Having Done: -ta / -rik

Having Done: -ta, -rik

Level 4

Put -ta or -rik on a participle to describe how something happens or what was done first: Nekatuta iritsi zen (He arrived tired), Lana bukaturik, etxera joan ginen (With the work done, we went home).

How It Works

1. Making the form. Start from the participle:

  • participles in -tu or -i add -ta or -rik: bukatu → bukatuta, bukaturik; ikusi → ikusita, ikusirik
  • participles in -n or -l take -da and -ik: egin → eginda, eginik; esan → esanda; hil → hilda, hilik

2. Manner or state. The form says in what state someone does the action: Nekatuta iritsi zen. (He arrived tired.) Begiak itxita entzuten du musika. (She listens to music with her eyes closed.) This is the same form as in nekatuta nago, now used with other verbs.

3. Done first. A short phrase with -ta or -rik, usually at the start and followed by a comma, tells what was already finished before the main action: Lana bukaturik, etxera joan ginen. (With the work finished, we went home.) Liburua irakurrita, filma ikusi nahi nuen. (Having read the book, I wanted to see the film.) It is close to -tu eta gero, but it stresses the finished state more than the order of events.

4. A useful fixed use. ikusita often means "given" or "seeing": Eguraldia ikusita, etxean geratuko gara. (Given the weather, we will stay home.)

5. No plural. The form never changes for number: Nekatuta iritsi ziren (They arrived tired), not nekatutak.

6. The negative. To say something was not done, use -tu gabe: Gosaldu gabe irten naiz. (I left without having breakfast.)

Tip: Do not confuse this with nekatua naiz or egina dut. Those take the article -a and are covered in the resultative.

Examples (6)

  1. Nekatuta iritsi zen.

    He arrived tired.

    nekatu + -ta describes his state as he arrived. It can also mean "She arrived tired".

  2. Lana bukaturik, etxera joan ginen.

    With the work finished, we went home.

    bukatu + -rik: the work was done before we left.

  3. Begiak itxita entzuten du musika.

    She listens to music with her eyes closed.

    itxi + -ta describes how she listens.

  4. Liburua irakurrita, filma ikusi nahi nuen.

    Having read the book, I wanted to see the film.

    irakurri + -ta: the reading came first.

  5. Eguraldia ikusita, etxean geratuko gara.

    Given the weather, we will stay home.

    ikusita here means "given" or "seeing".

  6. Afaria eginda, telebista ikusi genuen.

    With dinner made, we watched television.

    egin ends in -n, so it takes -da.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out -ta.

    Nekatu iritsi zen.
    Nekatuta iritsi zen.

    The bare participle cannot describe a state. Add -ta or -rik: nekatuta or nekaturik.

  • Adding a plural ending.

    Nekatutak iritsi ziren.
    Nekatuta iritsi ziren.

    Forms in -ta and -rik work like adverbs, so they never take -k for the plural.

  • Using -ta after a participle in -n.

    Afaria eginta, telebista ikusi genuen.
    Afaria eginda, telebista ikusi genuen.

    After -n the ending is -da (eginda) or -ik (eginik), never -ta.

How It Connects

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

Having Done: -ta / -rikLevel 4Having Done: -ta, -rik

Learn This First

Adverbial -ta follows states.