-ki / -ro / -ka

Adverbs in -ki, -ro and -ka

Level 4

Add -ki to an adjective to say how something is done: zehatz → zehazki (exact, exactly), eder → ederki (beautiful, very well). -ka names a way of acting: Korrika etorri da (She came running).

How It Works

-ki: the everyday adverb suffix. Most adjectives of quality can take it: garbi → garbiki (cleanly), zehatz → zehazki (exactly), berezi → bereziki (especially), berri → berriki (recently), eder → ederki (very well, great). After a few words it appears as -gi: on → ongi (well).

Some very common adverbs are best learned as whole words: ondo and ongi (well), gaizki (badly) and poliki (slowly, gently). Many adjectives also work as adverbs with no ending at all: Azkar ibili! (Go fast!). Euskaltzaindia also prefers simpler Basque expressions to some -ki words copied from Spanish: legez rather than legalki, nik neuk rather than pertsonalki.

-ro: a closed set. -ro is no longer used to make new words, but several old ones are very common: astiro (slowly), berriro (again), luzaro (for a long time), zeharo (completely), argiro (clearly), biziro (intensely). A final -e becomes -a before it: luze → luzaro. After a noun of time, the related ending -ero means every: astero (every week).

-ka: manner, repetition and groups.

  • A way of acting, often repeated: korrika (running), oihuka (shouting), saltoka (hopping), presaka (in a hurry), tarteka (now and then). They often go with a motion verb or with ari izan: Korrika etorri da (He came running). Oihuka ari dira (They are shouting).
  • With numbers, -naka means in groups of: banaka (one by one), binaka (in pairs), hamarnaka (in tens).
  • With large numbers, -ka gives a rough amount: ehunka (hundreds), milaka (thousands): Milaka lagun bildu ziren (Thousands of people gathered).

Compare the instrumental -z, which also forms manner expressions: oinez (on foot), negarrez (crying).

Examples (6)

  1. Ederki egin duzu!

    You did that really well!

    eder (beautiful) + -ki.

  2. Zehazki, zer esan zizun?

    What exactly did he tell you?

    zehatz + -ki; tz is written z before k.

  3. Liburua berriki argitaratu dute.

    They have recently published the book.

  4. Hitz egin astiro, mesedez.

    Please speak slowly.

    astiro is one of the fixed -ro adverbs.

  5. Umeak korrika etorri dira eskolatik.

    The children have come running from school.

    korrika describes the way they came.

  6. Binaka sartu, mesedez.

    Please come in in pairs.

    bi + -naka: in groups of two.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -ki to on (good).

    Onki egin duzu.
    Ondo egin duzu.

    The adverb from on is ongi, with the -gi form of the suffix, or ondo, which is more common in the South. *Onki does not exist.

  • Keeping the final -e before -ro.

    Luzero egon zen atzerrian.
    Luzaro egon zen atzerrian.

    luze changes its final -e to -a before -ro: luzaro (for a long time).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-ki / -ro / -kaLevel 4Adverbs in -ki, -ro and -ka

Learn This First

Adverb suffixes follow manner -z.