The city and its places in Basque
198 words Basque words on the topic “the city and its places”: jatetxea — restaurant, hiria — city, kalea — street, denda — shop. 198 words can be played from recordings.
198 words on the topic
- jatetxearestaurantJatetxe + a. As with the neighbors, people more often go to a taberna: morning coffee, lunch and evening wine all happen there
- hiriacityHiri + a. Hiribildu — 'town', literally 'round city': old towns grew in a ring
- kaleastreetKale Nagusia — 'big street': the main street of nearly every town in the country; addresses write it out in full
- dendashopA native word, not the Spanish tienda. Denda txiki — a little shop: the country is fond of those
- azokamarketA covered market, a native word. Merkatua is from Spanish: both are in use, azoka is the people's one
- farmaziapharmacyLook for the green cross on the sign. The night-duty one is guardiako farmazia — the list hangs on every door
- bankuabankBanku + a: the two u's fuse into one. The same word means 'bench', as elsewhere too
- geltokiastationGeltoki + a, and the two i's fuse into one. Both the metro station and the train station: one word for both
- semaforoatraffic lightA loan from Greek through the neighbors, like ours. The red light here is gorria — stop and wait
- bizikletabicycleA loan from the French bicyclette through the neighbors. The country rides them along the whole sea
- autobus-geralekuabus stop signLiterally 'the bus's stopping place': from geratu — 'to stop'. Geltokia is the same stop but the station kind
- garraio-txartelatransit cardLiterally 'transport's card': garraio — 'carriage'. In Bilbao it's called Barik — 'a matchstick': the card is thin and red
- ibilbidearouteLiterally 'the walking-road': ibili — 'to go about' + bide. A route here is 'the path that gets walked'
- oinezkoen pasabideapedestrian crossingLiterally 'the crossing of the on-foot walkers': oinez — 'on foot' + -koen. Written just so on the road signs
- pilaketatraffic jamLiterally 'a piling up': that's how the radio reports the jams. They also say trafikoa trabatuta dago — 'the traffic is stuck'
- aparkalekuacar parkLiterally 'parking place': aparkatu — a loan from Spanish aparcar + -leku. The paid one is 'under payment': ordainpean
- gasolindegiapetrol stationLiterally 'the petrol's place': a borrowing + -tegi — the same suffix as ordutegia, 'the hours' storehouse'
- gidabaimenadriving licenceLiterally 'the driver's permit': gidaria — 'driver' + baimena. The licence here is a 'permit' — that's what you show
- parkeaparkA borrowing, like ours. Sunday in the country is park time: people stroll parkean
- liburutegialibraryLiterally 'the book place': liburu + -tegi — the same storehouse suffix as ordutegia. Books 'live' here
- museoamuseumA borrowing, like ours — from the Greek house of the muses. The main one here is the Guggenheim: Bilboko Guggenheim
- antzokiatheaterA native word: from antzerki — 'the theatrical act'. Don't mix it with the cinema: there it's zinema
- zinemacinemaA loan from the French, like our 'cinema'. A film here is pelikula — a loan from Spanish
- elizachurchA native word, old. The church bells — kanpaiak — carry far down the valley
- estadioastadiumA loan from Latin, like ours. Football here is watched by stadiums: the Basque 'cathedral' — San Mamés in Bilbao
- enbaxadaembassyA loan from Spanish embajada, openly admitted. The passport lost — this is where you go, for a new one
- polizia-etxeapolice stationLiterally 'the police's house': etxea — 'house'. The station here is a 'house' you enter with a statement
- udaletxeatown hallLiterally 'the municipality's house': udal — the town's power. Town hall, city hall and council — one building
- ile-apaintegiahair salonLiterally 'the hair-adorning place': ile — 'hair', apain — 'to adorn'. The hairdresser here is 'the adorning one'
- ile-mozketahaircutLiterally 'the hair's cutting': moztu — 'to cut'. Getting a haircut here is 'cutting the hair' — no poetry
- garbitegialaundromatLiterally 'the cleaning place': garbitu — 'to wash'. The washing machine is garbigailua — the same root
