Expressing Opinions in Basque

In Brief

Use nire ustez for “in my opinion,” uste dut …-ela for “I think that…,” and iruditzen zait …-ela for “it seems to me that….” To agree or disagree, use ados nago or ez nago ados, adding zurekin when you mean “with you.”

Overview

Basque offers several everyday ways to move from a bare statement to a personal opinion. Compare Ondo dago (“It is fine”) with Nire ustez, ondo dago (“In my opinion, it is fine”). The first sounds like a direct assessment; the second clearly presents that assessment as the speaker’s view.

At A2, the most useful expressions are nire ustez, uste dut, iruditzen zait, and ados egon. They do not all follow the same pattern. Nire ustez is a fixed phrase placed around an otherwise complete statement. Uste dut and iruditzen zait usually introduce a complement clause (a group of words completing the thought), whose finite verb takes -(e)la, roughly corresponding to English “that.” Ados egon behaves as an expression built with egon, “to be/stay.”

English often leaves out “that”: “I think you are right.” Basque still normally marks the embedded statement on its verb: Uste dut arrazoi duzula. Learning the opinion phrase and the -(e)la form together will make your Basque both clearer and more natural.

How It Works

Giving your point of view with nire ustez

Nire ustez means “in my opinion” or “as I see it.” It does not change the grammar of the statement that follows.

Pattern	Basque	English
nire ustez + statement	Nire ustez, ideia ona da.	In my opinion, it is a good idea.
statement + nire ustez	Ideia ona da, nire ustez.	It is a good idea, in my opinion.

At the beginning, it frames the whole statement from the outset. At the end, it can sound like an added qualification. The comma reflects a natural pause, especially when the phrase comes first.

The possessive can change:

Basque	Meaning
nire ustez	in my opinion
zure ustez	in your opinion
haren ustez	in his/her opinion
gure ustez	in our opinion
zuen ustez	in your opinion (plural)
haien ustez	in their opinion

Zure ustez is especially useful in questions: Zure ustez, zer egin behar dugu? (“In your opinion, what should we do?”).

Saying “I think” with uste dut

Uste dut literally uses uste (“belief, opinion”) and an auxiliary meaning “I have it,” but it is best learned as the everyday unit “I think.” When a complete statement follows, its finite verb normally receives -(e)la.

Independent statement	After uste dut	Meaning
Arrazoi duzu.	Uste dut arrazoi duzula.	I think you are right.
Ona da.	Uste dut ona dela.	I think it is good.
Nekatuta dago.	Uste dut nekatuta dagoela.	I think he/she is tired.
Etorriko dira.	Uste dut etorriko direla.	I think they will come.

The visible result depends on the verb form: da → dela, duzu → duzula, dago → dagoela, and dira → direla. Do not treat dela as one universal word for “that.” The ending attaches to the finite verb required by the embedded statement.

The thinker can also change. The auxiliary agrees with the person holding the opinion:

Basque	English
uste dut	I think
uste duzu	you think
uste du	he/she thinks
uste dugu	we think
uste duzue	you (plural) think
uste dute	they think

Basque word order is flexible, but placing the embedded clause before uste dut is also very common: Ideia ona dela uste dut. This means the same basic thing as Uste dut ideia ona dela, though the information flow and emphasis may differ.

Softening a view with iruditzen zait

Iruditzen zait means “it seems to me.” Its grammar differs from English: zait marks the person experiencing the impression as “to me.” The following statement again normally has -(e)la.

Basque	English
Iruditzen zait garestia dela.	It seems to me that it is expensive.
Iruditzen zait berandu dela.	It seems to me that it is late.
Iruditzen zait ez dagoela prest.	It seems to me that he/she is not ready.

Forms such as zaizu (“to you”) and zaio (“to him/her”) change whose impression it is:

Basque	English
Nola iruditzen zaizu?	How does it seem to you? / What do you think of it?
Ondo iruditzen zait.	It seems fine to me. / I think it is fine.
Gaizki iruditzen zaio.	It seems wrong to him/her.

A useful distinction is that uste dut presents what you think or believe, while iruditzen zait often sounds more tentative or impression-based. The boundary is not absolute, but iruditzen zait is useful when you want to soften a judgment.

Agreeing and disagreeing with ados egon

Ados egon means “to agree” or, more literally, “to be in agreement.” Because it uses egon, its present forms include nago, zaude, dago, gaude, zaudete, and daude.

Basque	English
Ados nago.	I agree.
Ados zaude?	Do you agree?
Ados gaude.	We agree.
Ez nago ados.	I disagree.
Ez daude ados.	They disagree / They are not in agreement.

To name the person you agree with, use the sociative case (a noun ending meaning “with”): zurekin (“with you”), Mirenekin (“with Miren”), or haiekin (“with them”).

• Ados nago zurekin. — I agree with you.
• Ez gaude ados haiekin. — We do not agree with them.

Notice the negative order ez + auxiliary + ados: Ez nago ados. Do not simply put ez directly before ados while leaving the auxiliary at the end.

