Today or Before Today?

Level 2

Ask yourself when it happened. Today: say ikusi dut. Before today: say ikusi nuen.

How It Works

Today and now: present perfect. Use the present perfect with gaur, gaur goizean (this morning), aste honetan (this week), aurten (this year) and orain arte (until now): Gaur goizean kafea edan dut (I drank coffee this morning). With no time word at all, it gives recent news: Mikel etorri da (Mikel has arrived).

Before today: simple past. Use the simple past with atzo, herenegun (the day before yesterday), joan den astean (last week), iaz, duela bi urte (two years ago) and dates: Atzo kafea edan nuen.

Life experience. A question with inoiz (ever) asks about your life up to now, so it takes the present perfect: Inoiz Parisen egon zara? (Have you ever been to Paris?) Once you say when, switch to the past: Bai, duela bost urte egon nintzen.

The same verb, two auxiliaries. Only the auxiliary changes, and the participle stays the same: ikusi dut / ikusi nuen, joan naiz / joan nintzen. See Days and Times of Day and Every Day, Ago and In for the time words.

Regional note. This is how most Southern speakers talk, and it is the usage taught here. Euskaltzaindia's grammar notes that the eastern dialects, including those of the Northern Basque Country, also use the present perfect for events before today: Atzo etorri da. You will hear it there, and it is not a mistake in those varieties.

Examples (6)

  1. Gaur goizean Ane ikusi dut.

    I saw Ane this morning.

    This morning is still today, so the present auxiliary dut.

  2. Atzo Ane ikusi nuen.

    I saw Ane yesterday.

    Yesterday is before today, so the past auxiliary nuen.

  3. Aste honetan asko ikasi dugu.

    We have learned a lot this week.

  4. Joan den astean asko ikasi genuen.

    We learned a lot last week.

  5. Inoiz Parisen egon zara?

    Have you ever been to Paris?

    inoiz asks about your life up to now.

  6. Bai, duela bost urte egon nintzen.

    Yes, I was there five years ago.

    Once a past time is given, the past auxiliary follows.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the past auxiliary for something that happened today.

    Gaur goizean kafea edan nuen.
    Gaur goizean kafea edan dut.

    In standard Basque, gaur and gaur goizean belong to today, so the verb takes the present perfect: edan dut.

  • Using the past auxiliary with a time frame that includes now.

    Aste honetan asko ikasi genuen.
    Aste honetan asko ikasi dugu.

    This week is not over, so it takes the present perfect. Use genuen with joan den astean (last week).

How It Connects

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Today or Before Today?Level 2

Learn This First

The choice follows the simple past.

Words in This Pattern

edun