nahi izan
Wanting (Nahi Dut)
Kafe bat nahi dut. (I want a coffee.) Etxera joan nahi dut. (I want to go home.) Zer egin nahi duzu? (What do you want to do?)
How It Works
Wanting a thing
Kafe bat nahi dut. (I want a coffee.) Zer nahi duzu? (What do you want?) Anek ura nahi du. (Ane wants water.)
Wanting to do something
The participle comes before nahi, never the -tzen form: Euskara ikasi nahi dut. (I want to learn Basque.) Zer egin nahi duzu? The auxiliary is dut even with joan or etorri: Etxera joan nahi dut. Bihar etorri nahi du. This is what Euskaltzaindia recommends. In north-eastern dialects you will also hear joan nahi naiz, which is accepted there. One more exception: when the wanted action has a person in the dative, the auxiliary follows that verb: Gai garrantzitsu batez mintzatu nahi natzaizu. (I want to talk to you about an important matter.)
Negatives
ez joins the auxiliary and moves to the front, and nahi stays at the end: Ez dut joan nahi. (I don’t want to go.) Ez du etorri nahi. (She doesn’t want to come.)
Related verbs
behar dut (I must) and nahiago dut (I prefer) work the same way. For a softer “I would like”, see nahi nuke. To want someone else to do something, see Wanting Someone Else to Do.
Examples (6)
- Kafe bat nahi dut.
I want a coffee.
nahi + dut; the thing wanted comes first.
- Etxera joan nahi dut.
I want to go home.
joan stays in the participle, and the auxiliary is still dut.
- Zer egin nahi duzu?
What do you want to do?
egin is the participle before nahi.
- Anek euskara ikasi nahi du.
Ane wants to learn Basque.
Ane takes -k because nahi uses du.
- Ez dut joan nahi.
I don’t want to go.
ez dut comes first; nahi stays at the end.
- Zer nahi duzu?
What do you want?
A simple question about a thing.
Common Mistakes
Using the -tzen form before nahi.
Etxera joaten nahi dut.Etxera joan nahi dut.nahi takes the participle: joan, egin, ikasi. The -tzen form is not used here.
Using naiz when you want a thing.
Kafe bat nahi naiz.Kafe bat nahi dut.nahi takes the ukan auxiliary: nahi dut, nahi duzu, nahi du.
Separating ez from the auxiliary.
Ez nahi dut joan.Ez dut joan nahi.ez must stand right before the auxiliary: ez dut. The participle and nahi follow.
How It Connects
Learn This First
nahi izan needs ukan and the participle.
Related Patterns
- behar izanMust: Behar Dut
behar dut (I must) is built the same way.
Level 2 - ahal izanCan: Ahal
ahal (can) also follows the participle, but its auxiliary matches the main verb: Etorri ahal zara?
Level 2 - nahiago izanPreferring: Nahiago Dut
nahiago dut means “I prefer”.
Level 2 - gustatuko litzaidake / nahi nukeI Would Like
nahi nuke is the polite “I would like”.
Level 3 - -tzea + nahiWanting Someone Else to Do
How to say you want someone else to do something.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice nahi izan in Bubblegum
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