In basque grammar, there is about 20 declensions, among with 5 can be considered as fondamental cases :
Singular | Plural | Examples | |||
Nominative | NOR | -A | -AK | Used with untransitive verbs subjects. | Gizona etorri da (the man has come) |
Active | NORK | -AK | -EK | Used with transitive verbs subjects. | Gizonak erran du (the man has told) |
Dative | NORI | -ARI | -EI | Gizonak zaldiari belara eman du (the man has given some grass to the horse). |
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Possessive genitive | NOREN | -AREN | -EN | Whose, What | Gizonaren zaldia (man's horse) |
Inessive (inert objects) | NON | -(e)AN | -ETAN | Gizonak etxean da (the man is in the house) |
Following cases also exist :
Singular | Plural | Examples | |||
Inessive (living beings) | NORENGAN | -A(REN)GAN | -ENGAN | ||
Elative (inert objects) | NON + TIK (NONDIK) | -(e)TIK | -ETATIK | From, since. | Gizona etxetik etorri da (The man has come from the house) |
Elative (living beings) | NOREN + GANDIK | -A(REN)GANDIK | -ENGANDIK | From (who) | Ene maitearengandik gutun bat irakurtsen dut (I read a letter from my girlfriend) |
NON + KO (NONGO) | -(e)KO | -ETAKO | From | Baionetako exteak (Bayonne's houses) |
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Adlative (inert objects) | NO(N) + RA (NORA) | -(e)RA | -ETARA | to, towards | Etxetara joan da (He has gone towards the houses) |
Unitive | NOREKIN | -AREKIN | -EKIN | With (who) | Bere amarekin etorri da (He has come with his mother) |
NORENGATIK | -A(REN)GATIK | -ENGATIK | Because | ||
Prolative | NORENTZAT | -ARENTZAT | -ENTZAT | For (who) | Zaldi hori zure aitarentzat erosi dugu (We have bought this horse for your father) |
Approximative | NO(N) + RAINO | -(e)RAINO | -ETARAINO | Up to, until | |
NO(N) + RAKO | -(e)RAKO | -ETARAKO | to go where | ||
NO(N) + RANTZ | -(e)RANTZ | -ETARANTZ | |||
Mediative (modality, transport, ...) | ZERTAZ ZEREZ |
-AZ | -EZ | Treinaz etorri naiz (I came by train) |
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Partitive | -IK | -IK |
Declensions elaboration must also take into account the following rules :
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Rule Nr 1 :
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Rule Nr 2 : When two vowels succeeds, the following rules have to be applied :
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