In-laws: suhia, erraina, amaginarreba
Basque has its own words for in-laws. A son-in-law is suhia, a daughter-in-law is erraina. The mother-in-law on either side is amaginarreba, the father-in-law aitaginarreba. When the side matters, say it in full: emaztearen ama — the wife's mother. For example: “Nire senideak bazkaltzera etorriko dira igandean” — My dear ones will come to lunch on Sunday. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
Basque has its own words for in-laws. A son-in-law is suhia, a daughter-in-law is erraina. The mother-in-law on either side is amaginarreba, the father-in-law aitaginarreba. When the side matters, say it in full: emaztearen ama — the wife's mother.
Some words do not tell the sexes apart: iloba is nephew and niece, biloba grandson and granddaughter. A spouse is ezkontidea — husband and wife in one word. All your relatives together are senideak.
Table
| who | the word | the example |
|---|---|---|
| son-in-law / daughter-in-law | suhia / erraina | gure suhia — our son-in-law |
| mother-in-law | amaginarreba | amaginarreba etorri da — the mother-in-law came |
| nephew and niece | iloba | bi iloba ditut |
By example
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
In-laws: how does it work in Basque?
Basque has its own words for in-laws. A son-in-law is suhia, a daughter-in-law is erraina. The mother-in-law on either side is amaginarreba, the father-in-law aitaginarreba. When the side matters, say it in full: emaztearen ama — the wife's mother.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Nire senideak bazkaltzera etorriko dira igandean” — My dear ones will come to lunch on Sunday. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.