English

The highest step: …-ena

The steps of comparison glue straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — tighter, handiagoa — bigger; "than" is baino: hau baino handiagoa — bigger than this one. For example: “Hau da dendako katilu handiena” — This is the biggest cup in the shop. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

How it works

The steps of comparison glue straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — tighter, handiagoa — bigger; "than" is baino: hau baino handiagoa — bigger than this one.

The top step is -ena: handiena — the biggest, estuena — the tightest, onena — the best. The form already carries the article, so the verb agrees in number: Katilu hauek dira handienak — these cups are the biggest.

Table

The highest step: …-ena
the meaningthe formthe example
the biggesthandienahau da handiena
the tightestestuenaliftoa estuena da
the bestonenahauek dira onenak

By example

  • Hau da dendako katilu handiena
    This is the biggest cup in the shop
  • Gela hau zabala da, baina hura estuena
    This room is spacious, and that one is the tightest
  • Baserriko sagarrak dira onenak
    The garden apples are the best

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

The highest step: how does it work in Basque?

The steps of comparison glue straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — tighter, handiagoa — bigger; "than" is baino: hau baino handiagoa — bigger than this one.

What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?

“Hau da dendako katilu handiena” — This is the biggest cup in the shop. 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