Formal Absolute Clauses
Participle + -(r)ik or -ta, with its own subject, sets the scene: Bilera amaiturik, denak etxera joan ziren (When the meeting was over, everyone went home).
How It Works
1. The form.
- After a vowel, -rik: amaitu → amaiturik, ikusi → ikusirik
- After a consonant, -ik: egin → eginik, izan → izanik, joan → joanik
- -ta / -da: amaituta, eginda
These are the same endings as in states with -ta and -rik and adverbial -ta and -rik.
2. Its own subject. In Bilera amaiturik, denak etxera joan ziren, bilera is the subject of amaitu, and denak is the subject of joan. With a verb that has no object, such as izan, the subject has no -k: Hori horrela izanik.
3. What it means.
- Time (after): Afaria amaituta, kalera irten ginen.
- Cause: Eguraldia ona izanik, mendira joan ginen.
- Fixed formulas: Hori horrela izanik and the verbless Horiek horrela (That being so); Egoera kontuan hartuta (Taking the situation into account).
4. Everyday alternatives. Speech usually uses a conjugated clause: Bilera amaitu zenean, ... (when clause -(e)nean) or Bilera amaitu eta gero, ... (after: -tu eta gero).
5. Where you meet it. Absolute clauses are frequent in legal and administrative style and in classical Lapurdian prose. Axular writes: ikhusirik zein gauza guti edireiten den euskaraz eskiribaturik (seeing how few things are found written in Basque).
Tip: Put a comma after the absolute clause. It helps the reader see where the main sentence starts.
Examples (6)
- Hori horrela izanik, ez dago beste aukerarik.
That being so, there is no other choice.
izanik: izan + -ik. The subject hori has no -k.
- Bilera amaiturik, denak etxera joan ziren.
When the meeting was over, everyone went home.
Word by Word: meeting-the finished-having, all home-to went
bilera is the subject of amaitu; denak is the subject of joan.
- Afaria amaituta, kalera irten ginen.
When dinner was over, we went out.
-ta is the more common, less formal ending.
- Eguraldia ona izanik, mendira joan ginen.
The weather being good, we went to the mountains.
Here the clause gives a cause.
- Egoera kontuan hartuta, bilera atzeratu da.
Taking the situation into account, the meeting has been postponed.
A fixed formula of official texts.
- Horiek horrela, lanari ekin genion.
Things being so, we set to work.
A fixed phrase with no verb at all.
Common Mistakes
Putting -k on the subject of izanik.
Horrek horrela izanik, ez dago beste aukerarik.Hori horrela izanik, ez dago beste aukerarik.izan has no object, so its subject takes no -k: hori horrela izanik.
Using -rik after a participle ending in -n.
Lana eginrik, atseden hartu genuen.Lana eginik, atseden hartu genuen.After a consonant the ending is -ik: eginik, izanik, joanik. -rik goes after a vowel: amaiturik.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Absolute clauses follow adverbial -ta.
Related Patterns
- -ta / -rikDescribing States: Nekatuta Nago
The same -ta and -rik endings on participles.
Level 2 - -tu eta geroAfter Doing
An everyday way to say "after" with a participle.
Level 3 - -(e)neanWhen: -(e)nean
The conjugated alternative for time clauses.
Level 2 - Legal and Administrative Style
Official texts use absolute clauses often.
Level 6 - Classical Lapurdian Prose
Classical prose uses many -(r)ik clauses.
Level 6
Practice Formal Absolute Clauses in Bubblegum
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