LingoflyBasque grammar
Basque grammar explained in plain words. Nouns have no grammatical gender, and case endings are nearly the same for every noun. What is harder: the ergative — the subject changes its ending depending on the verb — case endings glued to the end of the whole phrase, and an auxiliary verb that agrees with several participants at once.
Notes
- 📐izan and egon — the two verbs "to be"English has one verb "to be". Basque has two, and it keeps them apart.
- 📐The article at the end of the word: -aBasque has no article word standing before the noun: definiteness is expressed by the suffix -a at the end.
- 📐The verb comes lastThe word order runs the opposite way to English: who — what — does. The verb (more precisely, the auxiliary verb)…
- 📐Negation: ez before the verbThe negation ez goes before the auxiliary verb, and the auxiliary moves forward with it: ikusi dut — I saw, but ez dut…
- 📐"I have" goes through dut"To have" in Basque is the verb ukan. In speech you hear its forms: dut — "I have it", duzu — you have, du — he or she…
- 📐Questions with the particle alA yes-or-no question in Basque is built with the particle al, which stands before the auxiliary verb: Ura al dago? — is…
- 📐Comparatives: -ago… bainoComparison is built with the suffix -ago: merkea → merkeagoa — cheaper. "Than" is baino, and what you compare with…
- 📐Plural and possessivesThe plural is -ak at the end: ogia → ogiak. After a possessive word the article stays in place: nire etxea — my house…
- 📐"It hurts": -n plus mina dutTo complain, put the body part into the -n form — "in the head", "in the legs".
- 📐The weather is "done": euria egiten duBasque "does" the weather: euria egiten du — the rain "gets done", elurra egiten du — the snow "gets done". An…
- 📐The imperativeThe shortest request is the bare dictionary form of the verb: Itxaron! — wait!, Ireki! — open!, Etorri! — come!, Egon!…
- 📐Tomorrow: the future tenseThe future takes two moves: the future stem plus the auxiliary. The stem is made by -ko: erosiko dut — I will buy…
- 📐Whom and what: the object lives in the verbA verb with an object agrees with two at once: the one who does and the thing it is done to. The object mark stands at…
- 📐Clothes without counting: collectivesarropa — clothes: Basque counts them as a mass, with no plural and no counting. Arropa erosi dut — "I bought clothes"…
- 📐Feelings: three formulasA state here and now is made by -ta/-ik/-rik plus egon: nekatuta nago — I am tired, pozik nago — I am glad, gaixorik…
- 📐A little and none at all: -rikThe suffix -rik goes into questions and negatives when you mean "any" of a thing: Ogirik nahi? — do you want any bread?…
- 📐Must and can: behar and -keNecessity is built with behar plus the main verb: Joan behar dut — I must go, word for word "to go I-have-need". The…
- 📐hau, hori, hura: three kinds of "this"Basque has three words for "this" and "that". hau — this, next to me; hori — this, next to you; hura — that, far from…
- 📐How exactly: words of mannerThe word of manner stands before the verb: Azkar ibiltzen da — he walks fast. The pairs are honest: azkar — fast…
- Congratulations: Zorionak and -(r)engatik📐Congratulations: Zorionak and -(r)engatik"Zorionak!" is the all-purpose congratulation: for a birthday and for a new home alike. Word for word it is…
- 📐Whose? -rena and neure burua"Whose" is said with the tail -(r)ena on the owner: ama → amarena — mum's. Pronouns have a shorter tail: nirea — mine…
- 📐Why and what for: -lako, -tzeagatik, -tzekoA reason is a suffix grown onto the word. After a noun it is -gatik: euriagatik — because of the rain, isunagatik…
- 📐If: ba- and …badaA condition grows ba- onto the front of the verb: badator — if he comes, badago — if there is. And badu — if he has it.
- 📐When: …(e)nean"When" here is put together from two parts: the -n ending and "in" — -ean.
- 📐About: bat, gutxi gorabehera, iaAn approximate number takes the word bat after the numeral: berrogei bat — about forty, ehun bat pertsona — a hundred…
- 📐One may, with nobody named: daitekeWhen "one may" has no owner, Basque takes daiteke: Sartu daiteke? — may one come in? The negative is ez daiteke, and in…
- 📐The purpose looks forward: -tzekoTo say WHY you came, Basque grows -tzeko onto the verb: Ikasteko etorri naiz — I came to study, word for word…
- 📐The words of others: …elaTo pass on someone's words, Basque has one form: the verb takes -(e)la.
