dirudi / badirudi
It Seems: Dirudi
Dirudi means it seems or it looks: Erraza dirudi (It looks easy). Badirudi followed by a clause in -(e)la means it looks like: Badirudi euria egingo duela (It looks like it will rain).
How It Works
What can come before dirudi.
- An adjective or noun with the article: Erraza dirudi (It looks easy), Gezurra dirudi (It's hard to believe, literally it seems a lie)
- A state in -ta or -rik: Nekatuta dirudizu (You look tired), Pozik dirudi (He looks happy)
- A noun with bat: Ume bat dirudi (He looks like a child)
Badirudi + -(e)la. To say that something seems to be true, put the statement in a -(e)la clause. If dirudi comes first, it needs ba-, just like badakit: Badirudi euria egingo duela. If the clause comes first, dirudi can follow it directly: Euria egingo duela dirudi.
In the negative. After ez dirudi, the clause usually ends in -(e)nik: Ez dirudi zaila denik (It does not seem to be hard).
Related ways to say it. In everyday speech ematen du is very common: Nekatuta ematen duzu, Euria egingo duela ematen du. To say how something seems to someone, use iruditzen zait: Ondo iruditzen zait (It seems fine to me). Dirudienez means apparently: Dirudienez, ez da etorriko.
Examples (6)
- Nekatuta dirudizu.
You look tired.
dirudizu agrees with zuk.
- Ariketa honek erraza dirudi.
This exercise looks easy.
The subject ariketa honek is ergative.
- Badirudi euria egingo duela.
It looks like it will rain.
ba- + dirudi, followed by a -(e)la clause.
- Etxe horrek zaharra dirudi.
That house looks old.
- Pozik zirudien atzo.
She seemed happy yesterday.
zirudien is the past of dirudi.
- Gezurra dirudi!
It's hard to believe!
Literally, it seems a lie.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out ba- when dirudi opens the sentence.
Dirudi euria egingo duela.Badirudi euria egingo duela.A synthetic verb that starts an affirmative sentence, with nothing focused before it, takes ba-, as in badakit. Without ba-, put the clause first: Euria egingo duela dirudi.
Using an absolutive subject.
Etxe hori zaharra dirudi.Etxe horrek zaharra dirudi.dirudi works like a nor-nork verb, so the thing that seems takes the ergative -k, like the subject of du.
How It Connects
Learn This First
It seems needs the that clause and ba-.
Related Patterns
- iruditzen zait / falta zait / axola zaitMore Verbs Like Gustatzen Zait
iruditu, the nor-nori verb from the same root: how something seems to someone.
Level 3 - Saying Verb + -(e)nezApparently, As They Say
dirudienez, apparently, built from dirudi.
Level 4 - -(e)nikThat in Negative Sentences
The clause ending used after ez dirudi.
Level 3 - -ta / -rikDescribing States: Nekatuta Nago
Forms such as nekatuta and pozik that often come before dirudi.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice dirudi / badirudi in Bubblegum
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