A plausible reconstruction for the participle of the intransitive forms isProto-Basque*eizani,[1]while*eduncan be reconstructed for the transitive ones.[2]The verb forms in each paradigm have different etymologies:
NOR: from the participle prefix*e-+ the stem-iza-(of unknown origin) + the past participle suffix-n.It has numerous suppletive stem forms. The present-tense forms have three stems:-a(third-person singular only),-aiz(with first- and second-person singular prefixes),and-ara(in first- and second-person plural forms).
NOR-NORI: the stem-(t)zai-occurs in the indicative forms. The potential and imperative forms have the suppletive stem-ki-.Forms with pluralnoragreement throughout the paradigm have the suffix-zki-immediately attached the stem and preceding thenoriagreement suffixes.
NOR-NORK: the stem-(d)u-forms the basis of the indicative forms. This stem also appears in the dialectal participleeduki.A verbal nounedutzeais attested from the fifteenth century, derived from eitheredukior*edun.The potential and imperative forms are built on the stem-za-which becomes-tza-after a prefix ending in n.
NOR-NORI: the stem is-i-in the indicative, and-ieza-in the potential and imperative. As in thenor-noriizanparadigm, forms with pluralnor(absolutive) agreement are suffixed with-zki-.This marker is attached directly to the stem and precedes other agreement suffixes.
Southern Basque (like Spanish) has two different verbs that are usually translated to English as “to be”:izanandegon.The former is used to express a quality of something (the first two examples), while the latter (the third and fourth examples) is used to express a location or a temporary state. Northern Basque does not have this distinction, so "to be" can be translated asizanin almost all contexts.
Mahaia handiada.―The tableisbig.
Iñaki Donostiakoada.―Iñakiisfrom San Sebastián.
Mahaia zikinadago.―The tableisdirty.
Iñaki Donostiandago.―Iñakiisin San Sebastián.
Light verbconstructions withegin(“to do”)usually takenor norkauxiliaries, even when translated by intransitive verbs.
In Northern dialects the citation formukanis used for the transitive senses, withizanreserved for the intransitive ones.
The tenses are referred to by the names given in the1979 standarizationof verbal forms, with the exception of the consequential indicative forms. This is the most common notation in non-specialist textbooks and learning materials.
In linguistic contexts, thenorandnor noriforms of the potential, subjunctive and imperative moods are usually classified as belonging to a reconstructed verb*edin.The 1997 standardization of verbal forms uses this analysis.
Basque grammarians usually refer to thenor norkandnor nori norkauxiliaries by the northern citation formukanor by the reconstructed participle form*edun;as a different verb from the intransitive forms ofizan.The forms belonging to the potential, subjunctive and imperative moods belong to a different reconstructed verb,*ezan.
1. Hypothetical citation form lacking non-finite forms, the non-finite forms ofizan,ukanandedukiare used instead. 2. Verb lacking finite forms,*edunis used instead. 3.*edunis also used synonymously.
