Past Tense Auxiliaries (Complete) in Basque

Overview

At the B1 level, you complete your knowledge of past tense auxiliary paradigms for all three main auxiliary verbs: izan (to be, intransitive), ukan (to have, transitive), and egon (to be located). Having the full set of past forms lets you narrate past events with precision, describing who did what, where people were, and what states they were in.

You already know the basics from A2. Now you learn the complete paradigms, including the less common person forms and the past forms of egon, which were not fully covered earlier.

How It Works

Izan (to be) — past tense:

Person	Form	Example
ni	nintzen	Ni ikaslea nintzen.
hi	hintzen	—
zu	zinen	Zu hemen zinen.
hura	zen	Hura irakaslea zen.
gu	ginen	Gu lagunak ginen.
zuek	zineten	Zuek pozik zineten.
haiek	ziren	Haiek Bilbon ziren.

Ukan (to have/do) — past tense (singular object):

Person	Form	Example
nik	nuen	Nik ikusi nuen.
zuk	zenuen	Zuk esan zenuen.
hark	zuen	Hark egin zuen.
guk	genuen	Guk prestatu genuen.
zuek	zenuten	Zuek jan zenuten.
haiek	zuten	Haiek edan zuten.

Ukan — past tense (plural object):

Person	Form	Example
nik	nituen	Nik liburuak irakurri nituen.
zuk	zenituen	Zuk guztiak ikusi zenituen.
hark	zituen	Hark sagarrak erosi zituen.
guk	genituen	Guk denak prestatu genituen.
haiek	zituzten	Haiek autoak saldu zituzten.

Egon (to be located) — past tense:

Person	Form	Example
ni	nengoen	Ni etxean nengoen.
zu	zeunden	Non zeunden atzo?
hura	zegoen	Hura gaixorik zegoen.
gu	geunden	Gu parkean geunden.
zuek	zeundeten	Zuek eskolan zeundeten.
haiek	zeuden	Haiek Bilbon zeuden.

Examples in Context

Basque	English	Note
Zuk hori esan zenuen.	You said that.	Ukan past, 2nd person
Haiek Madrilen ziren.	They were in Madrid.	Izan past
Guk dena prestatu genuen.	We prepared everything.	Ukan past, 1st plural
Non zeunden atzo?	Where were you yesterday?	Egon past
Ni nekatuta nengoen.	I was tired.	Egon past (state)
Haiek liburuak erosi zituzten.	They bought the books.	Ukan past, plural object
Txikia nintzenean, hemen bizi nintzen.	When I was small, I lived here.	Izan past + temporal
Hura oso atsegina zen.	He/She was very pleasant.	Izan past (description)
Guk pelikula ikusi genuen.	We watched the movie.	Ukan past
Zergatik ez zenuen esan?	Why didn't you say it?	Negative past question

Common Mistakes

Confusing izan and egon past forms

• Wrong: Etxean nintzen. (for location)
• Right: Etxean nengoen.
• Why: For past location, use egon past forms (nengoen, zegoen, etc.). Izan past forms (nintzen, zen, etc.) are for identity and permanent qualities.

Mixing singular and plural object forms

• Wrong: Nik liburuak irakurri nuen.
• Right: Nik liburuak irakurri nituen.
• Why: When the object is plural (liburuak), use the plural object past forms: nituen, zenituen, zituen, etc.

Using present auxiliaries for past narration

• Wrong: Joan den astean filma ikusi dugu.
• Right: Joan den astean filma ikusi genuen.
• Why: For events clearly in the past (last week), use past auxiliaries. Present perfect (dugu) is for recent, relevant-to-now events.

Usage Notes

The past tense forms are essential for any narrative, whether telling a personal story, recounting historical events, or describing past experiences. In spoken Basque, the recent past can sometimes use present perfect forms (dut instead of nuen for events that just happened), but for established past events, the past auxiliaries are standard. The complete mastery of all three past paradigms (izan, ukan, egon) marks an important milestone in Basque fluency.

Practice Tips

1. Write a diary entry about yesterday using all three past auxiliary paradigms: what you were (izan), what you did (ukan), and where you were (egon).
2. Drill the paradigms systematically: say all six forms of each auxiliary in sequence. Repeat daily until automatic.
3. Retell a simple story or film plot using past tense throughout, switching naturally between izan, ukan, and egon as needed.

Related Concepts

• Past Tense (Simple Past)