- 📐Although and still: … arrenConcession — "although, but still" — is held by the word arren after the verb. Euria egiten duen arren, joango naiz…
- 📐I think that…: uste dut + -(e)laBasque puts opinion into a separate word: uste — opinion. The formula is simple: Uste dut plus a verb in -(e)la. Uste…
- 📐Which: a modifier by a clause in …n"The person who came" Basque builds with a verb form in -n: etorri den gizona — the person who came. Word for word…
- 📐The same as: equality through bezainTo compare two things on equal terms, Basque has one particle bezain. Hau hura bezain handia da — this is as big as…
- 📐A feeling from an action: …tzeakAn action can itself cause a feeling. The name of the action in -tzea takes the tail -k and becomes the doer: Harremana…
- 📐How much: zati bat, erdia, pixka batBasque takes the measure of the uncountable with three hands. zati bat — a part, a piece: ogi zati bat — a piece of…
- 📐I do not know how: nola … den inside a sentenceA direct question is simple: Nola esaten da euskaraz? — how do you say it in Basque? When the question moves inside a…
- 📐Fixable or not: konpon daiteke, ezin da konponduWith daiteke the verb stands short, without its tail: Konpon daiteke — it can be fixed, Ordain daiteke — you can pay.…
- 📐The forecast: euria egingo duTomorrow's weather is told in the future tense. It is built from the verb and the tail -ko, and after -n the tail…
- 📐Directions: the root imperativeA direction in Basque is the shortest form in the language: the bare dictionary form of the verb. Ibili zuzen! — go…
- 📐Right now: …-ten ari naizFor what is happening right now, Basque uses ari naiz — "I am at it". The verb takes the -ten form: Euskara ikasten ari…
- 📐A biography: was nintzen — am naizA story about yourself is a parade of two links. The past nintzen — I was: Bilbon jaio nintzen — I was born in Bilbao.…
- 📐Politeness: …al dezakezu?A polite request in Basque is a question, not an order: the verb + al dezakezu? — "can you…?" Berriro esan al dezakezu?…
- 📐Who does and what is done: -tzaile and -ketaBasque makes words for jobs out of verbs, the way a joiner makes shelves out of boards. The verb stem plus…
- 📐Purpose and consequence: …tzearren and berazTo say what something is done FOR, Basque hangs -tzearren on the name of the action. Denda zabaltzearren — for the sake…
- 📐As whom and what one thinks: …tzat and …ela uste duTo say "as whom", Basque has the ending -tzat: Laguntzat du — he counts him as a friend. One ending, and the word…
- 📐When the doer does not matter: …-tzen daWhen the deed matters more than the doer, the object moves to the front and the auxiliary becomes da/dira. Etxe berriak…
- 📐The process: …-tzen arituTo say a person was busy with something for a while, Basque has the verb aritu — "to be at it". The verb goes into…
- 📐Comparing measures: bikoiztu, erdia, aldiz gehiagoBasque says "double" in two ways. There is the word bikoitz — double: prezio bikoitza — a double price, and bikoiztu…
- 📐Cause and consequence: …tzeagatik and …arekinA cause in Basque takes the tail -gatik — "because of": Hotzagatik gaixotu naiz — I fell ill from the cold. It joins an…
- 📐Wishes: …dezazula, …dadilaTo wish something, Basque puts the verb into its "may" form and adds -la: Ondo pasa dezazula! — have a good time! For…
- 📐The words of others: …ela esan and …dezanSomeone else's speech Basque glues to the verb with -ela: Gaixotuta dagoela esan du — he said that the man is ill. The…
- 📐Maybe: agian, ziur aski, badirudiHow sure you are, Basque shows with the first word of the phrase. Agian — maybe: Agian bihar etorriko da — maybe he…
- 📐So: beraz and ondoriozWhen the facts are in, the words of conclusion arrive. Beraz — so, therefore: it closes the reasoning.