- konpondufixBoth 'repair' and 'settle': a breakdown and a dispute go with one verb. Fixed here means 'in order': konpon
- ordeztureplaceFrom ordez — 'instead of': to replace here is 'to put instead'. The replacement is ordezkoa
- tresnatoolA native word: any tool — hammer, screwdriver, wrench. The tools in the box are tresnak
- mailuahammerA native word with the stress on the first syllable: MA-ee-loo. The hammer and the mallet are one word
- Zenbat denbora hartuko du?how long will it take?Literally 'how much time will it take?': the future -ko. The first question at the repair shop
- lantegiaworkshopLiterally 'the work place': lan + -tegi. Workshop, shop and club — one word
- iltzeanailA native word, short and sharp. The nail here is 'inserted': iltzea sartu — literally 'to insert'
- poliziapoliceA borrowing, like ours. The local forces are known by name: Ertzaintza — the regional, Udaltzaingoa — the city one
- ertzainapolice officerLiterally 'of the border': ertz — 'edge'. An officer of the regional police is ertzaina: the force's name became the word
- lapurathiefFrom lapurtu — 'to steal': the thief here is 'the stealing one'. The same root covers the theft — lapurreta
- istripuaaccidentBoth an accident and an incident: something fell, broke, collided. The ambulance is called istripuagatik — 'because of the accident'
- suteafire (blaze)From sua — the fire: a blaze here is 'the fire gone big'. Firefighters are suhiltzaileak — 'fire-killers'
- isunafineA native word: the fine here is a 'punishment'. It arrives by post: isuna jaso dut — 'I got a fine'
- Poltsa lapurtu didate.my bag was stolenLiterally 'the bag was stolen to-me': didate — 'to me, they'. No culprits named — the theft here 'happens to a person'
- lapurretatheftThe noun of lapurtu: -ta turns the action into a fact. A theft here is an 'event' — you file a statement about it
- lekukoawitnessLiterally 'of the place': leku — 'place' + -ko. The witness here is 'the one who was on the spot'
- salaketapolice reportFrom salatu — 'to complain, denounce'. The report here is a 'complaint', accepted at the police station
- helbideaaddressA native word, bookish and homely at once. The address is written line by line: street, number, town
- kutxaboxA box in general: shoe, postal, crate. From it, kutxazaina — the ATM
- postariapostmanFrom posta — the post + -ari. The suffix makes professions, as with gidaria — 'driver'. A postwoman is postaria too
- zigiluapostage stampThe same word as 'stamp (seal)': the stamp and the seal are both 'an imprint'. The stamp is 'glued on', like the seal
- gutun-azalaenvelopeLiterally 'the letter's skin': gutuna — 'letter' + azal. The envelope here is the letter's 'hide'
- banaketadeliveryFrom banatu — 'to divide and hand out': delivery here is 'the handing-out'. It's delivered right to the door
- mezulariacourierLiterally 'the messenger': from mezua — the message you already know. The courier here is mezulari, and the errand-runner too
- paketea bidalisend a parcelLiterally 'the parcel to send': the bidali. At the post office they say it shorter: bidaltzeko — 'for sending'
- paketea jasocollect a parcelLiterally 'the parcel to receive': the jaso. The parcel notice is the 'paper of receiving'
- posta-kodeapost codeLiterally 'post-code': kode — a borrowing, like PIN kodea. Spain is divided into five-digit codes
- bidegurutzeacrossroadsLiterally 'the road's cross': bidea — 'road' + gurutzea — 'cross'. A place where roads cross — a picture of a word
- espaloiasidewalkA loan from the Spanish espaldón, openly admitted. The street's 'back' on which people walk: espaloian ibili
- etorbideaavenueLiterally 'the coming road': etorri — 'to come' + bidea. The avenue is the street the whole city comes and goes by
- kale estuaalleyLiterally 'street narrow': kalea — 'street' + estu — 'narrow'. Named by what matters about it: you can't swing your arms
- kaiawaterfrontA native word: a quay; from it, kaiku and kaiol — the whole port family. The evening ritual of seaside towns: kaian ibiltzea
- zubiabridgeA native word, short and old. Whole towns of the country are named by it: Zuberoa, Zubieta — 'bridgeways'
