-tako
Participles Before Nouns
Participle + -tako describes a noun with a finished action: erositako liburua (the book that was bought), egindako lana (the work done).
How It Works
1. Making the form. Start from the participle:
- ending in a vowel: add -tako: erosi → erositako, sartu → sartutako, etorri → etorritako
- ending in n or l: add -dako: egin → egindako, esan → esandako, eman → emandako, hil → hildako
2. What it means. The action is finished. With verbs that take an object, the noun is usually the thing acted on: lapurtutako autoa (the stolen car). With verbs like etorri (come), the noun is the person who did it: etorritako jendea (the people who came).
3. Adding details. Everything that belongs to the action comes before the participle: the doer with -k (zuk egindako), time (atzo erositako) and place (Bilbon erositako).
4. Compared with a full relative clause. A relative clause with -(e)n shows person and tense: erosi dudan liburua (the book I have bought). The -tako form leaves them out, which makes it handy when they are clear or unimportant.
5. Without a noun. Add -a to make it stand alone, as in a headless relative: esandakoa (what was said), egindakoak (the things done).
Tip: The variant -riko, used mostly in formal writing, means the same: idatziriko liburua = idatzitako liburua.
Examples (6)
- Goizean erositako ogia oso ona da.
The bread bought this morning is very good.
- Zuk egindako pastela goxoa dago.
The cake you made is delicious.
egin ends in n, so it takes -dako. zuk names the person who made it.
- Gaur jasotako mezua ez dut ulertu.
I haven't understood the message received today.
- Etorritako guztiei eskerrik asko!
Thank you to everyone who came!
With etorri (come), the noun is the people who did the action.
- Lapurtutako autoa aurkitu dute.
They have found the stolen car.
- Esandakoa egin dut.
I have done what was said.
With -a added, the form stands on its own as "what was said".
Common Mistakes
Using -tako after a participle ending in n.
Zuk egintako pastela goxoa dago.Zuk egindako pastela goxoa dago.After n and l the ending is -dako: egindako, esandako, hildako.
Putting the -tako form after the noun.
Liburu erositakoa irakurri dut.Erositako liburua irakurri dut.Like other -ko modifiers, the -tako form comes before the noun, and the article goes on the noun.
Leaving out the -k on the person who did the action.
Zu egindako pastela goxoa dago.Zuk egindako pastela goxoa dago.egin takes an object, so the person who made the cake keeps the ergative -k inside the -tako phrase, just as in Zuk pastela egin duzu.
How It Connects
Learn This First
-tako follows relative clauses and -ko.
Related Patterns
- -tu / -i / -nThe Dictionary Form of Verbs
-tako is added to the participle.
Level 1 - Phrase + -ko + NounLinking Phrases with -ko
-tako is a participle with the -ko that links phrases to nouns.
Level 3 - -(r)ikoParticiples in -riko
A formal written variant with the same meaning.
Level 5 - -(e)naThe One Who, What
Like -(e)na, -takoa can stand without a noun: esandakoa.
Level 3 - -ta / -rikDescribing States: Nekatuta Nago
Other participle forms that describe a finished state.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice -tako in Bubblegum
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