Polite words in Basque
14 words Basque words on the topic “polite words”: eskerrik asko — thank you, mesedez — please (when asking), ez dago zergatik — don't mention it, barkatu — sorry.
14 words on the topic
- eskerrik askothank youLiterally 'many thanks': esker is gratitude. To turn it up, mila esker — a thousand thanks
- mesedezplease (when asking)Polite request that lands at the END of the phrase: kafe bat, mesedez. The reply 'don't mention it' is ez dago zergatik
- ez dago zergatikdon't mention itLiterally 'there is no reason' — the standard answer to eskerrik asko. Both dago and ez are from this course; the phrase assembles itself
- barkatusorryFor small stuff: a shove, an interruption. For real regret people say sentitzen dut — literally 'I feel it'
- ahal baduzuif it's not too much troubleLiterally 'if you can': ahal — 'can' + the condition baduzu. The request softener: not 'do it' but 'if you can' — the way out is always left open
- Ba al dezakezu…?could youLiterally 'whether can you…?': ba al — the double question particle + dezakezu — 'you can'. The polite-request formula: a question instead of an order
- oso esker onez egongo naizI'd be very gratefulLiterally 'with very good gratitude I will be': esker ona — 'gratitude', literally 'good memory' + the instrumental -z. Gratitude here is a state one promises to abide in
- Ez, eskerrik askoI'm afraid notLiterally 'no, thank you': the polite refusal — the 'no' disarmed at once by thanks. A soft 'no' nobody quarrels with
- zoritxarrezunfortunatelyFrom zoritxarra — 'misfortune' + the instrumental -z: 'by-misfortune-ly'. Bad news is served with this cushion-word
- ez nuke nahiI wouldn't want toLiterally 'not I-would-have the wish': nuke — the potential 'I would have'. The refusal in the conditional: not 'I don't want' but 'I wouldn't want'
- agian beste bateanmaybe another timeLiterally 'maybe in another time': agian — 'maybe' + beste batean — 'in another one'. The deferral is not a refusal but an open door
- pentsatuko dutI'll think about itLiterally 'I-will-think': pentsatu — 'to think' + the future. 'I'll think about it' here is a future promise, not a polite no
- lotsa egiten zait eskatzeaI feel awkward askingLiterally 'shame to-me happens the-asking': lotsa — 'shame' + zait — 'it happens to me'. Awkwardness here is a feeling that happens to you
- mindu gabeno offenseLiterally 'without hurting': mindu — 'to hurt feelings' + gabe — 'without'. Mindu gabe esanda — 'having said without offense': the warning before honesty
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.
- Eskerrik asko laguntzagatikThank you very much for the help
- Bi bilete Gernikara, mesedezTwo tickets to Gernika, please
- Ez dago zergatik, ez da ezer izanDon't mention it, it was nothing
- Barkatu, hankari zapaldu al diot?Sorry, did I step on your foot?
- Ahal baduzu, ekarri iezadazu liburua biharIf it's not too much trouble, bring me the book tomorrow
- Ba al dezakezu polikiago hitz egin? Ez dut ongi entzutenCould you speak slower? I hear poorly
What is worth knowing about these words
eskerrik asko — thank you. Literally 'many thanks': esker is gratitude. To turn it up, mila esker — a thousand thanks
mesedez — please (when asking). Polite request that lands at the END of the phrase: kafe bat, mesedez. The reply 'don't mention it' is ez dago zergatik
ez dago zergatik — don't mention it. Literally 'there is no reason' — the standard answer to eskerrik asko. Both dago and ez are from this course; the phrase assembles itself
barkatu — sorry. For small stuff: a shove, an interruption. For real regret people say sentitzen dut — literally 'I feel it'
Test yourself
Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than recognizing a familiar word — and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “thank you” in Basque?
Literally 'many thanks': esker is gratitude. To turn it up, mila esker — a thousand thanks
- How do you say “could you” in Basque?
Literally 'whether can you…?': ba al — the double question particle + dezakezu — 'you can'. The polite-request formula: a question instead of an order
- How do you say “maybe another time” in Basque?
Literally 'maybe in another time': agian — 'maybe' + beste batean — 'in another one'. The deferral is not a refusal but an open door
- How do you say “please (when asking)” in Basque?
Polite request that lands at the END of the phrase: kafe bat, mesedez. The reply 'don't mention it' is ez dago zergatik
- How do you say “I'd be very grateful” in Basque?
Literally 'with very good gratitude I will be': esker ona — 'gratitude', literally 'good memory' + the instrumental -z. Gratitude here is a state one promises to abide in
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“Thank you”, “please” and “sorry” carry you while the rest of the words are still missing: with them even a gesture reads as a request rather than a demand.
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 “thank you” in Basque?
«eskerrik asko». Literally 'many thanks': esker is gratitude. To turn it up, mila esker — a thousand thanks. It is one of 14 words in the set “polite words” — the rest are in the table above.
How many polite 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.