bai ... bai / ez ... ez
Both ... and, Neither ... nor
bai X bai Y means both X and Y; ez X ez Y means neither X nor Y: Bai Ane bai Mikel etorri dira. Ez da ez handia ez txikia.
How It Works
1. bai ... bai: both ... and. Bai Ane bai Mikel etorri dira. You can add eta and a final ere: bai goizean eta bai arratsaldean (ere) (both in the morning and in the afternoon).
2. Each item keeps its ending. Bai Anek bai Mikelek ikusi dute filma (both with the ergative -k). Bai gazteei bai helduei gustatzen zaie. (Both young people and adults like it.) Two subjects make the verb plural: dira, dute.
3. ez ... ez: neither ... nor. The verb usually has its own ez as well: Ez Ane ez Mikel ez dira etorri. (Neither Ane nor Mikel has come.) If the verb comes first, the pairs follow: Ez da ez handia ez txikia. "Any" things take -(r)ik: Ez dut ez kaferik ez terik hartzen.
4. Not for doing things together. bai ... bai means each one separately. For "together", use eta: Ane eta Mikel elkarrekin etorri dira.
5. Either ... or. Use edo ... edo: Edo gaur edo bihar. (Either today or tomorrow.) See eta, edo, baina. For "both ... and", formal writing also uses nahiz ... nahiz.
Examples (6)
- Bai Ane bai Mikel etorri dira.
Both Ane and Mikel have come.
Two subjects, so the verb is plural: dira.
- Ez da ez handia ez txikia.
It is neither big nor small.
- Bai Anek bai Mikelek ikusi dute filma.
Both Ane and Mikel have seen the film.
Each doer takes -k.
- Ez Ane ez Mikel ez dira etorri.
Neither Ane nor Mikel has come.
The verb keeps its own ez.
- Bai gazteei bai helduei gustatzen zaie.
Both young people and adults like it.
Each item takes the dative -ei.
- Ez dut ez kaferik ez terik hartzen.
I drink neither coffee nor tea.
Common Mistakes
Dropping the ergative -k on the items.
Bai Ane bai Mikel ikusi dute filma.Bai Anek bai Mikelek ikusi dute filma.ikusi has doers, and each doer takes -k: Anek, Mikelek.
Using bai ... bai with "together".
Bai Ane bai Mikel elkarrekin etorri dira.Ane eta Mikel elkarrekin etorri dira.bai ... bai looks at each person separately, so it clashes with elkarrekin (together). Use eta instead.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Paired connectors follow eta and ere.
Related Patterns
- ezta ... ereNot Even
Another way to add a negative item: not even, nor.
Level 3 - nahiz ... nahiz / zein ... zeinBoth ... and (Formal)
Formal ways to say both ... and.
Level 5 - -kThe Ergative Case -k
Each doer in a bai ... bai phrase keeps its -k.
Level 1 - ezNegation with Ez
With ez ... ez, the verb usually keeps its own ez.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice bai ... bai / ez ... ez in Bubblegum
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