nekien / neukan

Past of Jakin and Eduki

Level 2

For knew, use nekien (I knew), zenekien (you knew), zekien (he or she knew). For had, use neukan, zeneukan, zeukan: Txakur bat neukan (I had a dog).

How It Works

jakin (to know).

  • nik nekien (I knew)
  • zuk zenekien (you knew)
  • hark zekien (he or she knew)
  • guk genekien (we knew)
  • zuek zenekiten (you all knew)
  • haiek zekiten (they knew)

eduki (to have, to hold).

  • nik neukan (I had)
  • zuk zeneukan (you had)
  • hark zeukan (he or she had)
  • guk geneukan (we had)
  • zuek zeneukaten (you all had)
  • haiek zeukaten (they had)

Several things. When what someone had is plural, eduki adds -z-: neuzkan, zeneuzkan, zeuzkan, geneuzkan, zeneuzkaten, zeuzkaten. Bi katu neuzkan (I had two cats).

eduki or ukan. As in the present, eduki is most common in the South, and the past of ukan is just as correct: Txakur bat neukan or Txakur bat nuen.

Knew or found out. The one-word past nekien describes a state: what you knew then. jakin nuen, with the participle, reports an event: I found out. Atzo jakin nuen (I found out yesterday). See The Simple Past.

Examples (6)

  1. Ez nekien hori.

    I did not know that.

  2. Zenekien Ane Bilbon bizi zela?

    Did you know that Ane lived in Bilbao?

  3. Ikasleek ez zekiten erantzuna.

    The students did not know the answer.

  4. Txakur bat neukan.

    I had a dog.

  5. Aitonak baserri bat zeukan.

    Grandfather had a farmhouse.

  6. Txikitan bi katu neuzkan.

    As a child I had two cats.

    Two cats is plural, so eduki uses neuzkan.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the singular form for several things.

    Txikitan bi katu neukan.
    Txikitan bi katu neuzkan.

    When what you had is plural, eduki needs the -z- form: neuzkan.

  • Using jakin nuen for knew.

    Ez nuen jakin hori.
    Ez nekien hori.

    Ez nuen jakin means I did not find out. For a state in the past, I did not know, use nekien.

  • Using the hark form with zuk.

    Zuk ez zekien.
    Zuk ez zenekien.

    zekien is for hark. With zuk, the form is zenekien.

How It Connects

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

nekien / neukanLevel 2Past of Jakin and Eduki

Learn This First

These pasts build on jakin, eduki and ukan past.

Words in This Pattern

jakineduki