- tunelatunnelA borrowing, like ours, openly admitted. In the mountain country tunnels are routine: the road dives into the tunela and comes out the other side
- farolastreetlampA loan from the Spanish farola — 'a little lighthouse', openly admitted. A small lighthouse for pedestrians
- bankuabenchA loan from the Spanish banco, openly admitted. One word serves 'bank' and 'bench': people sit long in both
- zakarrontzialitter binLiterally 'the dirt's vessel': zakarra — 'dirty' + ontzia — 'vessel'. Honestly named by its contents; the garbage can is a neighboring word
- 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
- bolanteasteering wheelA loan from the Spanish volante — 'flying', openly admitted. Named by the motion of the hands above it
- balaztabrake (device)An adopted word, pan-Basque: in the car and on the bike alike. To brake is balaztatu — by the same formula as gorrotu — 'to hate'
- faruakheadlightsA loan from the Spanish faros — 'lighthouses', openly admitted. The car's front lighthouses; turned on — pizten — like the light
- motorraengineA loan from Latin, like ours, openly admitted. About it they say it 'makes noise' — zarata egiten du
- atzeko ispiluarearview mirrorLiterally 'the back mirror': atzeko — 'back', from atzera — 'backward' + ispilua. A name-instruction: look at what's behind
- matrikulalicense plateA loan from Latin, like our 'matriculation', openly admitted. Both the number and the plate itself
- ITV-avehicle inspectionThe abbreviation of the Spanish Inspección Técnica de Vehículos, openly admitted: the inspection station is so called across the country. To pass it is ITV-a pasa
- gruatow truckA loan from the Spanish grúa — 'crane', openly admitted. One word: the crane and the truck that carries off the badly parked
- gurpila huts eginget a flat tireLiterally 'the wheel became empty': huts egin — 'to empty, to give out'. The flat here is simply empty: the air left, and the wheel gave up
- ez da abiaraztenit won't startFrom abiarazi — 'to launch', literally 'to produce a way': the car doesn't 'start itself'. Every driver's winter phrase
- auzoaneighborhoodThe same auzo as in the neighbors: auzokoa — 'a person of the neighborhood'. A neighborhood here is not a line on the map but the people around
- erdiguneacity centerLiterally 'the middle place': erdia — 'half, middle' + gune — 'place, node'. The center is the node the city converges on
- kanpoaldeaoutskirtsLiterally 'the outer side': kanpo — 'outside' + aldea — 'side'. Not the end of the city but its outer half
- obraconstruction siteA loan from the Spanish obra — 'work', openly admitted. Behind the fence there's always an obra going, and the noise is part of the city
- bide-lanakroadworksLiterally 'the road's works': bidea — 'road' + lanak — 'works', always plural. Every driver of the country knows the Bide-lanak sign
- bide-seinalearoad pointerLiterally 'the road's sign': bidea + seinalea — 'sign'. A pointer is a road that speaks; their family is called seinalizazioa (a loan, admitted)
- komun publikoapublic toiletLiterally 'the toilet public': komun — 'toilet' + publikoa. Look for it at stations and in parks: geltokian dago
- garbiaclean (adj)The same garbi as in the washing machine: garbigailua — 'the cleaner'. A whole word family: washing, cleaning, the laundromat — one nest
- zikinadirty (adj)A native word: zikin; the dirt is zikinkeria. The car after the gravel road zikin dago — finds itself in a dirty state
- jendez betetacrowdedLiterally 'filled with people': jendea — 'people' + beteta — 'full'. Crowdedness here is not a count but the state of a vessel
- aurre aurreanfacing each otherLiterally 'front-to-front': aurrea — 'front', doubled for mutuality. Aurre aurrean daude — they stand facing each other, like two shop windows
- atzeanbehind (place)From atzera — 'backward', the same kin as the rearview mirror and atzera egin. Behind here is the place left at the back
- kalean zeharalong the streetLiterally 'through the street': zehar — 'through, along'. Walking along here is walking the street like a tunnel: start to end
