LingoflyAsking for help at home in Basque
Asking for help around the house in Basque. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Barkatu, gaur zakarra atera behar duzu: bizkarra minduta dut.» — Sorry, today you take out the trash: my back hurts; «Ados, aita. Baina orain nator: pelikula amaitzen ari da.» — Okay, dad. But I will come right away: the movie is ending. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: asking for help around the house. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Okay, dad. But I will come right away: the movie is ending.
- And wash the dishes, please: mom made dinner.
- Ados. Lagunduko dizut, baina gero xakean jokatuko dut aitonarekin.Fine. I will help, but then I will play chess with grandpa.
- Good. Chess is allowed, after dinner.
- Thanks, dad! I will come right away with the trash.
Lines one by one
| Basque | Translation |
|---|---|
| Barkatu, gaur zakarra atera behar duzu: bizkarra minduta dut. | Sorry, today you take out the trash: my back hurts. |
| Ados, aita. Baina orain nator: pelikula amaitzen ari da. | Okay, dad. But I will come right away: the movie is ending. |
| Eta ontziak garbitu, mesedez: amak afaria prestatu du. | And wash the dishes, please: mom made dinner. |
| Ados. Lagunduko dizut, baina gero xakean jokatuko dut aitonarekin. | Fine. I will help, but then I will play chess with grandpa. |
| Ona zara. Baimenduta dago xakea, afaria eta gero. | Good. Chess is allowed, after dinner. |
| Eskerrik asko, aita! Orain nator zakarrarekin. | Thanks, dad! I will come right away with the trash. |
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?
“Barkatu, gaur zakarra atera behar duzu: bizkarra minduta dut.” — Sorry, today you take out the trash: my back hurts. 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.