ninduen / zintudan

Past with Me and You as Objects

Level 3

The object comes first in these past forms: nind- (me), zint- (you), gint- (us). The doer comes at the end: ninduen (he or she ... me), zintudan (I ... you).

How It Works

Common forms.

  • Me as the object: ninduen (he or she), ninduzun (you), ninduten (they)
  • You as the object: zintudan (I), zintuen (he or she), zintugun (we), zintuzten (they)
  • Us as the object: gintuen (he or she), gintuzun (you), gintuzten (they)

How to read them. The start tells who received the action and the end tells who did it: nind-u-en is me + he or she, zint-u-da-n is you + I. Every form ends in -n, the past mark.

Why they are needed. The past of ukan (nuen, zuen) is for a third-person object: him, her, it. When the object is me, you or us, the verb must say so. These are the past forms of Me and You as Objects: Anek ikusi nau (Ane has seen me) → Anek ikusi ninduen (Ane saw me).

Pronouns are usually left out. Because the verb already shows both people, ni, zu, nik and zuk are often dropped: Ez ninduzun ikusi? (Didn't you see me?). See Leaving Out Pronouns.

Examples (6)

  1. Anek ikusi ninduen.

    Ane saw me.

    ninduen: he or she ... me.

  2. Atzo ez zintudan ezagutu.

    I didn't recognize you yesterday.

    zintudan: I ... you.

  3. Zure gurasoek etxera eraman ninduten.

    Your parents took me home.

  4. Aitak goiz esnatu gintuen.

    Dad woke us up early.

  5. Ez ninduzun ikusi?

    Didn't you see me?

  6. Festara gonbidatu zintuzten?

    Did they invite you to the party?

Common Mistakes

  • Using the third-person form when the object is me.

    Anek ni ikusi zuen.
    Anek ni ikusi ninduen.

    zuen is for him, her or it. When Ane saw me, the verb must show me: ninduen.

  • Mixing up zintudan and zintuen.

    Nik atzo ikusi zintuen.
    Nik atzo ikusi zintudan.

    zintuen means he or she saw you. When I saw you, the ending is -dan: zintudan.

How It Connects

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

ninduen / zintudanLevel 3Past with Me and You as Objects

Learn This First

Past me/you objects follow the present forms.

Words in This Pattern

nor norkedun