LingoflyThe words of others: …ela esan and …dezan
Someone else's speech Basque glues to the verb with -ela: Gaixotuta dagoela esan du — he said that the man is ill. The form is one for all tenses. Only esan du — said — or esan zuen — said once — changes. For example: “Gaixotuta dagoela esan du” — He said that he is ill. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Someone else's speech Basque glues to the verb with -ela: Gaixotuta dagoela esan du — he said that the man is ill. The form is one for all tenses. Only esan du — said — or esan zuen — said once — changes.
A request and an order use the same -ela, with the verb inside in the "let" form. Etor daitezela esan du — he said to let them come. The "let" itself is Itxaron dezala — let him wait.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| said that… | …(e)la esan du | Gaixotuta dagoela esan du |
| told someone to… | …dadila / …dezala esan du | Etor daitezela esan du |
| let (on its own) | …dadila / …dezala | Itxaron dezala |
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
The words of others: how does it work in Basque?
Someone else's speech Basque glues to the verb with -ela: Gaixotuta dagoela esan du — he said that the man is ill. The form is one for all tenses. Only esan du — said — or esan zuen — said once — changes.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Gaixotuta dagoela esan du” — He said that he is ill. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.