A biography: was nintzen — am naiz
A story about yourself is a parade of two links. The past nintzen — "I was": Bilbon jaio nintzen — I was born in Bilbao. The present naiz — "I am": Gaur hiri honetan bizi naiz — today I live in this city. For example: “Bilbon jaio nintzen” — I was born in Bilbao. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
A story about yourself is a parade of two links. The past nintzen — "I was": Bilbon jaio nintzen — I was born in Bilbao. The present naiz — "I am": Gaur hiri honetan bizi naiz — today I live in this city.
And to say "I have lived here for five years", Basque takes the verb "to carry": Bost urte daramatzat hemen — literally "five years I carry them here". The years are a load you carry with you; while you carry them — the present tense. The whole biography stands on this contrast: was — nintzen, I carry — daramatzat.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| I was | nintzen | Herrixkan jaio nintzen |
| you were | zinen | Non jaio zinen? |
| I have lived for… | urte daramatzat | Bost urte daramatzat hemen |
By example
- Bilbon jaio nintzenI was born in Bilbao
- Bost urte daramatzat hemenI have lived here for five years
- Gaur hiri honetan bizi naizToday I live in this city
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
A biography: how does it work in Basque?
A story about yourself is a parade of two links. The past nintzen — "I was": Bilbon jaio nintzen — I was born in Bilbao. The present naiz — "I am": Gaur hiri honetan bizi naiz — today I live in this city.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Bilbon jaio nintzen” — I was born in Bilbao. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.