The Focus Goes Before the Verb

Level 1

Basque puts the most important new information right before the verb. This place is called the focus (galdegaia): Non bizi zara? — Bilbon bizi naiz.

How It Works

Every Basque sentence has a place just before the verb for the focus (galdegaia): the new, important or contrasted information. Whatever stands there gets the main stress.

Questions and answers. A question word fills the focus place, and so does the answer: Non bizi zara? — Bilbon bizi naiz. Nork ekarri du ogia? — Anek ekarri du. Noiz etorriko zara? — Bihar etorriko naiz. Information that is already known can be left out or placed after the verb: Anek ekarri du ogia. See question word before the verb.

The same words, a different focus. In a neutral statement the order is usually subject, object, verb, so the object sits closest to the verb: Anek ogia ekarri du (Ane has brought the bread). Move Ane into the focus place and the sentence stresses her: Ogia Anek ekarri du (It was Ane who brought the bread). See subject-object-verb word order.

Nothing comes between. With a two-part verb, the focus stands before the main verb, and the auxiliary follows: Bilbon bizi naiz, Bihar etorriko naiz. No other word goes between the focus and the verb, except the question marker al: Hemen al dago? (Is it here?) See yes-no questions with al.

When the verb itself is the news. Sometimes the news is simply that something is true. A one-word verb then takes ba-: Badakit (I do know). See affirmative ba-. A two-part verb moves to the front instead: Hartuko dut kafea (I will have the coffee). To stress the action itself, Basque adds egin; see verb focus with egin.

Negative sentences have their own order: ez and the auxiliary come first, and the main verb follows, as in Ez gara menditik etorri (We have not come from the mountain). See negation with ez. The topic, what the sentence is about, usually comes first; that is taught later in topic and focus.

Examples (6)

  1. Non bizi zara? — Bilbon bizi naiz.

    Where do you live? — I live in Bilbao.

    Bilbon answers non, so it stands right before bizi naiz.

  2. Nork ekarri du ogia? — Anek ekarri du.

    Who brought the bread? — Ane did.

    Word by Word: Who-erg brought has bread-the? — Ane-erg brought has.

  3. Anek ogia ekarri du.

    Ane has brought the bread.

    Neutral order: ogia sits closest to the verb.

  4. Ogia Anek ekarri du.

    It was Ane who brought the bread.

    Word by Word: Bread-the Ane-erg brought has.

    Anek is now the focus.

  5. Zer erosi duzu? — Ogia erosi dut.

    What did you buy? — I bought bread.

  6. Noiz etorriko zara? — Bihar etorriko naiz.

    When will you come? — I will come tomorrow.

Common Mistakes

  • Letting another word sit between the answer and the verb.

    Nork ekarri du ogia? — Anek ogia ekarri du.
    Nork ekarri du ogia? — Anek ekarri du.

    In Anek ogia ekarri du, ogia sits in the focus place, so it answers what Ane brought. To answer who, put Anek right before the verb.

  • Separating the question word from the verb.

    Zer Anek erosi du?
    Zer erosi du Anek?

    A question word is always the focus, so it must stand right before the verb. The subject moves after it.

How It Connects

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

The Focus Goes Before the VerbLevel 1

Learn This First

The focus rule builds on basic word order.