The words of others: indirect speech with …ela
To pass on what someone said, Basque has a single form: the verb of the other's speech takes the suffix -(e)la: Laster etorriko dela esan du — he said he will come soon, literally "soon will-come-being he said". After a vowel -la, after a consonant -ela: dago → dagoela. For example: “Laster etorriko dela esan du” — He said he will come soon. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
To pass on what someone said, Basque has a single form: the verb of the other's speech takes the suffix -(e)la: Laster etorriko dela esan du — he said he will come soon, literally "soon will-come-being he said". After a vowel -la, after a consonant -ela: dago → dagoela.
The negation hides inside the same form: ez dela — that not…: Ez duela ezer esan esan du — he said he said nothing. The tense of the main verb is free: esan zuen — he said (long ago), but the subordinate stays on -la — the words of others always look the same.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| that (statement) | -(e)la | etorriko dela — that he will come |
| that not (negation) | ez + -ela | ez duela etorri — that he will not come |
| past of the main verb | esan zuen | Joango zela esan zuen — he said he would leave |
By example
- Laster etorriko dela esan duHe said he will come soon
- Gaixorik dagoela esan diguteWe were told he is ill
- Ez duela ezer esan esan zuenHe said he said nothing
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?
To pass on what someone said, Basque has a single form: the verb of the other's speech takes the suffix -(e)la: Laster etorriko dela esan du — he said he will come soon, literally "soon will-come-being he said". After a vowel -la, after a consonant -ela: dago → dagoela.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Laster etorriko dela esan du” — He said he will come soon. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.