As whom and what one thinks: …tzat and …ela uste du
To say "as whom", "in the capacity of whom", Basque has the ending -tzat: Laguntzat du — he considers him a friend, literally "as-a-friend has". The -tzat ending turns a word into a role: one word — and there is already a comparison with what is. For example: “Laguntzat du eta guztia kontatzen dio” — He considers him a friend and tells him everything. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
To say "as whom", "in the capacity of whom", Basque has the ending -tzat: Laguntzat du — he considers him a friend, literally "as-a-friend has". The -tzat ending turns a word into a role: one word — and there is already a comparison with what is.
And to pass on someone else's thought — "I believe that…" — Basque builds the phrase with -ela: Denak ondo daudela uste du — he thinks everything is fine, literally "everything fine-being thinks". The -ela form does not change by tense: only "uste du" — thinks — or uste zuen — thought — changes.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| as whom, in the capacity of | …-tzat | Laguntzat du |
| I think that… | …-ela uste dut | Ondo dagoela uste dut |
| I thought that… | …-ela uste nuen | Berandu zela uste nuen |
By example
- Laguntzat du eta guztia kontatzen dioHe considers him a friend and tells him everything
- Denak ondo daudela uste duHe thinks everything is fine
- Berandu zela uste nuen, baina oraindik goizea zenI thought it was already late, but it was still morning
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
As whom and what one thinks: how does it work in Basque?
To say "as whom", "in the capacity of whom", Basque has the ending -tzat: Laguntzat du — he considers him a friend, literally "as-a-friend has". The -tzat ending turns a word into a role: one word — and there is already a comparison with what is.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Laguntzat du eta guztia kontatzen dio” — He considers him a friend and tells him everything. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.