Zer ordu? Bostetan in Basque
Two friends agree on a time to meet in Basque. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Zer ordu da? Barkatu: zeinetan elkartuko gara bihar, ordua ahaztu didazu?» — What time is it? Sorry: at what time do we meet tomorrow, did you not say the time? The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two friends agree on a time to meet. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Zer ordu da? Barkatu: zeinetan elkartuko gara bihar, ordua ahaztu didazu?What time is it? Sorry: at what time do we meet tomorrow, did you not say the time?
- Bostetan, plazaren ondoan. Eta zuk garaiz etorri, iaz bezala ez: orduan berandu heldu zinen eta kafea hotz geratu zen.At five, by the square. And come on time, not like last year: then you came late, and the coffee went cold.
- Oraintxe hitz ematen dut: garaiz iritsiko naiz, autobusak bostetan gelditzen badira bakarrik.I give you my word right now: I will make it, as long as the buses stop on time.
- Berandutzen baduzu, hasiko gara zure gabe: kafeak ez du inor itxaroten, eta asetuta nago eskaerez.If you are late, we will start without you: coffee waits for nobody, and I am fed up with excuses.
- Hitz emanda. Eta ur gehiago eskatuko dizut: egarri naiz, eguerditik ez dut ezer edan.I give my word. And I will ask for water too: I am thirsty, I have not drunk anything since noon.
- Ona zara! Bostetan beraz: ni lehenik iritsiko naiz, taula hoberenean eserita.Well done! So, at five: I will come first and sit at the best table.
Lines one by one
| Basque | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Zer ordu da? Barkatu: zeinetan elkartuko gara bihar, ordua ahaztu didazu? | — | What time is it? Sorry: at what time do we meet tomorrow, did you not say the time? |
| Bostetan, plazaren ondoan. Eta zuk garaiz etorri, iaz bezala ez: orduan berandu heldu zinen eta kafea hotz geratu zen. | — | At five, by the square. And come on time, not like last year: then you came late, and the coffee went cold. |
| Oraintxe hitz ematen dut: garaiz iritsiko naiz, autobusak bostetan gelditzen badira bakarrik. | — | I give you my word right now: I will make it, as long as the buses stop on time. |
| Berandutzen baduzu, hasiko gara zure gabe: kafeak ez du inor itxaroten, eta asetuta nago eskaerez. | — | If you are late, we will start without you: coffee waits for nobody, and I am fed up with excuses. |
| Hitz emanda. Eta ur gehiago eskatuko dizut: egarri naiz, eguerditik ez dut ezer edan. | — | I give my word. And I will ask for water too: I am thirsty, I have not drunk anything since noon. |
| Ona zara! Bostetan beraz: ni lehenik iritsiko naiz, taula hoberenean eserita. | — | Well done! So, at five: I will come first and sit at the best 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 it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.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?
“Zer ordu da? Barkatu: zeinetan elkartuko gara bihar, ordua ahaztu didazu?” — What time is it? Sorry: at what time do we meet tomorrow, did you not say the time?. 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.