Retelling others: …ela, bere esanetan, antza denez
Someone else's words glue straight to the verb with the tail -ela: Etorriko dela kontatu du — he told me he is coming. The same form follows entzun: Entzun dut etorriko dela — I heard he is coming. For example: “Etorriko dela kontatu du telefonoz” — He told by phone that he will come. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Someone else's words glue straight to the verb with the tail -ela: Etorriko dela kontatu du — he told me he is coming. The same form follows entzun: Entzun dut etorriko dela — I heard he is coming.
Two phrases open a retelling. Bere esanetan… — in his words, word for word "in his sayings". Antza denez… — as it looks: Antza denez, ez da ezer gertatu — as it looks, nothing happened.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| that … (the words of others) | …ela | etorriko dela kontatu du |
| in his words | bere esanetan | Bere esanetan, dena ondo dago |
| as it appears | antza denez | Antza denez, berandu heldu da |
By example
- Etorriko dela kontatu du telefonozHe told by phone that he will come
- Bere esanetan, ekaitza gauean heldu zenIn his words, the storm came at night
- Antza denez, ez da ezer gertatuAs it appears, nothing happened
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
Retelling others: how does it work in Basque?
Someone else's words glue straight to the verb with the tail -ela: Etorriko dela kontatu du — he told me he is coming. The same form follows entzun: Entzun dut etorriko dela — I heard he is coming.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Etorriko dela kontatu du telefonoz” — He told by phone that he will come. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.