-ra
Where to: -ra
-ra marks where you are going: Etxera noa (I am going home).
How It Works
Forms.
- After a vowel: etxe → etxera, mendi → mendira
- After -a, which is not doubled: eskola → eskolara, hondartza → hondartzara
- After a consonant: lan → lanera (to work)
- Place names, no article: Bilbo → Bilbora, Donostia → Donostiara, Madril → Madrilera, Gasteiz → Gasteizera, Eibar → Eibarrera
For place names ending in a consonant, the Academy also accepts a shorter form such as Gasteiza or Madrila, but Gasteizera and Madrilera are the usual choice.
Home. etxera means both to the house and home: Etxera noa (I am going home).
Where to, not where. Use -ra with movement and -n for location: Bilbora noa but Bilbon nago. The question word is nora. See where, where to and where from.
Related endings. -raino and -rantz add as far as and towards. With a verb form, -tzera says what you are going to do: Hondartzara noa igeri egitera. For people, use -gana: Amarengana noa.
Examples (6)
- Etxera noa.
I am going home.
Word by Word: House-to I-go.
- Bihar hondartzara joango gara.
Tomorrow we will go to the beach.
Word by Word: Tomorrow beach-to go-will we-are.
- Noiz etorriko zara Bilbora?
When will you come to Bilbao?
Word by Word: When come-will you-are Bilbao-to?
- Mikel Madrilera joan da.
Mikel has gone to Madrid.
Word by Word: Mikel Madrid-to gone is.
Madril ends in a consonant, so it takes -era.
- Nora zoaz? — Lanera.
Where are you going? — To work.
Word by Word: Where-to you-go? — Work-to.
- Gaur Gasteizera itzuli naiz.
Today I have come back to Vitoria-Gasteiz.
Word by Word: Today Gasteiz-to returned I-am.
Common Mistakes
Using the location ending -n with a verb of movement.
Bilbon noa.Bilbora noa.noa (I am going) needs a destination, so the ending is -ra.
Adding a bare -ra after a consonant.
Madrilra joan naiz.Madrilera joan naiz.After a consonant the ending is -era.
Adding the article to a place name.
Bilboara joan naiz.Bilbora joan naiz.Place names take no article, so Bilbo takes just -ra.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The allative contrasts with the inessive.
Related Patterns
- -tikWhere from: -tik
Says where from; together they give from ... to.
Level 1 - non / nora / nondikWhere, Where to and Where from
nora is the question that -ra answers.
Level 1 - joan: noa / zoaz / doaGoing (Noa, Zoaz, Doa)
The verb most often used with -ra.
Level 1 - -raino / -rantzAs Far as, Towards
As far as and towards, built on -ra.
Level 3 - -tzera + Motion VerbGoing to Do: -tzera
Going somewhere to do something.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice -ra in Bubblegum
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