ea ... -(e)n

Whether (Ea)

Level 3

To say whether, start the embedded question with ea and end its verb with -(e)n: Galdetu dit ea etorriko naizen (She has asked me whether I will come).

How It Works

The shape. ea + the question + a verb with -(e)n: Galdetu diot ea gose den (I have asked him whether he is hungry). The -(e)n goes on the auxiliary or synthetic verb: da → den, du → duen, dago → dagoen, naiz → naizen, dut → dudan.

Is ea required? No. Galdetu dit etorriko naizen is also correct, because -(e)n already marks the question. ea adds weight and is more common in longer sentences. It can also come before a question word: Ikus dezagun ea nor etorri den (Let us see who has come).

Or not. To name both options, add ala ez: Ez dakit ea etorriko den ala ez (I do not know whether he will come or not). The ending -(e)netz, which means -(e)n ala ez, is also standard: Galdetu dio ea etorriko denetz.

Not the if of conditions. English uses if for both jobs, but Basque does not. ba- is only for conditions: Etortzen bada, pozik egongo naiz (If he comes, I will be happy). A reported question always takes -(e)n.

Where ea sounds odd. After ahaztu (forget), and after ikusi or jakin in the past, leave ea out: Beti ahazten zait zenbat urte dituen (I always forget how old she is).

ea on its own. At the start of a sentence, Ea! gets attention or cheers someone on: Ea, goazen! (Come on, let us go!) With -(e)n it can voice a hope: Ea bihar eguraldi ona egiten duen! (Let us hope the weather is good tomorrow!)

Examples (6)

  1. Galdetu dit ea etorriko naizen.

    She has asked me whether I will come.

    naizen is naiz + -(e)n.

  2. Ez dakit ea etxean dagoen.

    I do not know whether he is at home.

  3. Jakin nahi nuke ea bihar irekita dagoen.

    I would like to know whether it is open tomorrow.

  4. Begiratu ea atea itxita dagoen.

    Check whether the door is closed.

  5. Ez dakit ea etorriko den ala ez.

    I do not know whether he will come or not.

    ala ez spells out the second option.

  6. Ea, goazen!

    Come on, let us go!

    Here ea is an interjection, not a question word.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the conditional ba- for whether.

    Galdetu dit ea etorriko banaiz.
    Galdetu dit ea etorriko naizen.

    English if can mean whether, but Basque ba- only marks conditions. An embedded question always ends its verb in -(e)n.

  • Leaving the verb without -(e)n.

    Ez dakit ea etxean dago.
    Ez dakit ea etxean dagoen.

    ea is only a signpost. The verb of the embedded question must still take -(e)n: dago becomes dagoen.

  • Adding ea after ahaztu.

    Beti ahazten zait ea zenbat urte dituen.
    Beti ahazten zait zenbat urte dituen.

    ea belongs with asking, wanting to know and checking. After ahaztu, the Basque Academy marks ea as wrong, so leave it out and keep -(e)n.

How It Connects

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

ea ... -(e)nLevel 3Whether (Ea)

Learn This First

Whether follows indirect questions.

Words in This Pattern

ea