-egi

Too: -egi

Level 2

Add -egi for "too": handiegia (too big), beranduegi (too late). Kafea beroegia dago (The coffee is too hot).

How It Works

1. Making the form. handi → handiegi, txiki → txikiegi, garesti → garestiegi, luze → luzeegi, berandu → beranduegi, goiz → goizegi (too early). A final -r usually doubles: zahar → zaharregi, azkar → azkarregi (too fast).

2. With or without the article. Describing a thing, it takes -a or -ak like any adjective: Soinekoa luzeegia da (The dress is too long), Zapatak txikiegiak dira (The shoes are too small). As an adverb it has no article: Beranduegi iritsi naiz (I have arrived too late).

3. Too much, too many: gehiegi. It follows the noun: jende gehiegi (too many people), gatz gehiegi (too much salt). With a verb: Gehiegi jan dut (I have eaten too much). gutxiegi means "too little, too few".

4. Too ... to. Add a verb with -tzeko: Hotzegi dago hondartzara joateko.

5. "Very" is different. oso only says "very": oso garestia (very expensive). garestiegia says it is more than you can or want to pay.

Examples (6)

  1. Kafea beroegia dago.

    The coffee is too hot.

  2. Jaka hau garestiegia da.

    This jacket is too expensive.

  3. Beranduegi iritsi gara.

    We have arrived too late.

    An adverb, so no article.

  4. Zapata hauek txikiegiak dira.

    These shoes are too small.

    Plural, so -ak: txikiegiak.

  5. Gatz gehiegi bota diozu zopari.

    You have put too much salt in the soup.

    gehiegi follows the noun gatz.

  6. Hotzegi dago hondartzara joateko.

    It is too cold to go to the beach.

    Too ... to: -egi plus -tzeko.

Common Mistakes

  • Translating "too" with gehiegi before the adjective.

    Kafea gehiegi beroa dago.
    Kafea beroegia dago.

    For "too hot" add -egi to the adjective itself. gehiegi is for amounts.

  • Adding -egi to a noun for "too much".

    Gatzegi bota diozu.
    Gatz gehiegi bota diozu.

    With nouns, use gehiegi after the noun: gatz gehiegi.

  • Forgetting to double the final r.

    Auto hau zaharegia da.
    Auto hau zaharregia da.

    zahar becomes zaharr- before a vowel: zaharregia.

How It Connects

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

-egiLevel 2Too: -egi

Learn This First

-egi builds on describing with adjectives.