- izkinanon the cornerFrom izkina — 'corner', a native word. Izkinan dago — it stands on the corner; from the corner flat — izkinako — two streets are visible at once
- semaforoaren ondoannext to the traffic lightLiterally 'by the traffic light': semaforoa (a loan, admitted) + ondoan — 'beside'. The orientation phrase for giving directions
- bidearen beste aldeanacross the roadLiterally 'on the road's other side': beste aldean — 'on the other side'. Simply 'on the side that isn't this one'
- kalearen amaierarato the end of the streetLiterally 'to the street's end': amaiera — 'end' + the direction case -ra. Motion with an address in it
- Urruti al dago hortik?is it far from here?Literally 'far is it from there?': urrun — 'far' + the question particle al. The question every request for directions begins with
- erakutsi mapanshow on the mapLiterally 'to show on the map': erakutsi — 'to show' + mapa (a loan, admitted). The request that saves when the words have run out
- hamar minutu oinezten minutes on footLiterally 'ten minutes on foot': after a number the article vanishes — hamar minutu, not minutuak. Distance here is measured by the legs' time
- haurreskolakindergartenLiterally 'the children's school': haurra — 'child' + eskola. A school for the smallest — an honest word
- jolastokiaplaygroundLiterally 'the playing place': jolastu — 'to play' + -toki, 'place'. Named by what happens on it: games, and nothing else
- iturriafountainThe same word as 'source' — context splits them: in the city it's a fountain. The city's water plays the part of the spring
- hilerriacemeteryLiterally 'the dead's settlement': hila — 'dead' + erri — 'settlement', the same erri as in baserri. Honestly named: the village of those who left
- suhiltzaile-kamioiafire truckLiterally 'the firefighters' truck': suhiltzailea — 'firefighter' + kamioia — 'truck' (a loan, admitted). Named by the people riding in it
- salbamendu-zerbitzuarescue serviceLiterally 'the rescue's service': salbamendu — 'rescue' (from salbatu — 'to save', the same root as the life jacket) + zerbitzua
- gudarosteaarmyLiterally 'the warriors' throng': guda — 'war' + -roste, 'a crowd'. It stands beside the loan armada: Basque keeps both
- alderdi politikoapolitical partyLiterally 'the political side': alderdi — 'side' (from alde — 'flank'). A party is 'a side': you stand on one side of the fence with your own
- pentsio-adinaretirement ageLiterally 'the pension's age': pentsioa — 'pension' (a loan, admitted) + adina — 'age'. The age as a spell of life
- ume heziraise childrenLiterally 'to raise the children': hezi — 'to raise', related to hezkuntza — 'education'. Raising here is growing: children are raised like a garden
- estatu-jaiegunapublic holidayLiterally 'the state's day off': estatua — 'the state' + jaieguna — 'day off'. Shops are closed on these days
- uzta-festaharvest festivalLiterally 'the harvest's party': uzta — 'harvest' + festa. An autumn one, when everything is gathered
- himnoaanthemA loan from the Greek hymnos — 'a song of praise', openly admitted. The song sung by all together, with the flag
- sutzarrabonfireFrom sua — 'fire' + -tzar: 'a big built fire'. Holiday bonfires are burned on the beach and in the mountains
- karuselacarouselA loan from the Italian through Spanish, openly admitted. Children wait for it at every holiday
- kale-janariastreet foodLiterally 'the street's food': kalea — 'street' + janaria — 'food'. Cheap and tasty, eaten standing
- festa-hitzaldiafestive speechLiterally 'the holiday's speech': hitzaldia — 'a speech', from hitz — 'word'. Given from the square
- ustekabeasurpriseFrom uste — 'opinion' + -kabe: 'the excess of what was thought'. Known from the adverb ustekabean — 'unexpectedly'
- eskerrak emangive thanksLiterally 'to give the thanks': esker — 'gratitude', the same root as eskerrik asko. Handing over your thank-you
- opari-diruamoney as a giftLiterally 'the present's money': oparia — 'present' + dirua — 'money'. An envelope instead of a thing
- auzoaa city blockThe same word as 'neighborhood' — context splits them: a block here is the city cell between streets. You know auzokoa — 'neighbor'
