Menu
English
РусскийEnglishEspañol

Asking the way in Basque

18 words in Basque on the topic “asking the way”: non dago? — where is it?, eskuin — right, ezker — left, zuzen — straight. 18 words can be played from recordings.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

18 words on the topic

  • non dago?
    where is it?
    Literally 'where is it situated?' — through egon, the place verb. 'What is it?' is asked differently: Zer da? — through izan. The two 'be's split the work here too
  • eskuin
    right
    Eskuinetara — 'to the right'. The same eskuin in eskuin-esku — 'right hand', the one you offer and shake
  • ezker
    left
    Ezkerrerantz — 'to the left'. The political 'left' is ezkerra: the same word, heard more often on election night
  • zuzen
    straight
    Both 'straight' and 'fair': bide zuzena is the straight road and the righteous path in one
  • gertu
    close
    Gertu — close; ...tik gertu — near something: etxetik gertu — not far from the house
  • urrun
    far
    Urrun — far; ...tik urrun — far from something. Partner of gertu
  • hemen
    here
    Hemen — here by me. The h is silent but mandatory in writing: emen is a mistake
  • han
    there
    The far 'there'. The nearer 'over there' is hor: three steps, like English 'here — there — way over there'
  • aurre aurrean
    facing each other
    Literally 'front-to-front': aurrea — 'front', doubled for mutuality. Aurre aurrean daude — they stand facing each other, like two shop windows
  • atzean
    behind (place)
    From atzera — 'backward', the same kin as the rearview mirror and atzera egin. Behind here is the place left at the back
  • kalean zehar
    along the street
    Literally 'through the street': zehar — 'through, along'. Walking along here is walking the street like a tunnel: start to end
  • izkinan
    on the corner
    «Izkina» is a corner. «Izkinan dago» — it stands on the corner; corner as an adjective is «izkinako»: from such a window you see two streets
  • semaforoaren ondoan
    next to the traffic light
    Literally 'by the traffic light': semaforoa (a loan, admitted) + ondoan — 'beside'. The orientation phrase for giving directions
  • bidearen beste aldean
    across the road
    Literally 'on the road's other side': beste aldean — 'on the other side'. Simply 'on the side that isn't this one'
  • kalearen amaierara
    to the end of the street
    Literally 'to the street's end': amaiera — 'end' + the direction case -ra. Motion with an address in it
  • Urruti al dago hemendik?
    is it far from here?
    Literally «is it far from here?»: urruti, far, plus the question word al; hemendik, from here. The question that starts every request for directions
  • erakutsi mapan
    show on the map
    Literally 'to show on the map': erakutsi — 'to show' + mapa (a loan, admitted). The request that saves when the words have run out
  • hamar minutu oinez
    ten minutes on foot
    Literally 'ten minutes on foot': after a number the article vanishes — hamar minutu, not minutuak. Distance here is measured by the legs' time

Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet

The CSV contains spelling, reading guides, translations and links to word pages. Use the browser menu to save the printable sheet as a PDF.

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.

What is worth knowing about these words

non dago? — where is it? Literally 'where is it situated?' — through egon, the place verb. 'What is it?' is asked differently: Zer da? — through izan. The two 'be's split the work here too.

eskuin — right. Eskuinetara — 'to the right'. The same eskuin in eskuin-esku — 'right hand', the one you offer and shake.

ezker — left. Ezkerrerantz — 'to the left'. The political 'left' is ezkerra: the same word, heard more often on election night.

zuzen — straight. Both 'straight' and 'fair': bide zuzena is the straight road and the righteous path in one.

Test yourself

First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.

  1. What is this word?

  2. What is this word?

  3. What is this word?

  4. What is this word?

  5. What is this word?

Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.

  1. How do you say “where is it?” in Basque?

  2. How do you say “there” in Basque?

  3. How do you say “to the end of the street” in Basque?

  4. How do you say “straight” in Basque?

  5. How do you say “along the street” in Basque?

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

Right, left, straight on, how far. You ask the way rarely — and always at the moment when there is no time to work it out.

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.

Frequently asked

How do you say “where is it?” in Basque?

«non dago?» Literally 'where is it situated?' — through egon, the place verb. 'What is it?' is asked differently: Zer da? — through izan. The two 'be's split the work here too. It is one of 18 words in the set “asking the way” — the rest are in the table above.

How many direction words do you need to start?

The whole set on this page is 18 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.

Is there audio?

Yes, 18 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.

Next

Open the materialOpen the material