LingoflyWhat shall we order? in Basque
Two friends at a restaurant table discuss the menu: the starter, the side and how the fish is cooked in Basque. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Menua begiratu duzu dagoeneko? Nik hamaiketako bat nahi nuke hasteko.» — Have you looked at the menu yet? I want a starter to begin; «Nik arraina nahi dut, baina ez dakit erreta ala egosia hobe den.» — I want fish, but I do not know what is better — fried or boiled. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two friends at a restaurant table discuss the menu: the starter, the side and how the fish is cooked. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- They say here the fried fish is good. Which side do you want: potatoes or rice?
Lines one by one
| Basque | Translation |
|---|---|
| Menua begiratu duzu dagoeneko? Nik hamaiketako bat nahi nuke hasteko. | Have you looked at the menu yet? I want a starter to begin. |
| Nik arraina nahi dut, baina ez dakit erreta ala egosia hobe den. | I want fish, but I do not know what is better — fried or boiled. |
| Hemen esaten dute arrain erreak onak direla. Zein hornigai nahi duzu: patatak ala arroza? | They say here the fried fish is good. Which side do you want: potatoes or rice? |
| Patataren alde nago. Zuk zer: salda ala entsalada hasierarako? | I am for potatoes. And you what: broth or salad as the first course? |
| Nik salda hartuko dut, egun hotza da eta zerbait beroak indarra ematen du. | I will take the broth: the day is cold, and hot food gives strength. |
| Ondo. Beraz: bi plater, patata hornigaiarekin eta ur pitxer bat mahai gainean. | Good. So: two dishes with a potato side and a jug of water for the table. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Basque in this situation?
“Menua begiratu duzu dagoeneko? Nik hamaiketako bat nahi nuke hasteko.” — Have you looked at the menu yet? I want a starter to begin. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.