Aholkuak eta ukapena — advice and the negative imperative
This lesson integrates the three topics of the unit: we give advice, prohibitions, and recommendations for a healthy life. You’re going to learn the negative imperative and a handful of very productive A2 formulas for giving opinions on what should be done.
Negative imperative: ez + participle
The simplest form and the one you’ll use most:
ez + participle
| Spanish | Basque |
|---|---|
| Don’t smoke | Ez erre |
| Don’t drink alcohol | Ez edan alkoholik |
| Don’t eat too much | Ez gehiegi jan / Ez jan gehiegi |
| Don’t move | Ez mugitu |
| Don’t shout | Ez oihu egin |
| Don’t be afraid | Ez izan beldurrik |
| Don’t run | Ez korrika egin |
The partitive -rik appears frequently: ez edan alkoholik, ez izan beldurrik. It’s similar to adding “any” in English: “don’t drink (any) alcohol”. You saw it briefly in A1, and by A2, it’s a good idea to be able to recognize it.
Emphatic negative imperative: ez ezazu
In more formal texts or when you want to emphasize the prohibition, the form with ezazu appears:
| Spanish | Basque |
|---|---|
| Don’t take this | Ez ezazu hartu hau |
| Don’t forget | Ez ezazu ahaztu |
| Don’t open | Ez ezazu ireki |
This form is seen more in writing, on signs, and in a formal register. In daily speech, ez hartu, ez ahaztu, and ez ireki are perfectly valid and much more common.
Giving advice: hobe duzu / komeni zaizu
For A2, here are two formulas that are good to memorize as a block:
Hobe duzu + -tzea — “it’s better that you…”
| Spanish | Basque |
|---|---|
| It’s better that you rest | Hobe duzu deskantsatzea |
| It’s better that you go early | Hobe duzu goiz joatea |
| It’s better that you don’t eat so much | Hobe duzu hainbeste ez jatea |
More distant: hobe litzateke + -tzea — “it would be better”.
Komeni zaizu / komeni da — “it’s advisable for you / it’s advisable”
| Spanish | Basque |
|---|---|
| It’s advisable for you to walk more | Gehiago ibiltzea komeni zaizu |
| It’s advisable to eat fruit | Fruta jatea komeni da |
| It’s not advisable for you to smoke | Erretzea ez zaizu komeni |
Other useful formulas
- Garrantzitsua da + -tzea — It’s important…
- Beharrezkoa da + -tzea — It’s necessary…
- Saiatu + -tzen — To try…
- Onena da + -tzea — The best thing is…
Onena da goizean goiz altxatzea. — The best thing is to get up early in the morning.
How to give a series of tips
Combine several formulas: a recommendation + a prohibition + an explanation.
Bizimodu osasuntsua eduki nahi duzu? Hartu fruta egunero. Egin kirola astean hiru aldiz. Ez erre eta ez edan alkohol askorik. Eta gauean, saiatu zazpi-zortzi ordu lo egiten. Hobe duzu lasai egotea, urduri egotea baino.
Mini-dialogue: at the nutritionist’s office
— Olatz, gehiegi pisatzen duzu eta tentsioa altu daukazu. Aldatu egin behar duzu.
— Zer egin behar dut, mediku?
— Hartu barazkiak egunero. Ez jan azukrea. Ez edan edari gasdunik. Saiatu astean lau aldiz paseatzen, gutxienez ordubete. Eta hobe duzu lo asko egitea: ez geratu gauean berandu arte.
Prohibitions on signs
Typical phrases you’ll see in bars, parks, and buses:
- EZ ERRE — No smoking
- EZ UKITU — Do not touch
- ARRETA: ZAKURRA. EZ SARTU — Warning: dog. Do not enter.
- EZ OINEZ JOAN BIDEAREN ERDITIK — Do not walk in the middle of the road.
- MESEDEZ, EZ EGIN ZARATARIK — Please, do not make noise.
Cultural note: in many Basque towns, public signs are bilingual or only in Basque. Recognizing the most common prohibitions (ez sartu, ez ukitu, ez erre, ez aparkatu) helps you get around independently. It’s a good exercise: when you walk through a Basque-speaking town, try to read all the signs before looking at the Spanish.
Ejercicios
"Ez erre" means…
"Hobe duzu deskantsatzea" is…
Don't eat so much = jan hainbeste.
It would be better to walk more = Hobe litzateke gehiago .