Transport in Basque
14 words Basque words on the topic “transport”: geltokia — station, metroa — metro, autobusa — bus, taxia — taxi, autobus-gidaria — bus driver.
14 words on the topic
- geltokiastationGeltoki + a, and the two i's fuse into one. Both the metro station and the train station: one word for both
- metroametroBilbao's metro is Metro Bilbao: you recognize the glass entrances from afar. The word is the same as the measure of length
- autobusabusThe long-distance bus has a different name — autokarra: city and intercity are kept apart, as elsewhere
- taxiataxiTaxis are taken at the rank — taxi geltokia — not hailed by waving. Geltokia here isn't the station but the 'stand': the same word as 'stop'
- autobus-gidariabus driverLiterally 'the bus's driver': gidaria — 'driver'. The same gidari serves the chauffeur and the train driver
- azken geltokialast stopLiterally 'the last station': azken — 'last' + geltokia — 'station'. The terminus here is simply 'the most that one'
- ibilbide-zenbakiaroute numberLiterally 'the route's number': ibilbidea — 'route' + zenbakia — 'number'. Looked at before entering, not after
- puntako orduarush hourLiterally 'the peak's hour': puntako — from punta — 'the point, the top'. The city stands on the peak of hurry
- autobus-ordutegiabus timetableLiterally 'the buses' timetable': ordutegia. It hangs at the stop, glued like the city's note to itself
- txartela ordaindupay the fareLiterally 'to pay the ticket': ordaindu — 'to pay'. The fare is paid through the ticket: buy it — and the ride is paid
- eserlekua hartutake a seatLiterally 'to take the seat': eserlekua — from eseri — 'to sit' + hartu — 'to take'. A seat here isn't 'occupied', it's taken into the hands
- geltokia pasatumiss the stopLiterally 'to pass the station': pasatu — 'to pass by'. Said with guilt: geltokia pasa zaigu — the stop passed us by
- taxia deitucall a taxiLiterally 'to call the taxi': deitu — 'to call'. Taxis aren't hailed here, they're called — like a person
- hurrengo geltokian jaitsiget off at the next stopLiterally 'at the next station to get down': jaitsi — 'to descend'. Out of transport here one doesn't 'exit', one descends
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Geltokian zain zaitut, erlojuaren ondoanI'll wait for you at the station, by the clock
- Puntako orduan metroa taxiak baino azkarragoa daAt rush hour the metro is faster than a taxi
- Ordu honetan autobusa beteta datorAt this hour the bus is packed
- Taxi bat eskatuko didazue, mesedez?Call me a taxi, please
- Autobus-gidariak eskatu digu biletea erakusteaThe bus driver asked us to show the ticket
- Hurrengo geltokia azkena da: han jaitsi behar duguThe next stop is the last: we must get off there
What is worth knowing about these words
geltokia — station. Geltoki + a, and the two i's fuse into one. Both the metro station and the train station: one word for both
metroa — metro. Bilbao's metro is Metro Bilbao: you recognize the glass entrances from afar. The word is the same as the measure of length
autobusa — bus. The long-distance bus has a different name — autokarra: city and intercity are kept apart, as elsewhere
taxia — taxi. Taxis are taken at the rank — taxi geltokia — not hailed by waving. Geltokia here isn't the station but the 'stand': the same word as 'stop'
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “station” in Basque?
Geltoki + a, and the two i's fuse into one. Both the metro station and the train station: one word for both
- How do you say “last stop” in Basque?
Literally 'the last station': azken — 'last' + geltokia — 'station'. The terminus here is simply 'the most that one'
- How do you say “take a seat” in Basque?
Literally 'to take the seat': eserlekua — from eseri — 'to sit' + hartu — 'to take'. A seat here isn't 'occupied', it's taken into the hands
- How do you say “metro” in Basque?
Bilbao's metro is Metro Bilbao: you recognize the glass entrances from afar. The word is the same as the measure of length
- How do you say “route number” in Basque?
Literally 'the route's number': ibilbidea — 'route' + zenbakia — 'number'. Looked at before entering, not after
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “station” in Basque?
«geltokia». Geltoki + a, and the two i's fuse into one. Both the metro station and the train station: one word for both. It is one of 14 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 14 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.