dio

Says: Dio

Level 4

Besides esan dut (I have said) and esaten dut (I say), esan has its own present forms: diot (I say), diozu (you say), dio (he, she or it says). Zer diozu? means What are you saying?

How It Works

The forms.

  • Present: nik diot, zuk diozu, hark dio, guk diogu, zuek diozue, haiek diote
  • Past: nioen, zenioen, zioen, genioen, zenioten, zioten

When to use it. The synthetic form is common for what someone is saying right now, what a text or sign says, and what people say in general:

  • Zer dio kartelak? (What does the sign say?)
  • Jendeak dio bihar greba dagoela. (People say there is a strike tomorrow.) The statement goes in a -(e)la clause.
  • Hori diot nik ere. (That is what I say too.)

For habits use esaten du, and for a finished act esan du: Beti gauza bera esaten du (He always says the same thing). Zer esan du? (What has he said?)

Two different diots. The same letters appear in the nor-nori-nork auxiliary. Look for a participle before it: Egia diozu means You are right (literally, you say the truth), while Egia esan diozu means You have told him the truth, with diozu as the auxiliary.

Formal forms with a listener. Older and formal texts also use forms that include the person spoken to, such as diotsut (I tell you) and diotsuet (I tell you all). In everyday Basque, say esaten dizut.

Examples (6)

  1. Zer dio kartelak?

    What does the sign say?

    kartelak is ergative: the sign is the one saying.

  2. Jendeak dio bihar greba dagoela.

    People say there is a strike tomorrow.

    The statement is a -(e)la clause.

  3. Zer diozu? Ez dizut entzuten.

    What are you saying? I can't hear you.

    diozu is the zuk form.

  4. Egunkariak dio euria egingo duela.

    The newspaper says it will rain.

  5. Egia diozu.

    You are right.

    Literally, you say the truth. Compare Egia esan diozu, You have told him the truth.

  6. Hori zioen aitonak.

    That is what Grandpa used to say.

    zioen is the past form.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the subject without the ergative.

    Egunkaria dio euria egingo duela.
    Egunkariak dio euria egingo duela.

    dio is transitive, so the one who says takes -k: egunkariak, jendeak, Anek.

  • Using the wrong person form.

    Zer dio zuk?
    Zer diozu zuk?

    The verb agrees with the subject: zuk needs diozu. dio is the form for hark.

How It Connects

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

dioLevel 4Says: Dio

Learn This First

Synthetic esan forms must be distinguished from similar-looking receiver auxiliaries and can introduce reported content.

Words in This Pattern