izan: naiz / zara / da

The Verb Izan (To Be)

Level 1

izan says what or who someone or something is. Its present forms are naiz, zara, da, gara, zarete, dira: Ni ikaslea naiz (I am a student).

How It Works

The forms

  • ni naiz I am
  • zu zara you are (one person)
  • hura da he, she or it is
  • gu gara we are
  • zuek zarete you are (more than one)
  • haiek dira they are

What izan is used for

  • Names and identity: Ni Ane naiz. I am Ane.
  • Jobs and roles: Zu irakaslea zara. You are a teacher.
  • Where someone is from, with -ko: Haiek Donostiakoak dira. They are from Donostia. See Of a Place: -ko.
  • Descriptions: Etxea handia da. The house is big. See Describing With izan.
  • Days and dates: Gaur astelehena da. Today is Monday.

The noun or adjective usually takes the article, so English "a student" is ikaslea here.

izan or egon?
For where someone is, or how someone is right now, Standard Basque usually uses a different verb, egon: Etxean nago (I am at home), Ondo nago (I am fine). See Choosing izan or egon.

Negative
Put ez before the verb form and move it forward: Ez naiz irakaslea (I am not a teacher). See Negation With ez.

Also a helper verb
The same forms help build past events with some verbs: etorri naiz (I have come). See The Present Perfect.

Examples (6)

  1. Ni ikaslea naiz.

    I am a student.

    Word by Word: I student-the am.

  2. Zu irakaslea zara.

    You are a teacher.

    Word by Word: You teacher-the are.

  3. Hura medikua da.

    He is a doctor. / She is a doctor.

    Word by Word: That-one doctor-the is.

  4. Gu lagunak gara.

    We are friends.

    Word by Word: We friends-the are.

  5. Zuek anai-arrebak zarete?

    Are you brothers and sisters?

    Word by Word: You-all siblings-the are?

    Zarete is used when talking to two or more people.

  6. Haiek Donostiakoak dira.

    They are from Donostia.

    Word by Word: They Donostia-of-the(pl) are.

    The ending -koak says where they are from.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a form that does not match the subject.

    Ni ikaslea da.
    Ni ikaslea naiz.

    Da is for hura. With ni, the form is naiz.

  • Using the singular da with a plural subject.

    Haiek lagunak da.
    Haiek lagunak dira.

    Haiek is plural, so the verb must be dira.

  • Using egon to say what someone is.

    Ni irakaslea nago.
    Ni irakaslea naiz.

    Being a teacher is what you are, so it takes izan. Egon is for where you are or how you are right now.

How It Connects

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

izan: naiz / zara / daLevel 1The Verb Izan (To Be)

Learn This First

izan is learned together with the pronouns it agrees with.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 1 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

izan