aldiz / berriz
On the Other Hand
Use aldiz or berriz to contrast two people or things: Ni goiz jaikitzen naiz; Ane, aldiz, berandu (I get up early; Ane, on the other hand, gets up late).
How It Works
Where they go. Put aldiz or berriz right after the part of the second clause that contrasts with the first. Commas usually go around it:
- Hemen euria ari du; Bilbon, aldiz, eguzkia dago. (the places contrast)
- Lehen oso txarra zen; orain, berriz, onenetako bat da. (the times contrast)
They can also come at the start or end of a clause, but after the contrasted word is the most usual place.
Leaving out the verb. When the verb would repeat, you can drop it: Ni goiz jaikitzen naiz; Ane, aldiz, berandu. The contrasted word keeps the case it would have with the missing verb. With a transitive verb, it stays in the ergative: Nik kafea nahi dut; Anek, berriz, tea.
Compared with ordea. ordea goes in the same place. aldiz and berriz simply set two facts side by side. ordea leans a little more toward but, as if the second fact goes against what you might expect.
berriz meaning again. Without commas, just before the verb, berriz means again, like berriro: Bihar berriz etorriko naiz (I will come again tomorrow). Context and the commas tell the two uses apart.
Examples (6)
- Ni goiz jaikitzen naiz; Ane, aldiz, berandu.
I get up early; Ane, on the other hand, gets up late.
The repeated verb jaikitzen da is left out.
- Nire anaiak futbola maite du; nik, berriz, saskibaloia.
My brother loves football; I, on the other hand, love basketball.
nik stays ergative because the missing verb, maite dut, is transitive.
- Hemen euria ari du; Bilbon, aldiz, eguzkia dago.
It is raining here; in Bilbao, on the other hand, it is sunny.
- Lehen oso txarra zen; orain, berriz, onenetako bat da.
It used to be very bad; now, on the other hand, it is one of the best.
- Esatea erraza da; egitea, aldiz, askoz zailagoa.
Saying it is easy; doing it is much harder.
- Bihar berriz etorriko naiz.
I will come again tomorrow.
Here berriz means again.
Common Mistakes
Dropping the ergative when the missing verb is transitive.
Nik kafea nahi dut; Ane, aldiz, tea.Nik kafea nahi dut; Anek, aldiz, tea.The verb nahi du is only left out, not changed. Ane is still the one who wants, so she stays in the ergative: Anek.
How It Connects
Learn This First
On the other hand follows the linking words.
Related Patterns
- eta / edo / bainaAnd, Or, But
baina starts a clause and says but; aldiz and berriz sit inside the second clause.
Level 1 - gainera / izan ere / hau daMoreover, In Fact, That Is
More connectors, which add a point, give a reason or explain.
Level 4 - -kThe Ergative Case -k
The contrasted word keeps its ergative -k when the dropped verb is transitive.
Level 1 - hortaz / halaber / dena denFormal Connectors
Connectors for more formal writing.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice aldiz / berriz in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Basque lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
