Where and where to: gainean, pean, artean, …tik …ra
Basque puts such words not before the noun but AFTER it, and the noun takes the form of belonging. …gainean — on something: mahaiaren gainean — on the table, word for word "of-the-table on-top". Its exact pair is …pean — under: mahaiaren pean — under the table. For example: “Katilua mahaiaren gainean dago” — The cup is on the table. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Basque puts such words not before the noun but AFTER it, and the noun takes the form of belonging. …gainean — on something: mahaiaren gainean — on the table, word for word "of-the-table on-top". Its exact pair is …pean — under: mahaiaren pean — under the table.
…artean — among, between: ilararen artean — in the middle of the row. A whole path takes two tails in a row — …tik …ra: etxetik dendara — from home to the shop.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| on something | …gainean | mahaiaren gainean |
| under something | …pean | mahaiaren pean |
| among something | …artean | ilararen artean |
| from … to … | …tik …ra | etxetik dendara |
By example
- Katilua mahaiaren gainean dagoThe cup is on the table
- Katua mahaiaren pean ezkutatzen daThe cat hides under the table
- Etxetik dendara joaten naiz eguneroI go from home to the shop every day
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
Where and where to: how does it work in Basque?
Basque puts such words not before the noun but AFTER it, and the noun takes the form of belonging. …gainean — on something: mahaiaren gainean — on the table, word for word "of-the-table on-top". Its exact pair is …pean — under: mahaiaren pean — under the table.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Katilua mahaiaren gainean dago” — The cup is on the table. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.