Zer apurtu da etxean? in Basque
Neighbors discuss on the phone what broke at home in Basque. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Kaixo! Zer pasatu da etxean? Goizean zarata handia entzun dut zure sarreragelan.» — Hi! What happened at home? In the morning I heard a big noise by your hallway. 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: neighbors discuss on the phone what broke at home. 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.
- Kaixo! Zer pasatu da etxean? Goizean zarata handia entzun dut zure sarreragelan.Hi! What happened at home? In the morning I heard a big noise by your hallway.
- Argia itzali da eta zoruan erori naiz ilunpean, baina ez zait ezer apurtu.The light went out, and I fell in the dark on the floor, but I broke nothing.
- Baina zerbait apurtu da, ezta? Bonbillak ez du funtzionatzen oraindik, ezta?But something did break, right? The bulb still does not work, right?
- Bai: bonbilla erre da eta gainera sukaldeko txorrota tantoka dabil gauez.Yes: the bulb burned out, and besides, the kitchen faucet drips at night.
- Berokailuak berotzen al du oraindik? Negua laster dator, eta etxean hotz dagoela esan didate.Does the radiator still heat? Winter is coming soon, and I was told the house is cold.
- Ez du berotzen. Txarnetak oliatu ditut gaur, baina sarraila ere aldatu behar dut: ez da ixten ondo.It does not heat. I oiled the hinges today, but the lock also has to be changed: it does not close well.
Lines one by one
| Basque | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Kaixo! Zer pasatu da etxean? Goizean zarata handia entzun dut zure sarreragelan. | — | Hi! What happened at home? In the morning I heard a big noise by your hallway. |
| Argia itzali da eta zoruan erori naiz ilunpean, baina ez zait ezer apurtu. | — | The light went out, and I fell in the dark on the floor, but I broke nothing. |
| Baina zerbait apurtu da, ezta? Bonbillak ez du funtzionatzen oraindik, ezta? | — | But something did break, right? The bulb still does not work, right? |
| Bai: bonbilla erre da eta gainera sukaldeko txorrota tantoka dabil gauez. | — | Yes: the bulb burned out, and besides, the kitchen faucet drips at night. |
| Berokailuak berotzen al du oraindik? Negua laster dator, eta etxean hotz dagoela esan didate. | — | Does the radiator still heat? Winter is coming soon, and I was told the house is cold. |
| Ez du berotzen. Txarnetak oliatu ditut gaur, baina sarraila ere aldatu behar dut: ez da ixten ondo. | — | It does not heat. I oiled the hinges today, but the lock also has to be changed: it does not close well. |
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?
“Kaixo! Zer pasatu da etxean? Goizean zarata handia entzun dut zure sarreragelan.” — Hi! What happened at home? In the morning I heard a big noise by your hallway.. 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.