Liturgical Basque

Level 6

Prayers use third person commands to make a wish: santu izan bedi zure izena (hallowed be your name), etor bedi zure erreinua (your kingdom come).

How It Works

1. Wishes with bedi and beza. A wish about someone or something else uses the verb radical plus the third person command of the auxiliary, as in third person commands: bedi, beza:

  • santu izan bedi zure izena (hallowed be your name)
  • etor bedi zure erreinua (your kingdom come)
  • egin bedi zure nahia (your will be done)

bedi (from edin) is used when the sentence has no doer in the ergative; beza (from ezan) is used when it has one. So egin bedi zure nahia takes bedi: the will is done, and no doer is named. In everyday speech the same wish is more often said with the subjunctive and -la: etor dadila.

2. Speaking to God with zu. The prayer starts with a relative clause built on the verb zara (you are): Gure Aita, zeruetan zarena (Our Father, who are in heaven). This is the headless relative -(e)na used in the second person.

3. Commands with a receiver. Emaiguzu gaur egun honetako ogia (Give us this day our daily bread) uses a synthetic command of eman with guri (to us). Compare commands with a receiver: iezadazu. Plain participles also work as commands: barkatu gure zorrak (forgive us our debts).

4. Old and compact forms.

  • Lines with no verb: Agur, Maria, graziaz betea (Hail Mary, full of grace).
  • The proximal plural -ok in the genitive: gu bekatarion alde (for us sinners).
  • A reason with -(e)nez gero: guk ere gure zordunei barkatzen diegunez gero (as we too forgive our debtors). See since: -(e)nez.

Tip: bedi and beza are third person. To ask the person you are talking to, use a second person command: zatoz, etorri zaitez.

Examples (6)

  1. Santu izan bedi zure izena.

    Hallowed be your name.

    Word by Word: holy be may-it your name

    izan + bedi makes a wish about a third person or thing.

  2. Etor bedi zure erreinua.

    Your kingdom come.

    etorri uses its radical etor before bedi.

  3. Egin bedi zure nahia, zeruan bezala lurrean ere.

    Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

    zeruan bezala ... ere means "as in heaven, also ...".

  4. Emaiguzu gaur egun honetako ogia.

    Give us this day our daily bread.

    Word by Word: give-it-to-us today day this-of bread

    emaiguzu means "give it to us", a command with a receiver.

  5. Agur, Maria, graziaz betea, Jauna da zurekin.

    Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

    graziaz betea (full of grace) uses the instrumental -z with bete.

  6. Santa Maria, Jainkoaren Ama, erregutu ezazu gu bekatarion alde.

    Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners.

    bekatarion is bekatariok (we sinners) in the genitive, before alde (for).

Common Mistakes

  • Using bedi to tell the listener what to do.

    Etor bedi hona, mesedez.
    Zatoz hona, mesedez.

    Etor bedi hona means "let him or her come here". It does not speak to the listener. To ask the person in front of you, use zatoz or etorri zaitez.

  • Using beza with a verb that has no object.

    Etor beza zure erreinua.
    Etor bedi zure erreinua.

    etorri has no object and no doer in the ergative, so it takes bedi (from edin). beza (from ezan) is for sentences with a doer and an object: Egin beza berak lana (Let him do the work himself).

How It Connects

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

Liturgical BasqueLevel 6

Learn This First

Prayer language draws on commands and proximal plural forms.