LingoflyThe highest step: …-ena
The degrees of comparison in Basque stick straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — narrower, handiagoa — bigger; "than" is baino: hau baino handiagoa — bigger than this. 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.
How it works
The degrees of comparison in Basque stick straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — narrower, handiagoa — bigger; "than" is baino: hau baino handiagoa — bigger than this.
The top degree is -ena: handiena — the biggest, estuena — the narrowest, onena — the best. In the plural — -enak: Katilu hauek dira handienak — these cups are the biggest.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| the biggest | handiena | hau da handiena |
| the tightest | estuena | liftoa estuena da |
| the best | onena | hauek dira onenak |
By example
- Hau da dendako katilu handienaThis is the biggest cup in the shop
- Baserriko sagarrak dira onenakApples from the farm 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 degrees of comparison in Basque stick straight onto the adjective. Higher is -agoa: estuagoa — narrower, handiagoa — bigger; "than" is baino: hau baino handiagoa — bigger than this.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“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.