English

"It hurts": -n plus mina dut

To complain, put the body part into the -n form — "in the head", "in the legs". For example: “eztarrian mina du” — His throat hurts. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

How it works

To complain, put the body part into the -n form — "in the head", "in the legs".

And the pain is "had": buruan mina dut — word for word "in the head I have pain". About someone else — du: eztarrian mina du — his throat hurts.

Several pains — ditut: hanketan minak ditut — my legs hurt. A fever works the same way: sukarra dut.

By example

  • eztarrian mina du
    His throat hurts
  • hortzetan mina dugu
    Our teeth hurt
  • sukarra eta eztula ditut
    I have a fever and a cough

How the rule settles in your head

A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.

Frequently asked

"It hurts": how does it work in Basque?

To complain, put the body part into the -n form — "in the head", "in the legs".

What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?

“eztarrian mina du” — His throat hurts. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.

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Test the rule on examplesPractice