LingoflyA little and none at all: -rik
The suffix -rik goes into questions and negatives when you mean "any" of a thing: Ogirik nahi? — do you want any bread? The article -a drops off: ogia → ogirik, gatza → gatzik. For example: “Ogirik nahi?” — Do you want some bread? A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The suffix -rik goes into questions and negatives when you mean "any" of a thing: Ogirik nahi? — do you want any bread? The article -a drops off: ogia → ogirik, gatza → gatzik.
In a negative sentence -rik is a must: ez dut ogirik — I have no bread, ez dago gatzik — there is no salt at all. A plain statement does without it: ogia nahi dut — I want bread.
With gabe, "without", the same shift: dirurik gabe — without money. English does this with "any"; Basque does it with one suffix.
Table
| the meaning | the usual form | the -rik form |
|---|---|---|
| bread | ogia | ogirik |
| salt | gatza | gatzik |
| want bread? | ogia nahi duzu? | ogirik nahi? |
| no bread | — | ez dago ogirik |
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
A little and none at all: how does it work in Basque?
The suffix -rik goes into questions and negatives when you mean "any" of a thing: Ogirik nahi? — do you want any bread? The article -a drops off: ogia → ogirik, gatza → gatzik.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Ogirik nahi?” — Do you want some bread? A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.