- plazatxoalittle squareLiterally 'little square': plaza — 'square' + -txo, the diminutive. A little square is trees and benches instead of cars
- dorreatowerA native word: dorre. Cathedrals and cranes are dorreak: you recognize cities by them
- aldiriasuburbLiterally 'the side nearby': alde — 'side' + -iri. In the suburbs people live; in the city they work
- herrixkasmall townThe same word as 'village' — context splits them: a small town here has its own square. herria + -txu
- paseatzaileapasser-byFrom paseatu — 'to stroll' (a loan from Spanish pasear, openly admitted): a passer-by is 'one strolling past'. The pedestrian, oinezkoa, is about feet; the passer-by is about the way
- oinezkoapedestrianLiterally 'going on foot': oinez — 'on foot' + -ko. A pedestrian is whoever isn't in a car
- letreroasignA loan from Spanish letrero, openly admitted. A sign is what is written above the door: dendaren izena du — it carries the shop's name
- zaborrontziatrash binLiterally 'trash's vessel': zaborra — 'trash' + ontzi — 'vessel'. The bin sits at the corner: izkinean
- kale argiastreetlightLiterally 'street light': kalea — 'street' + argia — 'light'. A streetlight switches on at dusk
- belardialawnLiterally 'grass-place': belarra — 'grass' + -di, a place of plenty. A lawn is mowed and forbidden to feet
- lore oheaflowerbedLiterally 'flowers' bed': loreak — 'flowers' + ohea — 'bed'. A flowerbed is the bed where flowers sleep till spring
- atariaporchFrom ate — 'door': a porch is the 'door place', steps and a roof before the entrance. Rain can't reach you under it
- urratsastep (of stairs)A native word: urrats is both a step and a stride. Stairs are urratsez urrats — 'step by step'
- etxe zenbakiahouse numberLiterally 'house's number': etxea — 'house' + zenbakia — 'number'. The number sits above or on the door
- kale izenastreet nameLiterally 'street's name': izena — 'name'. The street name lives on a plate on the wall: hormako plakan
- zutoiapoleFrom zur — 'wood': a pole is a vertical piece of wood. Signs and posters hang on it: letreroak
- alde zaharraold townLiterally 'the old side': aldea — 'side' + zaharra — 'old'. The old town is narrow streets and stone
- bizitegi etxearesidential buildingLiterally 'living's house': bizitegi — 'dwelling', from bizi — 'to live'. A residential building is the whole block of it, not one flat
- isiltasunasilenceFrom isil — 'quiet': silence here is 'the quiet' as a state. The street gets it early in the morning: goizeko lehen orduan
- autobus geltokiabus stationLiterally 'buses' station': geltokia — 'station'. The bus station is where buses leave in all directions
- kaiadockThe same word as 'embankment' — context splits them: a dock here is where the boat pulls in. Txalupa hemen gelditzen da — the boat stops here
- truke bulegoaexchange officeLiterally 'exchange office': truke — 'exchange' + bulegoa — 'office'. Where euros are changed into everything else
- zooazooA loan from Greek zoon — 'animal', openly admitted. The children's favorite place: haurren lekua
- zirkuacircusA loan from Latin circus — 'circle', openly admitted. The circus here is a tent on the edge of town: kanpamenduan
- suhiltzaile etxeafire stationLiterally 'fire-killers' house': su — 'fire' + hiltzaile — 'killing'. Where the trucks sleep, ready to run
- auto garbitegiacar washLiterally 'car washing place': garbitu — 'to wash' + -tegi, place. A car wash here is a tunnel with brushes
- bidaia agentziatravel agencyLiterally 'trips office': bidaia — 'trip' + agentzia, a loan from Spanish, openly admitted
- kale nagusiamain streetLiterally 'big street': nagusi — 'main'. The main street of nearly every town is called exactly that — Kale Nagusia
- txarteldegiaticket officeLiterally 'tickets' house': txartela — 'ticket' + -tegi, place. A ticket office is a window with a queue
- nola joan?how do I get there?Literally 'how to go?': joan — 'go'. Nola joan autobus geltokira? — how do I get to the bus station: where-to takes -ra
