egon: nago / zaude / dago

The Verb Egon (To Be Somewhere)

Level 1

egon says where someone or something is and how someone is right now: nago, zaude, dago, gaude, zaudete, daude. Non dago geltokia? (Where is the station?) Ondo nago (I am fine).

How It Works

The forms

  • ni nago I am
  • zu zaude you are (one person)
  • hura dago he, she or it is
  • gu gaude we are
  • zuek zaudete you are (more than one)
  • haiek daude they are

Egon needs no helper verb: dago is the whole verb.

Where someone or something is
Non dago geltokia? Where is the station? Gu Bilbon gaude. We are in Bilbao. Place words take the ending -n: see Where: -n (In, At, On) and Here, There and Over There.

How someone is right now
Zer moduz zaude? or Nola zaude? How are you? Ondo nago. I am fine. Ane gaixorik dago. Ane is ill. Later you will use forms like nekatuta (tired) with egon. See Describing States: nekatuta nago.

There is
Hemen kafetegi bat dago. There is a café here.

egon or izan?
What or who someone is takes izan: Ni irakaslea naiz. Where or how someone is right now takes egon: Ni etxean nago. See Choosing izan or egon and The Verb izan (to Be).

Regional note
In eastern varieties, including those of the Northern Basque Country, izan is also used for location (Non da?). That is correct Basque, not a mistake, and it also appears in standard writing. The egon forms here come from the western and central varieties; they are the most common choice in the Southern Basque Country and are what most Standard Basque courses teach.

Examples (6)

  1. Non dago geltokia?

    Where is the station?

    Word by Word: Where is station-the?

  2. Ondo nago, eskerrik asko.

    I am fine, thank you.

    Word by Word: Well am, thanks many.

    How you are right now takes egon.

  3. Zu non zaude?

    Where are you?

    Word by Word: You where are?

  4. Gu Bilbon gaude.

    We are in Bilbao.

    Word by Word: We Bilbao-in are.

  5. Liburuak han daude.

    The books are over there.

    Word by Word: Books-the over-there are.

  6. Ane gaixorik dago.

    Ane is ill.

    Word by Word: Ane ill is.

    Being ill is a state at the moment, so it takes egon.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the hura form with zu.

    Zu non dago?
    Zu non zaude?

    Dago is for hura. With zu, the form is zaude.

  • Using a singular verb with a plural subject.

    Liburuak han dago.
    Liburuak han daude.

    Liburuak is plural, so the verb must be daude.

  • Using egon to say what someone is.

    Ni irakaslea nago.
    Ni irakaslea naiz.

    A job is what you are, so it takes izan. Egon is for where you are or how you are right now.

How It Connects

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egon: nago / zaude / dagoLevel 1The Verb Egon (To Be Somewhere)

Learn This First

egon comes after izan and the place words.

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Words in This Pattern

egon