-garri

Causing, Worth: -garri

Level 4

-garri turns a verb or noun into an adjective: harritu (to surprise) → harrigarri (surprising), jan (to eat) → jangarri (edible).

How It Works

How to build it. Add -garri to the verb radical, the verb without -tu or -i, or to a noun:

  • harritu → harrigarri (surprising), nekatu → nekagarri (tiring), aspertu → aspergarri (boring)
  • ikusi → ikusgarri (spectacular, worth seeing), sinetsi → sinesgarri (believable)
  • From nouns: beldur → beldurgarri (frightening), lotsa → lotsagarri (shameful), interes → interesgarri (interesting), kalte → kaltegarri (harmful)

See the verb radical.

Two meanings.

  • It causes something: albiste pozgarria (happy news, news that makes you glad), lan nekagarria (tiring work)
  • It is worth it or can be done: maitagarri (lovable), jangarri (edible), ulergarri (understandable), irakurgarri (readable)

The thing or the person? -garri describes the thing that causes the feeling. For the person who feels it, use -ta: Film hau aspergarria da (This film is boring), but Aspertuta nago (I am bored).

-garri or -kor? -kor describes someone who easily feels or does something: ume lotsakorra (a shy child), but gertaera lotsagarria (a shameful event).

Intensifiers. izugarri and ikaragarri (terrible, tremendous) are often used to mean "very": izugarri polita (incredibly pretty).

Examples (6)

  1. Albiste harrigarria da.

    It is surprising news.

  2. Film beldurgarri bat ikusi dugu.

    We have watched a frightening film.

  3. Liburu hau oso interesgarria da.

    This book is very interesting.

  4. Lan nekagarria da, baina polita.

    It is tiring work, but nice.

  5. Perretxiko hau ez da jangarria.

    This mushroom is not edible.

    The second meaning: it cannot be eaten.

  6. Ume maitagarria da.

    He is a lovable child.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the participle for something that causes a feeling.

    Film hau aspertua da.
    Film hau aspergarria da.

    aspertua describes someone who is bored. For the film that bores you, use -garri: aspergarria.

  • Using -garri for a person who easily feels something.

    Ume lotsagarria da; ez du hitz egiten.
    Ume lotsakorra da; ez du hitz egiten.

    lotsagarri means shameful, something that makes others ashamed. A shy child who is easily embarrassed is lotsakor.

How It Connects

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

-garriLevel 4Causing, Worth: -garri

Learn This First

-garri follows the radical.