hain / horren

So and How!

Level 3

hain and horren mean so or that before a describing word: hain polita (so pretty), ez da horren zaila (it is not that hard). To say "How ...!" or "What a ...!", use Zein polita! or A zer eguna!

How It Works

1. hain and horren: so, that. They go right before an adjective or adverb: hain polita (so pretty), hain berandu (so late), horren zaila (that hard), horren goiz (that early). With a noun, hain comes before the noun: hain etxe handia (such a big house).

2. Which one? horren is linked to hori (that, near you) in hau, hori, hura, so it means "to that degree", the one just mentioned: Ez da horren zaila. (It is not as hard as that.) hain fits almost everywhere: Ez da hain zaila. There is also honen (this much): honen handia (this big).

3. Exclamations.

  • hain + adjective + verb: Hain polita da! (It is so pretty!)
  • zein + adjective: Zein polita! (How pretty!) If you add a verb, it takes -(e)n, as in indirect questions: Zein polita den!
  • bai + adjective + verb with -(e)la, as in that clauses: Bai polita dela! (It really is pretty!)
  • a zer + noun: A zer eguna! (What a day!) a is a cry like "oh". You can also say Zer eguna! or the longer A zer nolako eguna!

In everyday speech you will also hear ze for zer: Ze polita!

4. Do not confuse. Ez da hori zaila uses hori (that thing) and means "That is not hard". Ez da horren zaila means "It is not that hard".

Tip: To compare with something named, use bezain: zu bezain altua. To add a result, use hain ... non.

Examples (6)

  1. Ez da horren zaila.

    It is not that hard.

    horren: to that degree.

  2. Hain polita da!

    It is so pretty!

  3. Zein polita!

    How pretty!

    zein + adjective, with no verb.

  4. Zein ondo abesten duen!

    How well she sings!

    With a verb, zein needs -(e)n: du → duen.

  5. Bai polita dela!

    It really is pretty!

    bai exclamations add -(e)la to the verb: da → dela.

  6. A zer eguna!

    What a day!

    a is a cry like "oh". Zer eguna! also works.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the verb without -(e)n after zein.

    Zein polita da!
    Zein polita den!

    In standard Basque, the verb in a zein exclamation takes -(e)n: den. You can also leave the verb out: Zein polita!

  • Using a plain verb in a bai exclamation.

    Bai polita da!
    Bai polita dela!

    As an answer, "Bai, polita da." means "Yes, it is pretty." To exclaim, the verb needs -(e)la: dela.

  • Using hori (that thing) to mean "that much".

    Ez da hori zaila.
    Ez da horren zaila.

    For "It is not that hard", use horren. Ez da hori zaila talks about a thing: "That is not hard".

How It Connects

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

hain / horrenLevel 3So and How!

Learn This First

So and how build on bezain and demonstratives.

Words in This Pattern

hainzer