Lingoflybarkatu
- barkatusorry
“barkatu” — sorry in Basque. Interjection, level A0, topic — polite words. For small stuff: a shove, an interruption. For real regret people say sentitzen dut — literally 'I feel it'. In a live sentence: “Barkatu, hanka zapaldu al dizut?” — Sorry, did I step on your foot? You can hear how it sounds right here. One of 14 words in the set “polite words” in the Basque course.
In short
| Written in Basque | barkatu |
| Translation | sorry |
| Part of speech | interjection |
| Level | A0 |
Why it looks that way
For small stuff: a shove, an interruption. For real regret people say sentitzen dut — literally 'I feel it'
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.
- Barkatu, hanka zapaldu al dizut?Sorry, did I step on your foot?
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
- 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. Ez is 'not', dago 'there is', zergatik 'why': the phrase assembles itself
- 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
- …al dezakezu?could youLiterally 'can you?': the action comes first, then the question particle al and 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 dut usteI'm afraid notLiterally 'I don't think so': uste — opinion, to think. A soft, regretful 'no' when the answer is unwelcome
- zoritxarrezunfortunatelyFrom zoritxarra — 'misfortune' + the instrumental -z: 'by-misfortune-ly'. Unhappy 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 “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 “I'm afraid not” in Basque?
Literally 'I don't think so': uste — opinion, to think. A soft, regretful 'no' when the answer is unwelcome
- How do you say “don't mention it” in Basque?
Literally 'there is no reason' — the standard answer to eskerrik asko. Ez is 'not', dago 'there is', zergatik 'why': the phrase assembles itself
- 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 “sorry” in Basque?
«barkatu». In a live sentence: “Barkatu, hanka zapaldu al dizut?” — Sorry, did I step on your foot? You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Interjection, level A0, from the set “polite words”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
For small stuff: a shove, an interruption. For real regret people say sentitzen dut — literally 'I feel it'. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how this sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.