LingoflyHow much: zati bat, erdia, pixka bat
Basque takes the measure of the uncountable with three hands. zati bat — a part, a piece: ogi zati bat — a piece of bread. erdia — half: Aza erdia — half a cabbage. pixka bat — a little, a pinch: gatz pixka bat — a pinch of salt, Esne pixka bat — a drop of milk. For example: “Ogi zati bat jan dut” — I have eaten a piece of bread. 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: ogi zati bat — a piece of bread. erdia — half: Aza erdia — half a cabbage. pixka bat — a little, a pinch: gatz pixka bat — a pinch of salt, Esne pixka 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 | ogi zati bat — a piece of bread |
| half | erdia | aza erdia — half a head of cabbage |
| a little bit | pixka bat | gatz pixka bat — a pinch of salt |
By example
- Half a head of cabbage is enough for today
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: ogi zati bat — a piece of bread. erdia — half: Aza erdia — half a cabbage. pixka bat — a little, a pinch: gatz pixka bat — a pinch of salt, Esne pixka bat — a drop of milk.
What does it look like in a Basque example sentence?
“Ogi zati bat jan dut” — I have eaten a piece of bread. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.