besterik ez / bakarrik

Only

Level 3

Three ways to say only: Bi euro besterik ez ditut. and Bi euro baino ez ditut. (I only have two euros.) Ura bakarrik edaten dut. (I only drink water.)

How It Works

1. besterik ez. besterik is beste (other) with the partitive -(r)ik, so X besterik ez means "nothing other than X": Bi euro besterik ez ditut. The verb agrees with X: two euros, so ditut. On its own: Hori besterik ez. (That's all.)

2. baino ez. The same meaning with baino, the "than" of comparisons: Hamar urte baino ez ditu. (She is only ten.) baizik works the same way: Bi baizik ez dira etorri. (Only two have come.)

3. bakarrik. Put it right after the word it limits: Ura bakarrik edaten dut. It also means "alone": Bakarrik bizi da. (He lives alone.) So Ni bakarrik etorri naiz can mean "Only I have come" or "I have come alone". bakar-bakarrik means "all alone".

4. soilik. A more formal word for "only": Gaur soilik. (Today only.)

5. Not only ... but also. Use ez bakarrik ..., baita ... ere: Ez bakarrik gurasoei, baita lagunei ere esan diet. (I have told not only my parents but also my friends.) See ere.

Examples (6)

  1. Bi euro besterik ez ditut.

    I only have two euros.

    ez comes before the auxiliary ditut.

  2. Hamar urte baino ez ditu.

    She is only ten years old.

    Age uses ukan: hamar urte ditu.

  3. Ura bakarrik edaten dut.

    I only drink water.

  4. Ni bakarrik etorri naiz.

    Only I have come. / I have come alone.

    bakarrik can mean "only" or "alone" here.

  5. Bakarrik bizi da.

    He lives alone.

    It can also mean "She lives alone".

  6. Hori besterik ez da.

    That is all it is.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out ez with besterik.

    Bi euro besterik ditut.
    Bi euro besterik ez ditut.

    besterik means "nothing other", so the verb must be negative: besterik ez ditut.

  • Leaving out ez with baino.

    Hamar urte baino ditu.
    Hamar urte baino ez ditu.

    Without ez, baino expects a comparison, as in hamar urte baino gehiago (more than ten years). For "only", add ez.

How It Connects

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

besterik ez / bakarrikLevel 3Only

Learn This First

Only builds on beste and the partitive.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

bakarrikbainobeste