How much: zati bat, erdia, pitxin bat
The measure of the uncountable Basque takes with three hands. zati bat — "a part, a piece": Gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt, ogia zati bat — a piece of bread. erdia — "half": Aza erdia — half a head of cabbage. pitxin bat — "a little bit": Esne pitxin bat — a little bit of milk. For example: “Gatz zati bat bota dut zopan” — I threw a pinch of salt into the soup. A rule from the Basque course: worked out on examples…
How it works
The measure of the uncountable Basque takes with three hands. zati bat — "a part, a piece": Gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt, ogia zati bat — a piece of bread. erdia — "half": Aza erdia — half a head of cabbage. pitxin bat — "a little bit": Esne pitxin bat — a little bit of milk.
Note: the noun stands in front bare, without the article — the article has moved to the measure. After a numeral the article disappears the same way (waves 1–5 already did this): here the measure works as a number.
Table
| the quantity | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| a part, a piece | zati bat | gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt |
| half | erdia | aza erdia — half a head of cabbage |
| a little bit | pitxin bat | esne pitxin bat — a little bit of milk |
By example
- Gatz zati bat bota dut zopanI threw a pinch of salt into the soup
- Aza erdia nahikoa da gaurantzatHalf a head of cabbage is enough for today
- Esne pitxin bat jarri dizut kafeanI added a little bit of milk to your coffee
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?
The measure of the uncountable Basque takes with three hands. zati bat — "a part, a piece": Gatz zati bat — a pinch of salt, ogia zati bat — a piece of bread. erdia — "half": Aza erdia — half a head of cabbage. pitxin bat — "a little bit": Esne pitxin bat — a little bit of milk.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Gatz zati bat bota dut zopan” — I threw a pinch of salt into the soup. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.