Comparing measures: bikoiztu, erdia, aldiz gehiago
Basque has no words for "twofold" and "threefold". It counts times instead: bi aldiz gehiago — two times more, from aldi — a spell. Hiru aldiz gehiago — three times more: the number slots into a ready frame. For example: “Prezioa bikoiztu egin da aurten” — The price doubled this year. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Basque has no words for "twofold" and "threefold". It counts times instead: bi aldiz gehiago — two times more, from aldi — a spell. Hiru aldiz gehiago — three times more: the number slots into a ready frame.
To double is bikoiztu: from bi — two, the price "became a pair": Prezioa bikoiztu da. Half is the old friend erdia: Erdia hartuko dut — I will take half, not the whole. After a number the article drops: hiru metro — three metres.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| twice as much | bi aldiz gehiago | bi aldiz gehiago behar dut |
| to double | bikoiztu | prezioa bikoiztu da |
| half | erdia | erdia hartuko dut |
By example
- Prezioa bikoiztu egin da aurtenThe price doubled this year
- Erdia hartuko dut, osoa ezI will take half, not the whole
- Hiru aldiz gehiago behar dut aurreko urtean bainoI need three times more than last year
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
Comparing measures: how does it work in Basque?
Basque has no words for "twofold" and "threefold". It counts times instead: bi aldiz gehiago — two times more, from aldi — a spell. Hiru aldiz gehiago — three times more: the number slots into a ready frame.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Prezioa bikoiztu egin da aurten” — The price doubled this year. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.