-(r)ik

Any: -(r)ik

Level 2

-(r)ik replaces the article -a when you mean "any" or "no": Ez dut dirurik (I have no money), Ba al dago ogirik? (Is there any bread?).

How It Works

1. When to use it.

  • Negative sentences (ez): Ez dago esnerik. (There is no milk.)
  • Yes-no questions (al): Baduzu anai-arrebarik? (Do you have any brothers or sisters?)
  • "If" clauses (ba-): Galderarik baduzu, galdetu. (If you have any questions, ask.)
  • After gabe (without): dirurik gabe (without any money)

2. Any or the? The article is still right when you mean one particular thing: Ez dut dirua ekarri (I haven't brought the money, the money we talked about). Ez dut dirurik ekarri means "I haven't brought any money".

3. The form. After a vowel add -rik: diru → dirurik, arazo → arazorik. After a consonant add -ik: lagun → lagunik, ur → urik.

4. Always singular. -(r)ik never takes a plural, so the verb is singular even if you think of many things: Ez dut libururik, never ditut. It also does not go on the doer that takes -k.

5. It has relatives. Words like ezer (anything) and inor (anyone) appear in the same kinds of sentences: see inor, ezer, inon, inoiz. The same ending is hiding in Eskerrik asko, and it appears in superlatives like mendirik altuena (see superlatives with -rik).

Examples (6)

  1. Ez dut dirurik.

    I have no money.

    diru ends in a vowel, so it takes -rik.

  2. Ba al dago ogirik?

    Is there any bread?

    A yes-no question, so ogi takes -rik.

  3. Ez dago arazorik.

    There is no problem.

    A common way to say "No problem".

  4. Baduzu anai-arrebarik?

    Do you have any brothers or sisters?

    The verb stays singular: baduzu.

  5. Gaur ez dut denborarik.

    I have no time today.

  6. Ez dut lagunik ikusi parkean.

    I have not seen any friends in the park.

    lagun ends in a consonant, so it takes -ik.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the verb plural.

    Ez ditut libururik.
    Ez dut libururik.

    -(r)ik is never plural, so the verb that agrees with it is always singular.

  • Using -rik after a consonant.

    Ez dut lagunrik.
    Ez dut lagunik.

    After a consonant the ending is -ik. The r is only added after a vowel: dirurik, ogirik.

  • Leaving the noun with no ending at all.

    Ez dut diru.
    Ez dut dirurik.

    A Basque noun here needs an ending. In a sentence that means "no money", that ending is -(r)ik.

How It Connects

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

-(r)ikLevel 2Any: -(r)ik

Learn This First

The partitive needs negation and questions.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.