bizi izan

Living (Bizi Naiz)

Level 1

Bilbon bizi naiz. (I live in Bilbao.) Non bizi zara? (Where do you live?) Donostian bizi gara. (We live in Donostia.)

How It Works

The forms

  • Ni Bilbon bizi naiz.
  • Zu non bizi zara?
  • Ane Gasteizen bizi da.
  • Gu Donostian bizi gara.
  • Zuek Iruñean bizi zarete.
  • Haiek Baionan bizi dira.

The subject has no -k, because the naiz, zara, da auxiliary never takes an ergative subject. Dictionaries also list a -tzen form, bizitzen, but to say where you live now, bizi naiz is the normal way.

Place names
A name ending in a vowel adds -n: Bilbo → Bilbon. A name ending in a consonant adds -en: Gasteiz → Gasteizen, Madril → Madrilen. See Place Names and Case Endings.

Other tenses
bizi stays the same, and the auxiliary changes:

  • Lehen Madrilen bizi nintzen. (I used to live in Madrid.)
  • Bilbon bizi izan naiz. (I have lived in Bilbao.)
  • Bilbon biziko naiz. (I will live in Bilbao.)

Alive
bizi da can also mean “is alive”: Amona oraindik bizi da. (Grandma is still alive.)

Examples (6)

  1. Bilbon bizi naiz.

    I live in Bilbao.

    Word by Word: Bilbao-in living I-am

    Bilbo + -n; naiz is the izan auxiliary.

  2. Non bizi zara?

    Where do you live?

    non asks where something is.

  3. Donostian bizi gara.

    We live in Donostia.

    gara is the “we” form of izan.

  4. Nire gurasoak herri txiki batean bizi dira.

    My parents live in a small town.

    dira agrees with the plural gurasoak.

  5. Lehen Madrilen bizi nintzen.

    I used to live in Madrid.

    Only the auxiliary changes in the past: nintzen.

  6. Amona oraindik bizi da.

    Grandma is still alive.

    Here bizi means “alive”.

Common Mistakes

  • Using dut instead of naiz.

    Bilbon bizi dut.
    Bilbon bizi naiz.

    bizi works with izan, so the auxiliary is naiz, zara, da.

  • Using the “where to” ending.

    Bilbora bizi naiz.
    Bilbon bizi naiz.

    -ra shows movement toward a place. Where you live takes -n: Bilbon.

  • Adding -k to the person who lives.

    Nik Bilbon bizi naiz.
    Ni Bilbon bizi naiz.

    With naiz, zara, da the subject has no -k: ni, zu, Ane.

How It Connects

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

bizi izanLevel 1Living (Bizi Naiz)

Learn This First

bizi izan needs izan and the inessive.

Words in This Pattern

bizi izanizanbizi