LingoflyPlace in the house: barruan, gainean, azpian, aurrean, atzean
Basque glues the place word to the end: the noun takes -aren, and the place word follows. Gelaren barruan — in the room, mahaiaren gainean — on the table, ohearen azpian — under the bed. Short words keep -aren out: atean — at the door. For example: “Katua leiho-ertzean lotan dago, gortinaren atzean” — The cat dozes on the windowsill, behind the curtain. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
Basque glues the place word to the end: the noun takes -aren, and the place word follows. Gelaren barruan — in the room, mahaiaren gainean — on the table, ohearen azpian — under the bed. Short words keep -aren out: atean — at the door.
Five tails cover the house: barruan — inside, gainean — on top, azpian — under, aurrean — in front, atzean — behind. The question to them is non? — where: Non dago giltza? Atearen atzean. For "where to" the tail turns into -ra: gelaren barrura.
Table
| the form | the meaning | the example |
|---|---|---|
| …aren barruan | inside | biltegiaren barruan |
| …aren gainean / azpian | on / under | mahaiaren gainean |
| …aren aurrean / atzean | in front / behind | atearen atzean |
By example
- Giltzak atondoaren barruan daude, kakoanThe keys are in the hallway, on the hook
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
Place in the house: how does it work in Basque?
Basque glues the place word to the end: the noun takes -aren, and the place word follows. Gelaren barruan — in the room, mahaiaren gainean — on the table, ohearen azpian — under the bed. Short words keep -aren out: atean — at the door.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Katua leiho-ertzean lotan dago, gortinaren atzean” — The cat dozes on the windowsill, behind the curtain. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.