Feelings: three formulas
A state "here and now" is made by the form -ta/-ik/-rik + egon: nekatuta nago — I am tired, pozik nago — I am glad, gaixorik nago — I feel bad (wave 1). For example: “Ez kezkatu: pozik nago” — Do not worry: I am glad. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A state "here and now" is made by the form -ta/-ik/-rik + egon: nekatuta nago — I am tired, pozik nago — I am glad, gaixorik nago — I feel bad (wave 1).
A feeling can be "had", like a thing: beldurra dut — literally "fear I-have", gosea dut — "hunger I-have", mina dut — "pain I-have". "I am afraid" is said as "I have fear".
The third way — the feeling "comes to me", the auxiliary …zait: gustatzen zait — I like it, etxea falta zait — I miss home, literally "the house is lacking to me". One and the same thought stands three ways — the speaker chooses.
Table
| the pattern | the example | in English |
|---|---|---|
| …ta/-ik + nago | nekatuta nago | I am tired |
| feeling + dut | beldurra dut | I am afraid |
| …zait (comes to me) | gustatzen zait | I like it |
By example
- Ez kezkatu: pozik nagoDo not worry: I am glad
- Beldurra dut, sua gertu dagoI am afraid, the fire is close
- Zure oparia gustatzen zaitI like your present
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
Feelings: how does it work in Basque?
A state "here and now" is made by the form -ta/-ik/-rik + egon: nekatuta nago — I am tired, pozik nago — I am glad, gaixorik nago — I feel bad (wave 1).
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Ez kezkatu: pozik nago” — Do not worry: I am glad. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.