Where are you going? — the NORA case
The NORA case (also called adlative) marks the destination of a movement: where you are going. In English, it’s usually translated with the preposition “to” (“I’m going to the house”, “to Bilbao”, “to the park”).
The question: Nora?
| Question | English |
|---|---|
| Nora zoaz? | Where are you going? |
| Nora doa? | Where is he/she/it going? |
| Nora goaz? | Where are we going? |
| Nora doaz? | Where are they going? |
The suffix: -ra
To answer, we add -ra to the destination. The pattern adapts depending on how the word ends:
| Ending of the place | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -a (organic, eskola) | + ra | eskola → eskolara |
| Vowel without a final -a (Bilbo, etxe) | + ra | etxe → etxera, Bilbo → Bilbora |
| Consonant (Madril, Gasteiz) | + era | Madril → Madrilera, Gasteiz → Gasteizera |
Table of examples
| Place | -ra form | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| etxe (house) | etxera | Etxera noa. — I’m going home. |
| eskola | eskolara | Eskolara doaz. — They are going to school. |
| euskaltegi | euskaltegira | Euskaltegira goaz. — We are going to the euskaltegi. |
| taberna | tabernara | Tabernara zoaz? — Are you going to the bar? |
| lan (work) | lanera | Lanera nator. — I’m coming to work. (also -era after a consonant) |
| Bilbo | Bilbora | Bilbora doa. — He/She is going to Bilbao. |
| Donostia | Donostiara | Donostiara goaz asteburuan. — We’re going to Donostia on the weekend. |
| Madril | Madrilera | Madrilera doaz. — They are going to Madrid. |
| mendi (mountain) | mendira | Mendira goaz larunbatean. — We’re going to the mountain on Saturday. |
Quick tip: non → nora follow the same pattern as kale-an → kale-ra. If you know how to form Bilbon (in Bilbao), you already know how to form Bilbora (to Bilbao): just change -n to -ra. If you know how to form Madrilen, you know how to form Madrilera.
Zertara? — “What for?”
To ask what you are going for (with what purpose), you use Zertara zoaz? and answer with a verb + the suffix -tzera:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Zertara zoaz tabernara? | Kafea hartzera. — To have a coffee. |
| Zertara doa Kepa supermerkatura? | Erostera. — To buy/shop. |
| Zertara goaz mendira? | Ibiltzera. — To walk. |
| Zertara doaz hondartzara? | Igeri egitera. — To swim. |
Pattern: (verb in participle form) + -t(z)era: erosi → erostera, jan → jatera, ikasi → ikastera, ikusi → ikustera, bisitatu → bisitatzera. It’s basically the “to + infinitive” in English.
Mini-conversation
— Nora zoaz, Maialen? — Where are you going, Maialen?
— Euskaltegira noa. — I’m going to the euskaltegi.
— Eta zertara? — And what for?
— Klasera, noski! Euskara ikastera. — To class, of course! To learn Basque.
— Eta gero? — And afterwards?
— Tabernara goaz lagunekin pote bat hartzera. — We’re going to the bar with friends to have a drink.
Directional adverbs
Demonstratives also have their NORA form:
| NON (locative) | NORA (direction) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hemen | hona | to here |
| hor | horra | to there (near you) |
| han | hara | to there (over there) |
- Hona zatoz? — Are you coming here?
- Hara doaz. — They are going over there.
Important reminder: this confuses many people at first: etxean (at home) ≠ etxera (to home) ≠ etxetik (from home, lesson 04). The three look similar because they all talk about “home”, but the information is completely different. Make a mental note: NON = -an (to be somewhere), NORA = -ra (to go somewhere), NONDIK = -tik (to come from somewhere, lesson 4).
Ejercicios
How do you say "I'm going to Bilbao"?
I'm going home = Etxe noa.
I'm going to Madrid = Madril noa.
What does "Eskolara doa" mean?
We're going to the park = Parke goaz.
What does "Zertara zoaz tabernara?" mean?