- iritsiget somewhereA native word: to arrive, make it to the place. Noiz iritsiko zara? — when will you get here? You know garaiz iritsi — 'make it on time'
- beste aldeanon the other sideLiterally 'on the other's side': aldea — 'side'. Kalearen beste aldean — on the other side of the street
- bi urratsetaratwo steps awayLiterally 'to two steps': urratsa — 'step' + -tara, 'to'. Two steps away means 'close — skip the bus'
- bira ondorenaround the cornerLiterally 'after the turn': bira — 'turn' + ondoren — 'after'. Around the corner here: invisible, but close
- ezker aldeanon the left ofLiterally 'in the left side': ezker — 'left'. It follows the noun: elizaren ezker aldean — to the left of the church. Partner of eskuin aldean
- eskuin aldeanon the right ofLiterally 'in the right side': eskuin — 'right', related to esku — 'hand'. Partner of ezker aldean — 'on the left of'
- erdialdeanmidwayLiterally 'in the middle': erdialdea — 'middle' + -an. Plazaren erdialdean — in the middle of the square
- hurrengo birathe next turnLiterally 'next turn': hurrengoa — 'next' + bira — 'turn'. At it they ask you to turn: eskuinera egin — turn right
- bideanon the wayLiterally 'on the path': bidea — 'path' + -an. On the way here is 'in passing': bidean ogia erosten dut — I'll buy bread on the way
- fakturahotel billThe same word as 'utility bill' — context splits them: this one is the hotel's, for the room and services, at checkout
- irteeracheckoutThe same word as 'departure' — context splits them: checkout here is from the hotel: you leave the key and take the suitcase
- solairuaren zenbakiafloor numberLiterally 'the floor's number': solairua — 'floor' + zenbakia. Written on the key card
- ohe gehigarriaextra bedLiterally 'the added bed': gehigarri — 'an addition'. It's requested when the guests are three
- gela lasaiaquiet roomLiterally 'room quiet': gela + lasaia. It's requested not facing the street but the courtyard
- sarrera goiztiarraearly check-inLiterally 'entry early': sarrera — 'entrance, arrival' + goiztiarra — 'early'. If the room is ready — come in
- ez molestatudo not disturbA loan from Spanish molestar, openly admitted. The sign hangs on the door exactly so: ez molestatu
- maleta eramaileaporterLiterally 'the suitcases' carrier': maleta + eraman — 'to carry' + the doer tail. He carries the suitcases to the room
- koltxoiamattressA loan from Spanish colchón, openly admitted. The mattress lies on the bed: firm or soft — ask in advance
- zerbitzuathe serviceThe same word as 'hospital ward' — context splits them: service here is hotel service: room cleaning, breakfast, friendliness
- txanda zenbakiaqueue ticketLiterally 'the queue's number': txanda — 'turn, shift' + zenbakia. When it lights up on the screen — it's your turn
- arreta leihoaservice windowLiterally 'the attention's window': arreta — 'attention' + leihoa — 'window'. Papers and questions go through it
- harrera gelawaiting roomLiterally 'the reception's room': harrera — 'reception' (related to harrera-mahaia — 'the reception desk') + gela. You wait for your turn there
- bisitariavisitorFrom bisita — 'a visit' + the doer tail: the one who comes. Without a pass he doesn't get in
- kontsultaconsultation (advice)The same word as 'doctor's consultation' — context splits them: consultation here is a specialist's advice: a lawyer, taxes, work
- aurreordainketaprepaymentLiterally 'forward-payment': aurre — 'ahead' + ordainketa — 'payment'. Paid before the service, to hold the booking
- larriaurgentA native word: larri — urgent, important. Related to larrialdia — 'the emergency' (larrialdi-gela — 'the ER'). Urgent means no waiting
- hitzaordena gabewithout an appointmentLiterally 'without the word-turn': hitzaordena — 'an appointment', literally 'a given word'. Walk-ins are taken toward evening, but the wait is longer
- hitzaordenazby appointmentLiterally 'by-the-appointment': hitzaordena + -z, the 'by what means' ending. You get in at the set hour, no queue
- denbora laburrenathe near futureLiterally 'the time shortest': labur — 'short'. Denbora laburrenean — 'in the shortest time', at the first opportunity
