ala / ezta?

Or? and Isn't It?

Level 2

Use ala for "or" when you ask someone to choose: Kafea ala tea? (Coffee or tea?) Add ezta? at the end of a statement to ask for agreement: Polita da, ezta? (It's pretty, isn't it?)

How It Works

ala: choosing in a question. edo is the everyday word for "or". In questions, Basque also has ala, which asks the listener to pick one option:

  • Trenez ala autobusez joango zara? (Will you go by train or by bus?)
  • Etorriko zara ala ez? (Are you coming or not?)
  • Kafea ala tea? (Coffee or tea?)

Edo is always correct too, even in questions. Ala makes it clear that you expect one of the options as the answer, so you answer with that option, not with bai: Kafea ala tea? Tea, mesedez.

Ala also works in indirect questions: Ez dakit bihar ala etzi den (I don't know whether it is tomorrow or the day after). In ordinary statements, use edo. In a statement, ala has a different meaning ("no matter whether"), mostly in the northeast.

ezta?: asking for agreement. Put ezta? after a statement, with a comma:

  • Polita da, ezta? (It's pretty, isn't it?)
  • Zuk euskara badakizu, ezta? (You know Basque, don't you?)
  • Bihar etorriko zara, ezta? (You'll come tomorrow, won't you?)

Unlike English, you never need to match the verb or the person. The same ezta? fits every sentence.

Don't confuse this tag with ezta ... ere (not even, nor either), which uses the same word inside a negative sentence.

Examples (6)

  1. Kafea ala tea?

    Coffee or tea?

  2. Etorriko zara ala ez?

    Are you coming or not?

  3. Trenez ala autobusez joango zara?

    Will you go by train or by bus?

  4. Polita da, ezta?

    It's pretty, isn't it?

  5. Zuk euskara badakizu, ezta?

    You know Basque, don't you?

    ezta? stays the same whatever the verb is.

  6. Gaur ostirala da, ezta?

    Today is Friday, isn't it?

Common Mistakes

  • Answering an ala question with bai.

    Trenez ala autobusez? Bai.
    Trenez ala autobusez? Trenez.

    An ala question asks you to choose, so the answer names one of the options.

  • Copying the verb into the tag, as English does with "don't you?".

    Zuk euskara badakizu, ez dakizu?
    Zuk euskara badakizu, ezta?

    Ez dakizu? is a new question that means "Don't you know?", so it does not ask for agreement. The agreement tag is always ezta?, whatever the verb.

How It Connects

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

ala / ezta?Level 2Or? and Isn't It?

Learn This First

ala and ezta? build on questions and edo.

Words in This Pattern

alaezta