hain ... non

So ... That

Level 4

First say how much with hain (so), then the result with non and a bait- verb: Hain garestia zen, non ez baikenuen erosi. (It was so expensive that we did not buy it.)

How It Works

The two parts.

  • The first clause has hain before an adjective or adverb (hain nekatuta, hain ondo), or hainbeste for amounts (hainbeste jan, hainbeste lagun). See hain and horren.
  • The second clause starts with non and gives the result.

The verb in the result clause. It takes bait- or the relative -(e)n:

  • Hain gezurtia da, non inork ez baitio sinesten. (He is such a liar that nobody believes him.)
  • Hain zen garestia, non ez genuen erosi. (It was so expensive that we did not buy it.) genuen already ends in -n.

The Academy advises against ending the result clause in -(e)la (non ez dela sartzen). This is common in Southern everyday speech, but it has no tradition in the language.

Order. The non clause always follows. For a quick spoken version, you can put the result first and the hain clause after a colon, with no non: Ezin du lorik egin: hain dago urduri. (He cannot sleep: he is so nervous.)

horren for hain. In the South, horren often replaces hain: Horren ondo abesten du, non denak isiltzen baitira. (She sings so well that everyone goes quiet.) In careful writing, ezen can replace non.

Examples (6)

  1. Hain nekatuta nengoen, non berehala lo hartu bainuen.

    I was so tired that I fell asleep at once.

    bait + nuen = bainuen.

  2. Hain gezurtia da, non inork ez baitio sinesten.

    He is such a liar that nobody believes him.

  3. Hainbeste jan nuen, non ezin bainintzen mugitu.

    I ate so much that I could not move.

    hainbeste goes with verbs and nouns.

  4. Hain zen garestia, non ez genuen erosi.

    It was so expensive that we did not buy it.

    Here the verb uses -(e)n instead of bait-.

  5. Horren ondo abesten du, non denak isiltzen baitira.

    She sings so well that everyone goes quiet.

    horren is a common Southern alternative to hain.

  6. Ezin du lorik egin: hain dago urduri.

    He cannot sleep: he is so nervous.

    A spoken version without non.

Common Mistakes

  • Ending the non clause in -(e)la.

    Hain nekatuta nengoen, non berehala lo hartu nuela.
    Hain nekatuta nengoen, non berehala lo hartu bainuen.

    The result clause after non takes bait- or -(e)n. The -(e)la form is heard in speech, but the Academy does not recommend it.

  • Putting the non clause first.

    Non inork ez baitio sinesten, hain gezurtia da.
    Hain gezurtia da, non inork ez baitio sinesten.

    The hain clause comes first and the non clause follows it.

  • Using hain with a verb to mean "so much".

    Hain jan nuen, non ezin bainintzen mugitu.
    Hainbeste jan nuen, non ezin bainintzen mugitu.

    hain goes before adjectives and adverbs: hain nekatuta, hain ondo. For how much you did something, or how many things there were, use hainbeste.

How It Connects

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

hain ... nonLevel 4So ... That

Learn This First

The degree word hain introduces a result clause whose finite verb uses subordinate morphology.

Words in This Pattern

hain