Asteburuaren planak in Basque
Discussing weekend plans: movies, mountains and the forecast in Basque. 6 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Zer egingo dugu asteburu honetan? Seguru asko euria egingo du larunbatean, eguraldi-iragarpenaren arabera.» — What shall we do this weekend? Most likely it will rain on Saturday, according to the forecast. 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: discussing weekend plans: movies, mountains and the forecast. 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 egingo dugu asteburu honetan? Seguru asko euria egingo du larunbatean, eguraldi-iragarpenaren arabera.What shall we do this weekend? Most likely it will rain on Saturday, according to the forecast.
- Ziur aski! Beraz, larunbatean zinean joatea hobea da, ezta? Badirudi film on bat dagoela estreinaldian.For sure! So on Saturday it is better to go to the movies, right? There seems to be a good film at the premiere.
- Ona da, baina igandean? Nolanahi ere, mendira joan nahi nuke eguzkia badago.Good, and on Sunday? In any case I want to go to the mountains, if there is sun.
- Mendira joatea ona da, behar izanez gero aterkiak hartuko ditugu. Zure lekuan, noiz abiatuko ginateke?To the mountains is good, just in case we will take umbrellas. In your place — when would you leave?
- Goizeko bederatzietan, behar izanez gero beranduago. Zure autoa hartuko dugu, ezta?At nine in the morning, later if needed. We will take your car, right?
- Bai, hartuko dugu. Behar nuen asteburu hau, egia esanda: lanak nekatu nau, eta mendian hobeto sentitzen naiz beti.Yes, we will. I needed this day off, honestly: the work has tired me, and in the mountains I always feel better.
Lines one by one
| Basque | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Zer egingo dugu asteburu honetan? Seguru asko euria egingo du larunbatean, eguraldi-iragarpenaren arabera. | — | What shall we do this weekend? Most likely it will rain on Saturday, according to the forecast. |
| Ziur aski! Beraz, larunbatean zinean joatea hobea da, ezta? Badirudi film on bat dagoela estreinaldian. | — | For sure! So on Saturday it is better to go to the movies, right? There seems to be a good film at the premiere. |
| Ona da, baina igandean? Nolanahi ere, mendira joan nahi nuke eguzkia badago. | — | Good, and on Sunday? In any case I want to go to the mountains, if there is sun. |
| Mendira joatea ona da, behar izanez gero aterkiak hartuko ditugu. Zure lekuan, noiz abiatuko ginateke? | — | To the mountains is good, just in case we will take umbrellas. In your place — when would you leave? |
| Goizeko bederatzietan, behar izanez gero beranduago. Zure autoa hartuko dugu, ezta? | — | At nine in the morning, later if needed. We will take your car, right? |
| Bai, hartuko dugu. Behar nuen asteburu hau, egia esanda: lanak nekatu nau, eta mendian hobeto sentitzen naiz beti. | — | Yes, we will. I needed this day off, honestly: the work has tired me, and in the mountains I always feel better. |
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 egingo dugu asteburu honetan? Seguru asko euria egingo du larunbatean, eguraldi-iragarpenaren arabera.” — What shall we do this weekend? Most likely it will rain on Saturday, according to the forecast.. 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.