The passive: …-tzen da and …-tua izan da
When the deed matters more than the doer, Basque puts the object in front and changes the auxiliary verb to da/dira: Etxe berriak saltzen dira hemen — new houses are sold here, literally "new houses selling-being are". The -tzen form is the process: they are being done now or in general. For example: “Etxe berriak saltzen dira hemen” — New houses are sold here. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples…
How it works
When the deed matters more than the doer, Basque puts the object in front and changes the auxiliary verb to da/dira: Etxe berriak saltzen dira hemen — new houses are sold here, literally "new houses selling-being are". The -tzen form is the process: they are being done now or in general.
If the deed is already done, the perfect comes: participle + -tua izan da. Liburua euskarara itzulia izan da — the book has been translated into Basque. The doer can be named by the -k form at the participle: Jon-ek idatzia — written by Jon.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| is being done (process) | …-tzen da/dira | saltzen dira |
| has been done (result) | …-tua izan da | itzulia izan da |
| by whom done | doer + -k + -ia | Jon-ek idatzia |
By example
- Etxe berriak saltzen dira hemenNew houses are sold here
- Liburua euskarara itzulia izan daThe book has been translated into Basque
- Zaborra birziklatzen da herri guztietanTrash is recycled in all the villages
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 passive: how does it work in Basque?
When the deed matters more than the doer, Basque puts the object in front and changes the auxiliary verb to da/dira: Etxe berriak saltzen dira hemen — new houses are sold here, literally "new houses selling-being are". The -tzen form is the process: they are being done now or in general.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Etxe berriak saltzen dira hemen” — New houses are sold here. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.