dihardu / dirau / datza

Formal Synthetic Verbs

Level 6

Some verbs have a one-word present, like dago or dator. In formal Basque, three more are common: dihardu (from jardun), dirau (from iraun) and datza (from etzan).

How It Works

1. jardun → dihardu (to be busy with, to keep at).

  • Lanean dihardu. She is hard at work. (= Lanean ari da.)
  • Liburua idazten dihardu. He is busy writing a book.

Forms: dihardut (I), diharduzu (you), dihardu (he or she), dihardugu (we), dihardute (they).

2. iraun → dirau (to last). iraun takes the du auxiliary, so the thing that lasts takes -k:

  • Filmak bi ordu dirau. The film lasts two hours. (= Filmak bi ordu irauten du.)

Plural: diraute. Past: zirauen.

3. etzan → datza (to lie). Its literal meaning is to lie down, as on a gravestone: Hemen datza (Here lies). Much more often it says where the key to something lies:

  • Arazoa hor datza. That is where the problem lies.
  • Gakoa lana ondo antolatzean datza. The key lies in organizing the work well.

Past: zetzan (Horretan zetzan arazoa, That is where the problem lay).

4. Register. These forms belong to careful writing, news and speeches. In conversation, use the everyday forms: ari da, irauten du, hor dago. Compare the other one-word verbs you already know, such as dakart and daramat.

Tip: When you meet datza, look for a place word or -n before it: hor datza, -tzean datza.

Examples (6)

  1. Goizetik lanean dihardu.

    She has been hard at work since the morning.

    Everyday Basque: Goizetik lanean ari da.

  2. Filmak bi ordu dirau.

    The film lasts two hours.

    Everyday Basque: Filmak bi ordu irauten du.

  3. Arazoa hor datza.

    That is where the problem lies.

  4. Hitzaldiak ordubete dirau.

    The talk lasts an hour.

  5. Hemen datza gure aitona.

    Here lies our grandfather.

    The literal meaning of etzan: to lie.

  6. Gakoa lana ondo antolatzean datza.

    The key lies in organizing the work well.

    The -n (-tzean) says what the key lies in.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the -k off the subject of dirau.

    Filma bi ordu dirau.
    Filmak bi ordu dirau.

    iraun takes the du auxiliary (irauten du), so its subject takes the ending -k, also with dirau.

  • Adding -k to the subject of datza.

    Arazoak hor datza.
    Arazoa hor datza.

    etzan takes the da auxiliary, like egon, so its subject has no -k: Arazoa hor datza, like Arazoa hor dago.

How It Connects

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dihardu / dirau / datzaLevel 6Formal Synthetic Verbs

Learn This First

These literary synthetic forms extend familiar activity meanings and synthetic conjugation patterns.

Words in This Pattern

jarduniraunetzan