"I have" goes through dut
English has a verb "to have"; Basque does not. In its place stands the auxiliary dut, literally "I-have-it", and the thing you have is put before it: For example: “Lagun bat dut hemen” — I have a friend here. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English has a verb "to have"; Basque does not. In its place stands the auxiliary dut, literally "I-have-it", and the thing you have is put before it:
Lana dut — "work I-have", that is, "I have a job". Hunger and cold are had too, not felt: Gosea dut — "hunger I-have", Hotza dut — "cold I-have".
For several objects — ditut: Bi haur ditut — "two children I-have".
By example
- Lagun bat dut hemenI have a friend here
- Gosea dutI am hungry (literally: I have hunger)
- Denbora duguWe have time (we have time)
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 have" goes through dut: how does it work in Basque?
English has a verb "to have"; Basque does not. In its place stands the auxiliary dut, literally "I-have-it", and the thing you have is put before it:
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Lagun bat dut hemen” — I have a friend here. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.