At the Same Time: -(e)la

Doing Something at the Same Time

Level 5

Kantatzen zuela etorri zen. (He came singing.) The -(e)la clause paints the background; the main verb tells what happened.

How It Works

1. The form. Add -la to the conjugated verb, or -ela after a consonant. Past forms drop their final -n first, and a few present forms such as dago add -e-, just as in that-clauses:

  • nengoen → nengoela, nintzen → nintzela, zuen → zuela
  • nabil → nabilela, dago → dagoela

2. Same subject: how someone did something. Kantatzen zuela etorri zen. (He came singing.) Irribarre egiten zuela begiratu zidan. (She looked at me smiling.)

3. Different subject: the background. Ohean nengoela, telefonoak jo zuen. (While I was in bed, the phone rang.) Gazte nintzela, Bilbon bizi nintzen. (When I was young, I lived in Bilbao.)

4. Describing the object. It can also describe the person you found or saw: Negarrez zegoela aurkitu nuen. (I found her crying.)

5. Match the time. The -(e)la verb takes the time of the main clause: past with past (nengoela ... jo zuen), present with present (nabilela ... ikusten ditut).

6. Only for things that last. For a single moment, such as arriving or opening, use -(e)nean: Etxera iritsi nintzenean, telefonoak jo zuen. The longer form -(e)larik works the same way and is more common in writing. In Northern Basque, -(e)larik can also mark a single moment.

Examples (6)

  1. Kantatzen zuela etorri zen.

    He came singing.

  2. Ohean nengoela, telefonoak jo zuen.

    While I was in bed, the phone rang.

    The -(e)la clause and the main clause have different subjects.

  3. Negarrez zegoela aurkitu nuen.

    I found her crying.

  4. Gazte nintzela, Bilbon bizi nintzen.

    When I was young, I lived in Bilbao.

  5. Irribarre egiten zuela begiratu zidan.

    She looked at me smiling.

  6. Kalean nabilela, lagun asko ikusten ditut.

    When I am out in the street, I see lots of friends.

    Present main clause, present -(e)la verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Not matching the time of the main clause.

    Ohean nagoela, telefonoak jo zuen.
    Ohean nengoela, telefonoak jo zuen.

    The phone rang in the past, so the background verb must be past too: nengoela.

  • Using -(e)la for a single moment.

    Etxera iritsi nintzela, telefonoak jo zuen.
    Etxera iritsi nintzenean, telefonoak jo zuen.

    If you mean "When I got home", -(e)la is the wrong ending. It describes something that lasts, and arriving is a single moment, so use -(e)nean.

How It Connects

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

At the Same Time: -(e)laLevel 5Doing Something at the Same Time

Learn This First

Accompanying -(e)la follows -(e)la and while.