Translation of "-etan" into English

The Origin and Morphological Role of -etan In Basque grammar, the suffix -etan is fundamentally the inessive plural case marker used for nouns (meaning "in the [plural nouns]", e.g., etxe "house" \to etxeetan "in the houses"). However, in syntax and clause subordination, this same case marker is productively applied to inflected verb forms to create temporal clauses denoting "at the times when", "whenever", or "on the occasions that". Key Distinction: -ean (Singular) vs. -etan (Plural) To understand how -etan works temporally, it helps to contrast it with its singular counterpart, -ean: -ean (Inessive Singular): Refers to a specific, singular point or instance in time. Example: joan zenean = "when he went" (on that specific occasion). -etan (Inessive Plural): Refers to habitual, repetitive, or multiple occasions—treating time as a series of repeated instances or "slots" ("in those times/occasions"). Example: gaixo zegoenetan = "at the times when it was sick" / "whenever it was sick." Structural Mechanics in Temporal Clauses When forming a temporal clause with -etan: The Base Verb: The verb is typically in a past/imperfective finite form (such as zegoen "he/she/it was", zen "he/she/it was", or habitual forms ending in -tzen). Case Suffixation: The inessive plural suffix -etan is suffixed directly to the inflected verbal word, functioning syntactically as a locative-temporal adjunct. Semantic Effect: It frames the main clause's action as occurring concurrently with or within a recurring background state. Comparative Examples: Specific vs. Habitual: Haserretzen zenean ("When he used to get angry" — viewed as a general descriptive frame). Haserretzen zenetan ("Whenever / At the very times when he used to get angry" — emphasizing the iterative, recurring nature of those specific occasions).