NOR-NORI-NORK present — I give it to him/her, I tell it to you
The NOR-NORI-NORK is the three-argument verb: someone (NORK) does something (NOR) to someone (NORI). In English, this corresponds to constructions with two objects — I give it to you, I told it to him, he showed it to me.
It’s the most complex verb in Basque, but at the A2 level, it’s enough to master the most common patterns.
The formula
partizipioa + d-i-NORI-NORK
The auxiliary has three internal markers:
- d- at the beginning (present tense).
- -i- in the middle (it’s the “root” of NOR-NORI-NORK).
- -NORI- as an infix (to whom).
- -NORK at the end (who does it).
The most useful forms for A2
Table with singular NOR (“it”). Rows = to whom (NORI), columns = who does it (NORK):
| NORI ↓ / NORK → | nik (I) | zuk (you) | hark (he/she) | guk (we) | zuek (you, pl.) | haiek (they) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| niri (to me) | — | didazu | dit | — | didazue | didate |
| zuri (to you) | dizut | — | dizu | dizugu | — | dizute |
| hari (to him/her) | diot | diozu | dio | diogu | diozue | diote |
| guri (to us) | — | diguzu | digu | — | diguzue | digute |
| zuei (to you, pl.) | dizuet | — | dizue | dizuegu | — | dizuete |
| haiei (to them) | diet | diezu | die | diegu | diezue | diete |
Don’t memorize the whole table at once. For A2, focus first on four cells: dizut, diot, dit, dio. With those four and their derivatives (digu, dizu, didate, diote), you’ll be covered 80% of the time.
Mnemonic pattern: the three letters
Read the forms following this internal order:
d + i + (NORI) + (NORK)
| Form | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| d-i-zu-t | ”present + [i] + to you + I” | I … it to you |
| d-i-o-t | ”present + [i] + to him + I” | I … it to him/her |
| d-i-t | ”present + [i] + to me + (he)“ | he … it to me |
| d-i-o | ”present + [i] + to him + (he)“ | he … it to him/her |
| d-i-gu-te | ”present + [i] + to us + they” | they … it to us |
The NORI markers are -da- (to me), -zu- (to you), -o- (to him), -gu- (to us), -zue- (to you all), -e- (to them).
Agreement with the OBJECT (NOR)
If the object is plural (“them”), the form changes. For A2, it’s useful to recognize the pair:
| Singular object | Plural object | English |
|---|---|---|
| dizut | dizkizut | it to you / them to you |
| diot | dizkiot | it to him/her / them to him/her |
| dit | dizkit | it to me / them to me |
| digute | dizkigute | it to us / them to us |
Eman dizkizut bi liburuak. — I have given you the two books.
And, of course, NORK takes -k
The subject of NOR-NORI-NORK is ergative (just like in NOR-NORK):
Landerek Ainarari opari bat eman dio. — Lander has given a gift to Ainara.
Aitonak semeari istorioa kontatu dio. — The grandfather has told a story to the son.
Typical NOR-NORI-NORK verbs
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| eman | to give | Liburua eman dit. |
| esan | to say, to tell | Egia esan didazu. |
| erakutsi | to show, to teach | Argazkia erakutsi diot. |
| oparitu | to give as a gift | Loreak oparitu dizkiote. |
| erosi | to buy (for someone) | Janaria erosi diot amari. |
| kontatu | to tell, to narrate | Ipuina kontatu digute. |
| bidali | to send | Mezua bidali dizut. |
| idatzi | to write (to) | Eskutitz bat idatzi diot. |
| eskaini | to offer | Lana eskaini diote. |
| gomendatu | to recommend | Liburua gomendatu didazu. |
Distinction: giving to someone vs. giving something
Compare the three types of “to give”:
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| NOR (no object): does not apply to eman | — | — |
| NOR-NORK (simple transitive) | Opari bat eman dut. | I have given a gift. |
| NOR-NORI-NORK (with a recipient) | Opari bat eman diot Ainarari. | I have given a gift to Ainara. |
The recipient takes the NORI case (-ari/-ei). You saw this in A1; here it is the verb’s infix.
Mini-dialogue
— Eskerrik asko, Olatz. Ohar polita idatzi didazu.
— Tira, ezer ez. Esan dizut beti laguntzeko prest nagoela.
— Anbotori ere erakutsi diozu?
— Ez, oraindik ez diot esan. Bihar kontatuko diot.
Common pitfalls
- Don’t confuse dut with diot. Dut = NOR-NORK (“it”). Diot = NOR-NORI-NORK (“it to him/her”). If the sentence has a recipient (to someone), it’s usually NOR-NORI-NORK.
- The recipient takes -ri/-ei: Anbotori esan diot (to Anboto), not Anbotok (that would be the subject).
- The subject still takes -k: Anbotok Garaziri liburua eman dio.
Pedagogical note: the NOR-NORI-NORK table is famous for its density. The A2 strategy is to first internalize the four or five most used cells and recognize the others when reading. You will integrate them into your speech over time.
Ejercicios
"Liburua eman dizut" means…
What does "Esan diot" mean?
I have bought a gift for Ainara = Ainarari opari bat erosi .