Basque/First Lesson

In Basque there are two irregular verbs, izan and egon, that both mean to be, although they are used very differently. The distinction is similar to that of the verbs "ser" and "estar" in Spanish and Portugues. IZAN To talk about lasting attributes or essential qualities, we use the verb izan: Izan / To beBasqueEnglishNotesNi naizI amHi haiz (*)You are (sing.)Friendly, informal. Less frequent.Hura daHe isGu garaWe areZu zaraYou are (sing.)Neutral or slightly formal. More frequent than hi haizZuek zareteYou are (pl.)Neutral or slightly formal.Haiek diraThey are (*) Although the hi conjugations were more common in the past, zu have become more frequent in recent years. In some territories, such as Bizkaia, the conjugations of hi have practically disappeared from everyday speech, especially among the younger generations. EGON When we talk about condition or a state, we use the verb egon: Egon / To beBasqueEnglishNotesNi nagoI amHi hago (*)You are (sing.)Friendly, informal. Less frequent.Hura dagoHe isGu gaudeWe areZu zaudeYou are (sing.)Neutral or slightly formal. More frequent than hi hagoZuek zaudeteYou are (pl.)Neutral or slightly formal.Haiek daudeThey are