LingoflyStart and finish: …tzen hasi, amaitu
To start doing is hasi plus a verb in -tzen: Euria egiten hasi da — it started raining, Lan egiten hasi naiz — I started working. Hasi itself changes too: Klasea hasten da — the class begins. For example: “Euria hasten da: aterkia hartu” — The rain is beginning: take an umbrella. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To start doing is hasi plus a verb in -tzen: Euria egiten hasi da — it started raining, Lan egiten hasi naiz — I started working. Hasi itself changes too: Klasea hasten da — the class begins.
To finish is amaitu: Lana amaitu dut — I finished the work. And amaituta dago — it is finished: a state after the deed.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| to start doing | …-tzen hasi | Euria egiten hasi da |
| to finish | amaitu | Lana amaitu dut |
| finished (a state) | amaituta dago | Azterketa amaituta dago |
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
Start and finish: how does it work in Basque?
To start doing is hasi plus a verb in -tzen: Euria egiten hasi da — it started raining, Lan egiten hasi naiz — I started working. Hasi itself changes too: Klasea hasten da — the class begins.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Euria hasten da: aterkia hartu” — The rain is beginning: take an umbrella. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.