lotsatu

“lotsatu” — be shy in Basque. Verb, level B1. From lotsa — 'shame' + -tu: being shy is 'light-ly being ashamed'. The same lotsa sits in lotsagabea — 'shameless'. In a live sentence: “Publikoaren aurrean kantatzeaz lotsatzen naiz” — I'm shy about singing in front of people. A word from the everyday Basque course, level B1.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

In short

“be shy” in Basque
Written in Basquelotsatu
Translationbe shy
Part of speechverb
LevelB1

Why it looks that way

From lotsa — 'shame' + -tu: being shy is 'light-ly being ashamed'. The same lotsa sits in lotsagabea — 'shameless'

A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.

In a live sentence

A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.

  • Publikoaren aurrean kantatzeaz lotsatzen naiz
    I'm shy about singing in front of people

How not to forget this word

Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.

Frequently asked

How do you say “be shy” in Basque?

«lotsatu». In a live sentence: “Publikoaren aurrean kantatzeaz lotsatzen naiz” — I'm shy about singing in front of people. Verb, level B1.

Why does this word look the way it does?

From lotsa — 'shame' + -tu: being shy is 'light-ly being ashamed'. The same lotsa sits in lotsagabea — 'shameless'. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.

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