-dun / -gabe

With and Without: -dun, -gabe

Level 4

Add -dun for "having" and -gabe for "lacking": ardura (responsibility) → arduradun (person in charge), lotsa (shame) → lotsagabe (shameless).

How It Works

-dun: having. Add it to a noun:

  • diru → dirudun (wealthy), bizar → bizardun (bearded), betaurreko → betaurrekodun (wearing glasses)
  • ardura → arduradun (person in charge), erru → errudun (guilty), txapel → txapeldun (champion, the one with the beret)
  • euskara becomes euskal-: euskaldun (Basque speaker); erdara → erdaldun (someone who does not speak Basque)

Where it goes. Today a -dun adjective usually follows the noun: mutil betaurrekoduna (the boy with glasses). When the noun has its own adjective or a number, -ko is the usual link: ile luzeko neska (a long-haired girl), lau hankako mahaia.

-gabe: lacking. Add it to a noun and write it as one word:

  • lotsagabe (shameless, cheeky), etxegabe (homeless), errugabe (innocent)
  • arduragabe (irresponsible), zentzugabe (senseless), amaigabe (endless)

Suffix or separate word? When gabe simply means "without", it is a separate word and the noun often takes -(r)ik: dirurik gabe (without any money), ezer esan gabe (without saying anything). See -tu gabe. The adverb etengabe (nonstop) is one of the few written together.

Pairs. Some words have both: errudun (guilty) and errugabe (innocent), dirudun and dirugabe.

Examples (6)

  1. Euskalduna naiz.

    I am a Basque speaker.

    euskal- + -dun.

  2. Arduradunarekin hitz egin nahi dut.

    I want to speak to the person in charge.

  3. Mutil betaurrekoduna nire anaia da.

    The boy with glasses is my brother.

  4. Oso lotsagabea zara!

    You are so cheeky!

    lotsa + -gabe, written as one word.

  5. Etxegabeentzako aterpe bat ireki dute.

    They have opened a shelter for homeless people.

  6. Errugabea naiz!

    I am innocent!

    The opposite of errudun (guilty).

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -dun to euskara unchanged.

    Euskaradun naiz.
    Euskalduna naiz.

    In words like this, euskara becomes euskal-: euskaldun. The same happens in Euskal Herria and euskaltzale.

  • Writing the -gabe adjective as two words.

    Oso lotsa gabea da.
    Oso lotsagabea da.

    When -gabe makes an adjective (shameless), it is written together: lotsagabea. Separate gabe is for "without": lotsarik gabe (without shame).

How It Connects

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

-dun / -gabeLevel 4With and Without: -dun, -gabe

Learn This First

-dun and -gabe follow without.

Words in This Pattern

gabe