- 📐The highest step: …-enaThe degrees of comparison in Basque stick straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — narrower, handiagoa…
- 📐Where and where to: gainean, azpian, artean, …tik …raBasque puts such words not before the noun but AFTER it, and the noun takes the form of belonging. …gainean — on…
- 📐Dozens and hundreds: dozena bat, ehunkaBesides numbers, Basque has counting words. dozena bat — a dozen: Dozena bat arrautza — a dozen eggs. The tail -ka…
- 📐Start and finish: …tzen hasi, amaituTo start doing is hasi plus a verb in -tzen: Euria egiten hasi da — it started raining, Lan egiten hasi naiz — I…
- 📐To know and to be acquainted: dakit and ezagutzen dut"To know" in Basque is two verbs. Jakin is to know a fact, a rule, an answer: Euskara pixka bat dakit — I know a little…
- 📐Duration: Bost urte daramatzat hemen"How long already" Basque says with the verb eraman — to carry: Nik bost urte daramatzat hemen — I have been here five…
- 📐The consequence: …tzeagatik and horregatikA cause becomes the name of an action: the verb takes -tzea, and -gatik — because of — glues onto it. Berandu…
- 📐With no doer: Han ekoizten da, bertan muntatzen daWhen "who does it" does not matter, the verb is left alone: …tzen da — it is done. Han ekoizten da — it is made there…
- 📐Retelling others: …ela, bere esanetan, antza denezSomeone else's words glue straight to the verb with the tail -ela: Etorriko dela kontatu du — he told me he is coming.…
- 📐Judging an action: ondo egina dago, …tzea txarto dagoWhat has been made, Basque judges with the "done" form in -a: ondo egina dago — it is well made. And txarto egina dago…
- 📐Ordinals beyond the third and fractions: laugarren, erdia, herenAn ordinal number is built from the number and the tail -garren: lau → laugarren — fourth, bost → bosgarren — fifth…
- 📐The everyday present: Erosten dut, Ordaintzen dutA habit is the -tzen form plus the auxiliary dut: erosten dut — I buy, as a rule. The person changes the auxiliary…
- 📐To come and to go: …tera joan, …tik etorriMotion in Basque rides on an ending, not on a preposition. Where to — -ra, after a consonant -era: kalera joan naiz — I…
- 📐Clock and calendar: bostetan, otsaileanBasque joins the hour to the number in one word with -tan: bostetan — at five, zortzietan — at eight. Lana bostetan…
- 📐The morning about yourself: Esnatzen naiz, Altxatzen naizMorning chores take the second auxiliary — naiz: esnatzen naiz — I wake up. It changes by person: altxatzen zara — you…
- 📐Perception through dut: Ikusi dut, Entzun dutWhat you see and hear, Basque "has": ikusi dut — I saw, entzun dut — I heard. The auxiliary dut changes by person, and…
- 📐Questions of measure: Zenbat pisu?, Xerra batA measure at the market is asked with zenbat — how much: zenbat balio du kilo batek? — how much is a kilo? "Half" goes…
- 📐Place in the house: barruan, gainean, azpian, aurrean, atzeanBasque glues the place word to the end: the noun takes -aren, and the place word follows. Gelaren barruan — in the…
- 📐It makes me angry: haserretu egiten nauWhen something stirs a feeling, Basque puts you in the place of the object: nau — "me". Zaratak haserretu egiten nau…
- 📐There will be: izango da and izango dira"There will be" in a forecast is izango, the future of izan: Igandean eguraldi ederra izango da — on Sunday the weather…
- 📐Indirect questions: Ez dakit non dagoenA direct question moves inside the phrase: the question word stays, the verb takes -(e)n, and the question mark goes.…
- 📐Where we are driving: gidatu, iritsi, -rantz, …ra arteA car in Basque is "led": gidatu — to drive a car, kontuz gidatu — drive carefully. To reach a point is iritsi, and the…
- 📐Put on and take off, button and unbuttonTo put on is jantzi, and the clothes are then "had": one item — dut, several — ditut. Jaka jantzi dut — I put on the…
- 📐Where things stand: atzean, eskuinaldean, mahai gaineanKitchen place words go after -aren: hozkailuaren atzean — behind the fridge, word for word "of-the-fridge behind".…
- 📐On the phone: …n dago? and -iezadazuThe phone question "is he home, is he in" is simple: the place takes the tail -n — "in", and then dago. Aita etxean…
- 📐In-laws: suhia, erraina, amaginarrebaBasque has its own words for in-laws. A son-in-law is suhia, a daughter-in-law is erraina. The mother-in-law on either…
What works differently from what you know
Who acts depends on the verb: “Marta comes” is Marta dator, but “Marta brings bread” is Martak ogia ekartzen du. With a transitive verb the subject takes the suffix -k; in Europe, apart from Basque, such an ergative lives only in the Caucasus.
José Ignacio Hualde, Jon Ortiz de Urbina (eds.), «A Grammar of Basque», Mouton de Gruyter, 2003
What is hard about Basque and what comes for free
Hard: the ergative — the subject changes its ending depending on the verb — case endings glued to the end of the whole phrase, and an auxiliary verb that agrees with several participants at once.
Easy: nouns have no grammatical gender, and case endings are nearly the same for every noun.
This is not a verdict on the language but a hint on where to spend effort. The hard parts are best taken a little at a time and often; the easy parts — left alone while they work by themselves.
Frequently asked
Is the grammar of Basque complicated?
The ergative — the subject changes its ending depending on the verb — case endings glued to the end of the whole phrase, and an auxiliary verb that agrees with several participants at once is the main difficulty. In return, nouns have no grammatical gender, and case endings are nearly the same for every noun.
Should grammar be learned separately?
Not as a separate course. A rule learned before you need it is forgotten before you meet it. It is more useful to work it out at the moment you stumble over it.