque?
English has one verb "to be". Basque has two, and it keeps them apart.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Errusiarra naiz” — I am from Russia (that is what I am, always). A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.