hemen / hor / han
Here, There and Over There
hemen means here, hor means there (near you) and han means over there. Hemen bizi naiz (I live here). Han dago (It is over there).
How It Works
Three distances
- hemen: here, near me. Hemen bizi naiz. I live here.
- hor: there, near you. Zure giltzak hor daude. Your keys are there, by you.
- han: over there, far from both of us. Geltokia han dago. The station is over there.
They match the demonstratives. See This, That and That Over There.
Where something is
These words usually go with egon or with bizi izan: Hemen nago (I am here). See The Verb egon (to Be Somewhere).
Moving to or from a place
With verbs of movement, use the "to" and "from" forms:
- hona, horra, hara: to here, to there, to over there
- hemendik, hortik, handik: from here, from there, from over there
Hona etorri naiz (I have come here). See To Here and To There and Where From: -tik.
Asking where
The question word is non: Non dago? Where is it? See Where, Where To and Where From.
Examples (5)
- Hemen bizi naiz.
I live here.
Word by Word: Here living am.
- Zure giltzak hor daude.
Your keys are there (by you).
Word by Word: Your keys-the there are.
Hor points to a place near the listener.
- Geltokia han dago.
The station is over there.
Word by Word: Station-the over-there is.
- Ane hemen dago?
Is Ane here?
Word by Word: Ane here is?
- Hor zaude?
Are you there?
Word by Word: There are-you?
A natural question on the phone: the listener is "there".
Common Mistakes
Using hona (to here) to say where someone is.
Hona nago.Hemen nago.Hona means "to here" and goes with movement. To say where you are, use hemen.
Using hemen with a verb of movement.
Hemen etorri naiz.Hona etorri naiz.Coming or going needs the "to" form: hona (to here), horra, hara.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Place adverbs mirror the three demonstratives.
Related Patterns
- egon: nago / zaude / dagoThe Verb Egon (To Be Somewhere)
Egon is the usual verb for saying where something is: Hemen nago.
Level 1 - hona / horra / haraTo Here and to There
The "to here" and "to there" forms for movement.
Level 2 - non / nora / nondikWhere, Where to and Where from
Non (where) is the question these words answer.
Level 1 - -tikWhere from: -tik
Hemendik, hortik and handik are the "from" forms.
Level 1 - -nWhere: -n (In, At, On)
Other places take the ending -n to say where: etxean.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice hemen / hor / han in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Basque lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
