Right now: …-ten ari naiz
To say that an action is happening right now, Basque has the phrase with ari naiz: the verb in the -ten form plus "ari naiz" — "I am in the business". Euskara ikasten ari naiz — I am studying Basque right now, literally "Basque studying I am". For example: “Euskara ikasten ari naiz” — I am studying Basque right now. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To say that an action is happening right now, Basque has the phrase with ari naiz: the verb in the -ten form plus "ari naiz" — "I am in the business". Euskara ikasten ari naiz — I am studying Basque right now, literally "Basque studying I am".
The form changes by person, like an ordinary link: ari naiz, ari zara, ari da, ari gara. In the past — ari nintzen: "I was in the business" — just doing it when you were away. The question is simple too: Zer ari zara egiten? — what are you doing right now?
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| I am doing it now | …-ten ari naiz | Euskara ikasten ari naiz |
| you are doing it now | …-ten ari zara | Zer ari zara egiten? |
| we were doing it | …-ten ari ginen | Telebista ikusten ari ginen |
By example
- Euskara ikasten ari naizI am studying Basque right now
- Zer ari zara egiten?What are you doing right now?
- Telebista ikusten ari ginenWe were just watching TV
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
Right now: how does it work in Basque?
To say that an action is happening right now, Basque has the phrase with ari naiz: the verb in the -ten form plus "ari naiz" — "I am in the business". Euskara ikasten ari naiz — I am studying Basque right now, literally "Basque studying I am".
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Euskara ikasten ari naiz” — I am studying Basque right now. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.