Basque grammar
Basque grammar explained in plain words. Reading is almost letter-for-letter, there is no gender at all, and five vowels that never blur. What is harder: an isolate: not one word you already know, the verb at the end, and cases glued onto the noun.
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 stands before the auxiliary verb, and nothing else moves: Ez dago urrun — it is not far.
- 📐"I have" goes through dutBasque has no verb "to have". In its place stands the auxiliary dut — "I have it".
- 📐Questions with the particle alA question mark is not enough in Basque. A yes-or-no question is built with the particle al, which stands before the…
- 📐Comparatives: -ago… bainoComparison is built with the suffix -ago: merkea → merkeago — cheaper. "Than" is baino: Azoka merkeagoa da…
- 📐Plural and possessivesThe plural is -ak at the end: ogia → ogiak. But after a possessive word the article disappears: nire ogia — my bread…
- 📐"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 imperativeA command is the bare verb root: Egon! — stay!, Etorri! — come!, Jarri! — sit down!, Ireki! — open!.
- 📐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 one it is done to. The object mark stands at…
- 📐Clothes without counting: collectivesarropa — clothes, oinetakoa — footwear: Basque counts them as a mass, with no plural and no counting. Arropa erosi dut…
- 📐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 turns a thing into "some of" that thing: ogirik nahi? — do you want some bread? The article -a drops…
- 📐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…
- 📐"That" about what was said: horiThere are two levels of pointing: hau — this, right before your eyes, and hori — that, the thing already mentioned.…
- 📐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, -engatik, -laieke"Zorionak!" is the all-purpose greeting: for a birthday and for a new house alike. What you greet for takes -engatik…
- 📐Whose? -rena and neure buruaBelonging needs no second "izan": -rena is added to the owner. Liburu hau nirea da — this book is mine, word for word…
- 📐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: …tenean"When" here is put together from two familiar parts: the -n ending and "in" — -ean.
- 📐About: bat, gutxi gorabehera, iaAn approximate number takes the particle bat after the numeral: berrogei bat — about forty. Ehun bat pertsona — a…
- 📐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: Ez…
- 📐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, pitxin batBasque takes the measure of the uncountable with three hands. zati bat — a part, a piece: Gatz zati bat — a pinch of…
- 📐How: the question nola and a clause in … den"How is this said?" Basque asks like this: Nola esaten den euskaraz? — word for word "how said-being in Basque?".…
- 📐It can be done: … daitekeTo say "this can be done" without naming anybody, Basque uses the link daiteke. Konpon daiteke — it can be fixed, word…
- 📐The forecast and the futureAbout tomorrow's weather Basque speaks in the future. It is built from two parts: the verb in -tu/-i and the particle…
- 📐Directions: the root imperativeA command in Basque is the shortest form of the language: the bare root form of the verb. Ibili zuzen! — walk straight…
- 📐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: Ba al dezakezu…?A polite request in Basque is a question, not an order: Ba al dezakezu…? — "are you able to…?". Ba al dezakezu berriro…
- 📐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 has no words for "twofold" and "threefold". It counts times instead: bi aldiz gehiago — two times more, from…
- 📐Cause and consequence: …tzeagatik and …arekinA cause in Basque is marked by -gatik — because of: Hotzagatik gaixotu naiz — I fell ill from the cold. It glues the…
- 📐Wishes: …laiekeTo make a wish, Basque puts -laieke on the verb — "may it": Beldurrik gabe ibili laieke — may he walk without fear. The…
- 📐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…
- 📐Probability and conclusion: agian, ziur aski, beraz, ondoriozHow sure you are — Basque shows with the first word of the phrase. Agian — maybe: Agian bihar etortzen da — maybe he…
- 📐The highest step: …-enaThe steps of comparison glue straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — tighter, handiagoa — bigger…
- 📐Where and where to: gainean, pean, artean, …tik …raBasque puts such words not before the noun but AFTER it, and the noun takes the form of belonging. …gainean — on…
- 📐Approximate counting: berrogei bat, gutxi gorabeheraBasque makes a number approximate with the tail bat: berrogei bat lagun — some forty people. After a numeral the…
- 📐The beginning and the end: hasi + …tzen, amaitu + …taAn action that begins goes into the …tzen form after hasi: Euria hasten da — the rain begins. The form is one for all…
- 📐To know and to be acquainted: dakit/nakit 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 -ta: ondo egina dago — it is well made. And txarto egina dago — it is badly…
- 📐Ordinals beyond the third and fractions: laugarren, erdia, herenAn ordinal number joins the root and the tail -garren: lau → laugarren — fourth, bost → bosgarren — fifth. Further on…
- 📐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 is carried by an ending, not by a preposition. Where to — -tara/-tera: kalera joan naiz — I went out…
- 📐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 pisu? — what weight? Zenbat balio du kilo batek? — how…
- 📐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…
- 📐A feeling from an action: …tzeak poza ematen duAn action itself can bring a feeling: the name of the action in -tzea takes -k and stands first. Abesteak poza ematen…
- 📐The weather forecast: Eguraldia… izango duThe weather future is built with izango — the future of izan. The event stands first and the sky "has" it: Bihar euria…
- 📐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…
- 📐To put on and to unfasten: jantzi / deskontatuClothes in Basque are "put on and then had": jantzi — to put on, and the wearer "has" the thing. Praka jantzi ditut — I…
- 📐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 put together simply: the place takes -n, and dago follows. Aita etxean…
- 📐The kin: one word for two, and the tender nenorakBasque words for kin often do not tell the sexes apart. Suhi is both son-in-law and daughter-in-law. Iloba is nephew…
What works differently from what you know
Who acts depends on the verb: “Marta comes” is Marta dator, but “Marta brings bread” is Marta-k ogia eramaten 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: an isolate: not one word you already know, the verb at the end, and cases glued onto the noun.
Easy: reading is almost letter-for-letter, there is no gender at all, and five vowels that never blur.
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?
An isolate: not one word you already know, the verb at the end, and cases glued onto the noun is the main difficulty. In return, reading is almost letter-for-letter, there is no gender at all, and five vowels that never blur.
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.