Relative non

Level 6

Alkate izan zen Donostian, non hil baitzen urte batzuk geroago. (He was mayor in Donostia, where he died a few years later.) The clause comes after the noun it describes.

How It Works

1. The pattern. Place noun, comma, non, then a verb with bait-:

  • Bilbora joan ginen, non lagun zahar batzuk baikenituen. (We went to Bilbao, where we had some old friends.)
  • Liburutegira sartu zen, non ez baitzegoen inor. (She went into the library, where there was nobody.)

Remember that bait- changes the sound of some verbs: bait- + genituen → baikenituen, bait- + nintzen → bainintzen.

2. -(e)n instead of bait-. Western writers often use -(e)n instead: ... non jaio nintzen. With past forms that already end in -n, this ending is not visible. The verb must be subordinate either way.

3. Adding, not choosing. These clauses usually add information about a place that is already clear, so a comma normally comes before non. To pick out which place you mean, use the ordinary relative: Bizi naizen herria txikia da (The town where I live is small); see relatives about places and times.

4. Style. The pattern is old and appears in texts from every dialect, but many 20th-century writers and grammarians avoided it as a copy of Spanish and French. It has come back in academic writing, translations and essays. In everyday speech, use the ordinary relative.

Note: Do not confuse it with the non of hain ... non, which introduces a result, or with the question word non (where?).

Examples (5)

  1. Etxea, non jaio bainintzen, zaharra da.

    The house, where I was born, is old.

  2. Alkate izan zen Donostian, non hil baitzen urte batzuk geroago.

    He was mayor in Donostia, where he died a few years later.

  3. Bilbora joan ginen, non lagun zahar batzuk baikenituen.

    We went to Bilbao, where we had some old friends.

    baikenituen is bait- + genituen.

  4. Liburutegira sartu zen, non ez baitzegoen inor.

    She went into the library, where there was nobody.

  5. Jaio nintzen etxea zaharra da.

    The house where I was born is old.

    The ordinary relative, which everyday Basque prefers.

Common Mistakes

  • Using non with an ordinary main-clause verb.

    Herria non bizi naiz oso txikia da.
    Bizi naizen herria oso txikia da.

    A verb inside a relative clause must be subordinate. non alone cannot turn bizi naiz into a relative; the natural Basque is the relative before the noun: bizi naizen herria.

  • Writing bait- without its sound change.

    Herri txiki batera joan ginen, non ez baitgenuen inor ezagutzen.
    Herri txiki batera joan ginen, non ez baikenuen inor ezagutzen.

    bait- joined to genuen is written baikenuen: t + g becomes k.

How It Connects

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Relative nonLevel 6

Learn This First

Relative non follows place relatives.

Words in This Pattern

non