etorriko zen
Would: The Future in the Past
To say would in the sense of was going to, use the -ko form with a past auxiliary: Esan zuen etorriko zela (He said he would come).
How It Works
How to build it. Take the -ko/-go form and use a past auxiliary, as in nintzen, zen and nuen, zuen: etorriko nintzen, etorriko zen, egingo nuen, lortuko zuen.
1. Reported speech and thoughts. After a past verb, what was still to come takes this form, plus -(e)la:
- Etorriko naiz (I will come) → Esan zuen etorriko zela (He said he would come).
- Bazekien ez zuela lortuko (She knew she would not manage it).
When the reporting verb is in the present perfect, the clause keeps the present: Esan du etorriko dela (He has said he will come).
2. In stories. A narrator can jump ahead: Hogei urte zituela, Bilbora joan zen; han ezagutuko zuen bere emaztea (At twenty he moved to Bilbao; there he would meet his wife).
3. Guesses about the past. Orduan hogei urte izango zituen (He must have been twenty then). See the future of probability.
4. After an unreal past condition. For would have, Euskaltzaindia accepts both this form and the past counterfactual: Garaiz esan bagenio, lehenago etorriko zen or etorriko zatekeen (If we had told him in time, he would have come earlier).
Not for present or future wishes. For something imagined now or later, use the conditional: Gustura joango nintzateke (I would gladly go), Kafe bat gustatuko litzaidake (I would like a coffee).
Examples (6)
- Esan zuen etorriko zela.
He said he would come.
- Bazekien ez zuela lortuko.
She knew she would not manage it.
- Uste nuen berandu iritsiko zinela.
I thought you would arrive late.
- Hurrengo egunean deituko zidatela agindu zidaten.
They promised me they would call me the next day.
- Hogei urte zituela, Bilbora joan zen; han ezagutuko zuen bere emaztea.
At twenty he moved to Bilbao; there he would meet his wife.
In a story, the form looks ahead from a past moment.
- Garaiz esan bagenio, lehenago etorriko zen.
If we had told him in time, he would have come earlier.
After an unreal past condition, etorriko zatekeen is also correct.
Common Mistakes
Using etorriko zen forms for a wish about now.
Kafe bat gustatuko zitzaidan.Kafe bat gustatuko litzaidake.gustatuko zitzaidan looks back from the past. To say I would like now, use the conditional: gustatuko litzaidake.
Using the past form after an imagined present condition.
Dirua banu, auto bat erosiko nuen.Dirua banu, auto bat erosiko nuke.banu imagines the present, so the result needs the conditional nuke. erosiko nuen is only possible after an unreal past condition, as in Dirua izan banu.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Future in the past combines the future and the past.
Related Patterns
- Reported Speech + -(e)laReporting What Someone Said
The clause type in which this form is most common.
Level 3 - Probably: The Future for Guesses
The -ko form used for guesses, including guesses about the past.
Level 4 - nintzateke / nukeWould: Nintzateke, Nuke
The forms for would in imagined present or future situations.
Level 3 - nintzatekeen / nukeenWould Have
The other correct form after an unreal past condition.
Level 4 - nintzen / zinen / zenPast of Izan
The past auxiliaries used to build etorriko nintzen and etorriko zen.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice etorriko zen in Bubblegum
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