- telefonoaren konponketaphone repairLiterally 'the phone's fixing': konpondu — 'to fix' + -keta. Screen cracked — straight to the repair
- manikuramanicureA loan from Spanish manicura, openly admitted. Often done together with the haircut at the hairdresser's
- masajeamassageA loan from Spanish masaje, openly admitted. A massage relaxes the back after the working week
- lineako hitzaordenabook onlineLiterally 'the online appointment': hitzaordena — 'appointment' + lineako — 'of the net'. Done from home, no phone call
- zerbitzuaren prezioaprice of the serviceLiterally 'the service's price': prezioa — 'price'. Ask in advance; it's often on the notice
- gidatzeko eskoladriving schoolLiterally 'the school for driving': gidatu — 'to drive' + eskola — 'school'. They teach there up to the licence
- gidatzeko klaseadriving lessonLiterally 'the lesson for driving': klasea + gidatzeko. You sit next to the teacher and drive around the town
- kale garbitzaileastreet cleanerLiterally 'the streets' cleaner': kalea + garbitu — 'to clean' + the doer tail. He starts while the city still sleeps
- kale musikariastreet musicianLiterally 'the street's musician': musikaria — 'musician'. He plays on the square, the hat on the ground
- autoaren alokairuacar rentalLiterally 'the car's rent': alokairua — 'rent'; you have already met txirrindulen alokairua — 'bike rental'. Taken by the day or the week
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.
- Jatetxe ona eta merke bat ezagutzen dutI know a good, inexpensive restaurant
- Gernika hiri lasaia daGernika is a calm city
- Kale Nagusian bizi naiz, farmaziaren gaineanI live on Kale Nagusia, above the pharmacy
- Izkinako denda igandeetan irekiten daThe shop on the corner opens on Sundays
- Larunbatetan azokara noat fruta erosteraOn Saturdays I go to the market for fruit
- Ba al dago farmazia hemen gertu?Is there a pharmacy nearby?
What is worth knowing about these words
jatetxea — restaurant. Jatetxe + a. As with the neighbors, people more often go to a taberna: morning coffee, lunch and evening wine all happen there
hiria — city. Hiri + a. Hiribildu — 'town', literally 'round city': old towns grew in a ring
kalea — street. Kale Nagusia — 'big street': the main street of nearly every town in the country; addresses write it out in full
denda — shop. A native word, not the Spanish tienda. Denda txiki — a little shop: the country is fond of those
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is jatetxea — restaurant.
- What is this word?
It is geltokia — station.
- What is this word?
It is pilaketa — traffic jam.
- What is this word?
It is antzokia — theater.
- What is this word?
It is ile-apaintegia — hair salon.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “restaurant” in Basque?
Jatetxe + a. As with the neighbors, people more often go to a taberna: morning coffee, lunch and evening wine all happen there
- 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 “traffic jam” in Basque?
Literally 'a piling up': that's how the radio reports the jams. They also say trafikoa trabatuta dago — 'the traffic is stuck'
- How do you say “theater” in Basque?
A native word: from antzerki — 'the theatrical act'. Don't mix it with the cinema: there it's zinema
- How do you say “hair salon” in Basque?
Literally 'the hair-adorning place': ile — 'hair', apain — 'to adorn'. The hairdresser here is 'the adorning one'
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Street, square, pharmacy, bank. An address is built out of these, and an address is something you have to both say and understand.
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 “restaurant” in Basque?
«jatetxea». Jatetxe + a. As with the neighbors, people more often go to a taberna: morning coffee, lunch and evening wine all happen there. It is one of 198 words in the set “the city and its places” — the rest are in the table above.
How many street and place words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 198 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.
Is there audio?
Yes, 198 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.