LingoflyI do not know how: nola … den inside a sentence
A direct question is simple: Nola esaten da euskaraz? — how do you say it in Basque? When the question moves inside a sentence, the verb takes -n: Ez dakit nola esaten den — I do not know how it is said. For example: “Esan nola esaten den euskaraz” — Say how this is said in Basque. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A direct question is simple: Nola esaten da euskaraz? — how do you say it in Basque? When the question moves inside a sentence, the verb takes -n: Ez dakit nola esaten den — I do not know how it is said.
Time changes inside the same form: present — nola … den, past — nola … zen: Azaldu nola egin zen — explain how it was done. Such a sentence loses its question mark.
Table
| the question | inside a sentence | the example |
|---|---|---|
| Nola esaten da? | nola esaten den | Ez dakit nola esaten den |
| Nola konpontzen da? | nola konpontzen den | Ez dakit nola konpontzen den |
| Nola egin zen? | nola egin zen | Azaldu nola egin zen |
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
I do not know how: how does it work in Basque?
A direct question is simple: Nola esaten da euskaraz? — how do you say it in Basque? When the question moves inside a sentence, the verb takes -n: Ez dakit nola esaten den — I do not know how it is said.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Esan nola esaten den euskaraz” — Say how this is said in Basque. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.