edin / ezan

The Roots Edin and Ezan

Level 5

Forms like zaitez, daiteke, dadin belong to edin. Forms like ezazu, dezake, dezan belong to ezan.

How It Works

1. The same split as izan and ukan. Verbs that take naiz, da in the perfect (etorri, joan, eseri) use edin. Verbs that take dut, du (egin, ireki, ikusi) use ezan. With a receiver there are dative versions too: dakion (edin) and diezaion, iezaiozu (ezan).

2. Where you meet them.

  • Subjunctive: edin nadin, zaitezen, dadin; ezan dezadan, dezazun, dezan. See dadin, dezan.
  • Potential: edin naiteke, zaitezke, daiteke; ezan dezaket, dezakezu, dezake. See naiteke, dezaket.
  • Commands: edin zaitez, zaitezte, bedi; ezan ezazu, ezazue, beza. See zaitez, ezazu and bedi, beza.
  • Hypothetical potential: edin ninteke; ezan nezake. Past subjunctive: edin nendin, zedin; ezan nezan, zezan.

The main verb always comes first, in the radical: etor, ireki, uler.

3. One twist: "it can be done". Without a doer, a transitive verb also uses edin: Hori egin daiteke (That can be done). See impersonal daiteke.

4. A spotting tip. Most ezan forms contain eza: dezake, dezan, ezazu, beza, nezake, diezaion. With several things, they contain itza instead: ditzake, itzazu, bitza. edin forms contain neither: nadin, daiteke, zaitez, bedi.

5. History. In older Basque these auxiliaries also made a simple past tense. Today they only appear in the moods above. Western speech often uses egin in place of ezan: esan daikezu for esan dezakezu.

Examples (6)

  1. Etor zaitez!

    Come!

    zaitez is from edin, because etorri takes izan.

  2. Ireki ezazu leihoa.

    Open the window.

    ezazu is from ezan, because ireki takes ukan.

  3. Eser naiteke?

    May I sit down?

    naiteke is the potential of edin.

  4. Egin dezakezu.

    You can do it.

    dezakezu is the potential of ezan.

  5. Poliki hitz egingo dut, uler dezazun.

    I will speak slowly so that you understand.

    dezazun is the subjunctive of ezan.

  6. Has gaitezen!

    Let's begin!

    gaitezen is the subjunctive of edin.

Common Mistakes

  • Using an ezan form with a nor verb.

    Etor ezazu!
    Etor zaitez!

    etorri takes izan (etorri naiz), so its command comes from edin: zaitez.

  • Using an edin form with a nor-nork verb.

    Ireki zaitez leihoa.
    Ireki ezazu leihoa.

    ireki takes ukan here (ireki dut), so the command comes from ezan: ezazu.

  • Using dezaket with a nor verb.

    Joan dezaket.
    Joan naiteke.

    joan takes izan (joan naiz), so "I can go" uses the edin potential naiteke.

How It Connects

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

edin / ezanLevel 5The Roots Edin and Ezan

Learn This First

edin and ezan tie together the potential, commands and subjunctive.

Words in This Pattern

edinezan