Examples in Context

Basque	English	Note
Nire ustez, ondo dago.	In my opinion, it is fine.	Frames a simple assessment
Zure ustez, zein da aukerarik onena?	In your opinion, which is the best option?	Asks for someone’s view
Gure ustez, bilera luzeegia da.	In our opinion, the meeting is too long.	A shared opinion
Uste dut arrazoi duzula.	I think you are right.	duzu → duzula
Uste dut bihar euria egingo duela.	I think it will rain tomorrow.	Opinion about the future
Ez dut uste hain zaila denik.	I do not think it is so difficult.	Negative pattern; see advanced section
Ideia ona dela uste dugu.	We think it is a good idea.	Embedded clause placed first
Iruditzen zait zaila dela.	It seems to me that it is difficult.	A softened assessment
Iruditzen zait Ane nekatuta dagoela.	It seems to me that Ane is tired.	Impression about a person
Nola iruditzen zaizu proposamena?	What do you think of the proposal?	Literally, “How does the proposal seem to you?”
Ados nago zurekin.	I agree with you.	zurekin names the person
Ideiarekin ados gaude.	We agree with the idea.	Agreement with a thing
Ez nago ados zurekin, baina ulertzen dut.	I disagree with you, but I understand.	Polite contrast
Ez daude ados erabakiarekin.	They disagree with the decision.	Plural subject

Common Mistakes

Leaving the embedded verb unchanged

• Wrong: Uste dut arrazoi duzu.
• Right: Uste dut arrazoi duzula.
• Why: The thought “you are right” is embedded inside “I think.” Basque marks its finite verb with -(e)la.

Using dela after every opinion phrase

• Wrong: Uste dut arrazoi dela.
• Right: Uste dut arrazoi duzula.
• Why: The ending belongs to the actual finite verb. “You are right” is arrazoi duzu, so the embedded form is arrazoi duzula.

Copying English word for word with iruditzen

• Wrong: Ni iruditzen dut zaila dela.
• Right: Iruditzen zait zaila dela.
• Why: Basque treats the impression as something that occurs “to me,” expressed in zait. It does not use the same structure as English “I think.”

Using the wrong negative order with ados

• Wrong: Ez ados nago.
• Right: Ez nago ados.
• Why: In a basic negative clause, ez stands immediately before the finite verb, here nago.

Translating “with you” as a separate preposition

• Wrong: Ados nago zu.
• Right: Ados nago zurekin.
• Why: Basque normally expresses “with” through an ending. The form needed here is zurekin.

Usage Notes

Nire ustez is neutral and works well in conversation, discussion, and writing. It can make a claim less absolute, but repeating it before every sentence sounds heavy. Once the viewpoint is clear, continue with ordinary statements or alternate it with uste dut and iruditzen zait.

Uste dut is a broad, everyday “I think.” Iruditzen zait often creates more distance from the claim: you are presenting an impression rather than insisting on a fact. This makes it useful in polite disagreement: Niri, berriz, iruditzen zait beste aukera hobea dela (“I, on the other hand, think the other option is better”).

A bare ados can function as a short response meaning “agreed” or “OK” in conversation. The full ados nago explicitly means “I agree.” To disagree without sounding abrupt, add a respectful bridge: Ulertzen dut, baina ez nago guztiz ados (“I understand, but I do not completely agree”). Guztiz means “completely,” so ez nago guztiz ados is softer than an unqualified ez nago ados.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following patterns at A2, but you will encounter them often.

Negative opinion clauses and -enik

When uste itself is negated, standard Basque commonly uses -(e)nik rather than -(e)la in the embedded clause:

• Ez dut uste etorriko denik. — I do not think he/she will come.
• Ez dugu uste egia denik. — We do not think it is true.

For a beginner, learn this as the pair uste dut …-ela / ez dut uste …-(e)nik. The exact shape still depends on the finite verb: da → dela in an affirmative opinion, but da → denik under negated uste.

This differs from putting the negative inside the thought. Compare:

• Uste dut ez dela etorriko. — I think he/she will not come.
• Ez dut uste etorriko denik. — I do not think he/she will come.

The practical message may be similar, but the first makes a positive claim about a negative event; the second withholds belief in the positive event.

Other ways to mark a viewpoint

Nire iritziz also means “in my opinion”; iritzi is “opinion.” It is useful in more deliberate discussion and writing. Nire ustez remains an excellent general-purpose choice.

You may also see the opinion clause before the main expression:

• Hori ez dela bidezkoa uste dut. — I think that is not fair.
• Arazoa konponduko dela iruditzen zait. — It seems to me that the problem will be solved.

Basque often organizes sentences around the element the speaker wants to foreground. Do not assume that only the English-like order with uste dut first is correct.

Degrees of agreement

Agreement is not always all-or-nothing:

Basque	English
Guztiz ados nago.	I completely agree.
Neurri batean ados nago.	I agree to some extent.
Ez nago guztiz ados.	I do not entirely agree.
Horretan ados gaude.	We agree on that.

These expressions let you take part in a discussion without making every response sound blunt.

Practice Tips

1. Build from complete statements. Start with Garestia da (“It is expensive”), then produce Nire ustez, garestia da, Uste dut garestia dela, and Iruditzen zait garestia dela. Repeat with several familiar verbs so -(e)la becomes a pattern rather than a single memorized form.
2. Practice two-sided mini-dialogues. Ask Zure ustez, ona da? and answer with Bai, ados nago or Ez, ez nago ados. Add zurekin only when you need to state who you agree with.
3. Rank phrases by strength. Take one topic and say a direct judgment, a personal view with nire ustez, and a tentative impression with iruditzen zait. Listening for this difference will help you choose a suitably firm or polite tone.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Verb “To Be” (izan) — Present — provides forms such as da, gara, and dira, which also appear inside opinion clauses.