deritzozu

What Do You Think of It?

Level 5

Zer deritzozu liburu honi? (What do you think of this book?) Ona deritzot. (I think it is good.) The thing you judge takes -(r)i.

How It Works

1. The forms. deritzot, deritzozu, deritzo, deritzogu, deritzozue, deritzote. Euskaltzaindia also accepts a second set without the -o-: deritzat, deritzazu, deritza. Both sets mean the same thing. The form deritzaio is not correct.

2. Giving an opinion. Put the thing judged in the dative -(r)i and the opinion before the verb:

  • Egokia deritzot zure proposamenari. (I think your proposal is appropriate.)
  • Ondo deritzogu zure erabakiari. (We think your decision is good.)

The opinion word can have the article or not: ona deritzot and on deritzot are both correct. You can also use a clause with -(e)la: Polita dela deritzot. (I think it is pretty.)

3. Being called. iritzi can also mean "to be called": Mikel deritzo mutil horri. (That boy is called Mikel.) In everyday speech people more often say Mikel du izena; see nire izena ... da.

4. When to use it. These one-word forms are common in writing and careful speech. In conversation, Zer iruditzen zaizu? is more usual; see iruditzen zait, falta zait, axola zait.

Tip: Think of deritzozu as "you consider ... to it". The -o- is "to it" and -zu is "you".

Examples (6)

  1. Zer deritzozu liburu honi?

    What do you think of this book?

  2. Egokia deritzot zure proposamenari.

    I think your proposal is appropriate.

  3. Ondo deritzogu zure erabakiari.

    We think your decision is a good one.

  4. Zer deritzote zure gurasoek lan berriari?

    What do your parents think of the new job?

  5. Mikel deritzo mutil horri.

    That boy is called Mikel.

    Here iritzi means "to be called".

  6. Zer irizten diozu?

    What do you think of it?

    The periphrastic form of the same verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the thing judged in the absolutive.

    Zer deritzozu liburu hau?
    Zer deritzozu liburu honi?

    The thing you judge is the receiver, so it takes the dative: liburu honi.

  • Adding -ai- as in zaio.

    Mikel deritzaio mutil horri.
    Mikel deritzo mutil horri.

    deritzaio is not a correct form. The standard forms are deritzo or deritza.

How It Connects

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

deritzozuLevel 5What Do You Think of It?

Learn This First

iritzi follows diot.

Words in This Pattern

iritzi