-ak

The Plural Article -ak

Level 1

Add -ak for "the" with more than one: etxeak (the houses), mendiak (the mountains), neskak (the girls).

How It Works

How to add it

  • etxe → etxeak (the houses)
  • mendi → mendiak (the mountains)
  • lagun → lagunak (the friends)
  • neska → neskak (the girls): the final -a merges with the article.

The whole sentence agrees
With a plural subject, the verb is plural too, and so is an adjective that describes it after izan:

  • Lagunak etorri dira. The friends have come.
  • Mendiak altuak dira. The mountains are high.

See Describing With izan.

Numbers
After a number, the noun normally has no article: hiru liburu (three books). With the article, hiru liburuak means "the three books". See Numbers and Nouns.

The same ending with another job
-ak can also be the singular "the" plus the ergative -k: Neskak ogia erosi du means "The girl has bought the bread", while Neskak etorri dira means "The girls have come". The verb tells you which one it is. See The Two Meanings of -ak.

With other case endings the plural shows up as -e-, as in etxeetan (in the houses). See Plural Case Endings.

Examples (6)

  1. Etxeak handiak dira.

    The houses are big.

    Word by Word: Houses-the big-the(pl) are.

  2. Mendiak oso altuak dira.

    The mountains are very high.

    Word by Word: Mountains-the very high-the(pl) are.

  3. Neskak parkean daude.

    The girls are in the park.

    Word by Word: Girls-the park-the-in are.

    Neska + -ak gives neskak, with one a.

  4. Lagunak etorri dira.

    The friends have come.

    Word by Word: Friends-the come are.

  5. Liburuak mahaian daude.

    The books are on the table.

    Word by Word: Books-the table-the-in are.

  6. Hiru liburu erosi ditut.

    I have bought three books.

    Word by Word: Three book bought have(pl).

    After a number the noun has no -ak when you mean just "three books".

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -ak to a word ending in -a without merging the a.

    Neskaak etorri dira.
    Neskak etorri dira.

    The final -a of neska merges with the article, so the plural is neskak.

  • Using a singular verb with a plural subject.

    Lagunak etorri da.
    Lagunak etorri dira.

    Lagunak is plural, so the verb must be plural too: dira.

  • Leaving the describing adjective singular.

    Mendiak altua dira.
    Mendiak altuak dira.

    After izan, the adjective takes the plural article when the subject is plural.

How It Connects

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

-akLevel 1The Plural Article -ak

Learn This First

The plural article builds on the singular article.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.