bakoitza / biak

Each and Both

Level 3

bakoitza means each and comes after the noun: ikasle bakoitzak (each student). biak means both: Biak etorri dira. (Both have come.)

How It Works

1. bakoitza: each. The noun stays bare and bakoitz takes the ending: ikasle bakoitza (each student), egun bakoitzean (each day), ikasle bakoitzari (to each student). The verb is singular: Ikasle bakoitzak liburu bat du. With a transitive verb, it takes the ergative -k: bakoitzak.

2. bakoitzak alone. Without a noun it means "each one": Bakoitzak bere gela du. (Each one has their own room.) Note bere for "their own". "Each of them" is haietako bakoitzak.

3. biak: both. bi + -ak gives biak, which takes the plural endings: biak, biek (ergative), biei (to both), bien (of both). Biak etorri dira. Biek ikusi dute filma.

4. hirurak, laurak. hiru and lau add an -r- before the endings: hirurak (all three), laurak (all four). With a noun: hiru ikasleak (the three students).

5. Including yourself. To say "both of us", use the proximal -ok: gu biok, zuek biok.

Tip: bakoitza looks at people one by one, while guztiak looks at the whole group together. For "every day", egunero is the common word.

Examples (6)

  1. Ikasle bakoitzak liburu bat du.

    Each student has a book.

    bakoitz takes the ergative -k; the verb is singular.

  2. Egun bakoitzean hitz berri bat ikasten dut.

    Each day I learn a new word.

  3. Bakoitzak bere gela du.

    Each one has their own room.

  4. Biak etorri dira.

    Both have come.

  5. Biek ikusi dute filma.

    Both of them have seen the film.

    ikusi takes a doer, so biak becomes biek.

  6. Hirurak lagunak dira.

    All three are friends.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the verb plural after bakoitza.

    Ikasle bakoitzak liburu bat dute.
    Ikasle bakoitzak liburu bat du.

    bakoitza is singular, so the auxiliary is singular: du.

  • Putting the article on the noun before bakoitz.

    Ikasleak bakoitzak liburu bat du.
    Ikasle bakoitzak liburu bat du.

    The noun stays bare. bakoitz carries the ending: ikasle bakoitzak.

  • Forgetting the ergative with biak.

    Biak ikusi dute filma.
    Biek ikusi dute filma.

    ikusi has a doer, and the doer takes the ergative: biak becomes biek. In some western dialects the doer can end in -ak, but standard Basque writes biek.

How It Connects

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bakoitza / biakLevel 3Each and Both

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Each and both build on numbers and all.

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Words in This Pattern

bakoitzbakoitzabakoitza