Approximate counting: berrogei bat, gutxi gorabehera
Approximateness Basque makes with a number plus the tail bat: berrogei bat lagun — some forty people, literally "forty one-pieces". After a numeral the article disappears: not berrogeia, just berrogei. For example: “Berrogei bat lagun etorri dira kontzertura” — Some forty people came to the concert. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Approximateness Basque makes with a number plus the tail bat: berrogei bat lagun — some forty people, literally "forty one-pieces". After a numeral the article disappears: not berrogeia, just berrogei.
Broader, the same meaning is taken by gutxi gorabehera — about (a repeat of wave 4, now with bigger numbers) and counting words: hamarkada bat — a decade or so, dozena bat — a dozen or so. Precision does not vanish here: it is honestly blurred.
Table
| the meaning | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| or so (after a number) | … bat | berrogei bat lagun |
| about | gutxi gorabehera | gutxi gorabehera hiru litro |
| a decade or so | hamarkada bat | hamarkada bat lagun |
By example
- Berrogei bat lagun etorri dira kontzerturaSome forty people came to the concert
- Gutxi gorabehera hiru litro ur behar dituguWe need about three liters of water
- Dozena bat arrautza erosi dut merkatuanI bought a dozen eggs at the market
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
Approximate counting: how does it work in Basque?
Approximateness Basque makes with a number plus the tail bat: berrogei bat lagun — some forty people, literally "forty one-pieces". After a numeral the article disappears: not berrogeia, just berrogei.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Berrogei bat lagun etorri dira kontzertura” — Some forty people came to the concert. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.