mesedez
“mesedez” — please (when asking) in Basque. Adverb, level A0, topic — polite words. Polite request that lands at the END of the phrase: kafe bat, mesedez. The reply 'don't mention it' is ez dago zergatik. In a live sentence: “Bi bilete Gernikara, mesedez” — Two tickets to Gernika, please. One of 14 words in the set “polite words” in the Basque course.
In short
| Written in Basque | mesedez |
| Translation | please (when asking) |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | A0 |
Why it looks that way
Polite request that lands at the END of the phrase: kafe bat, mesedez. The reply 'don't mention it' is ez dago zergatik
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.
- Bi bilete Gernikara, mesedezTwo tickets to Gernika, please
Nearby words: polite words
“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.
- eskerrik askothank youLiterally 'many thanks': esker is gratitude. To turn it up, mila esker — a thousand thanks
- 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
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “polite words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- 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'm afraid not” in Basque?
Literally 'no, thank you': the polite refusal — the 'no' disarmed at once by thanks. A soft 'no' nobody quarrels with
- How do you say “sorry” in Basque?
For small stuff: a shove, an interruption. For real regret people say sentitzen dut — literally 'I feel it'
- 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 “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 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.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “please (when asking)” in Basque?
«mesedez». In a live sentence: “Bi bilete Gernikara, mesedez” — Two tickets to Gernika, please. Adverb, level A0, from the set “polite words”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Polite request that lands at the END of the phrase: kafe bat, mesedez. The reply 'don't mention it' is ez dago zergatik. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.