Congratulations: Zorionak, -engatik, -laieke
"Zorionak!" is the universal congratulation: for a birthday and for a new house alike. What you congratulate for takes the suffix -engatik, "on the occasion of": urtebetetzearengatik — on the occasion of the birthday. For example: “Zorionak urteberriarengatik!” — Happy New Year!. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
"Zorionak!" is the universal congratulation: for a birthday and for a new house alike. What you congratulate for takes the suffix -engatik, "on the occasion of": urtebetetzearengatik — on the occasion of the birthday.
The wish "may it" is the bookish optative …laieke: Urte ona izan laieke! — may the year be a good one. It sounds in toasts and blessings; in speech more often simply: Zorionak eta urte berri on!
Table
| the occasion | the phrase |
|---|---|
| a birthday | Zorionak urtebetetzearengatik! |
| New Year | Zorionak urteberriarengatik! |
| may the year be good | Urte ona izan laieke! |
By example
- Zorionak urteberriarengatik!Happy New Year!
- Zorionak etxe berriarengatik!Congratulations on the new house!
- Urte ona izan laieke denontzatMay the year be a good one for everybody
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
Congratulations: how does it work in Basque?
"Zorionak!" is the universal congratulation: for a birthday and for a new house alike. What you congratulate for takes the suffix -engatik, "on the occasion of": urtebetetzearengatik — on the occasion of the birthday.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Zorionak urteberriarengatik!” — Happy New Year!. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.