How much: zati bat, erdia, pitxin bat
Basque takes the measure of the uncountable with three hands. zati bat — a part, a piece: Gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt. erdia — half: Aza erdia — half a cabbage. pitxin bat — a tiny bit: Esne pitxin bat — a drop of milk. For example: “Gatz zati bat bota dut zopan” — I threw a pinch of salt into the soup. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Basque takes the measure of the uncountable with three hands. zati bat — a part, a piece: Gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt. erdia — half: Aza erdia — half a cabbage. pitxin bat — a tiny bit: Esne pitxin bat — a drop of milk.
The noun stands in front bare, with no article: the article has moved to the measure. After a numeral the article drops the same way. The measure works here as a number.
Table
| the quantity | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| a part, a piece | zati bat | gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt |
| half | erdia | aza erdia — half a head of cabbage |
| a little bit | pitxin bat | esne pitxin bat — a little bit of milk |
By example
- Gatz zati bat bota dut zopanI threw a pinch of salt into the soup
- Aza erdia nahikoa da gaurantzatHalf a head of cabbage is enough for today
- Esne pitxin bat jarri dizut kafeanI added a little bit of milk to your coffee
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
How much: how does it work in Basque?
Basque takes the measure of the uncountable with three hands. zati bat — a part, a piece: Gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt. erdia — half: Aza erdia — half a cabbage. pitxin bat — a tiny bit: Esne pitxin bat — a drop of milk.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Gatz zati bat bota dut zopan” — I threw a pinch of salt into the soup. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.