The article at the end of the word: -a
Basque has no article word standing before the noun: definiteness is expressed by the suffix -a at the end. For example: “ogi → ogia → ogiak” — bread in general → the bread → the loaves. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Basque has no article word standing before the noun: definiteness is expressed by the suffix -a at the end.
ogi is bread in general → ogia is "the bread", that particular one. The plural is -ak: ogiak — "the loaves".
At the join, consonants merge: sagar + a → sagarra, banku + a → bankua. So in dictionaries the word stands without the article, while in speech it almost always has one.
By example
- ogi → ogia → ogiakbread in general → the bread → the loaves
- hiri bata town — no article
- hiria handia dathe town is big
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
The article at the end of the word: how does it work in Basque?
Basque has no article word standing before the noun: definiteness is expressed by the suffix -a at the end.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“ogi → ogia → ogiak” — bread in general → the bread → the loaves. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.