Time, days and hours in Basque
149 words Basque words on the topic “time, days and hours”: goiza — morning, egun — day, gaur — today, bihar — tomorrow. 149 words can be played from recordings.
149 words on the topic
- goizamorningGoiz is 'early' and 'morning'; goiza wears the article. Goiz argitu — daybreak, literally 'the morning lightens': a phrase from a song
- egundayA familiar word: egun on — good morning — comes from it. Egunero — every day, literally 'day-ly'
- gaurtodayGaur gauean — tonight, literally 'today in the night': the word is glued from gau — 'night'
- bihartomorrowFrom bi — 'two' and egun — 'day': tomorrow is the 'second day'. The day before yesterday, herenegun, counts the other way
- atzoyesterdayAtzo — yesterday, gaur — today, bihar — tomorrow: the trio that opens any schedule
- arratsaldeaeveningStretches from lunch to dark — the second half of the day and early evening in one. After dark, gaua begins
- gauanightGabon — 'good night' — comes from it: gau + on. Dinner at ten already counts as gauetan
- orduahourBoth the hour as a measure and the time on the clock: Zer ordu da? — literally 'what hour is it?' — through izan, not egon
- denboratimeTime in Basque is what you have: denbora dut — 'I have time', literally 'time I have'. People ask denbora duzu? — 'do you have time?' more often than denbora al dago?
- lehenikfirst of allFrom lehen — 'first' + -ik: 'firstly-ish'. It opens the list: Lehenik… bigarrenik… — and the listener is already building the plan
- bigarreniksecondlyFrom bigarren — 'second' + -ik. Partner of lehenik: without it the first one feels superfluous
- batez eremainlyLiterally 'mostly also': batez — from bat — 'one' + -ez, 'by'. Mainly here is 'chiefly': this is how the question about work gets answered
- horrez gainbesidesLiterally 'over that': hori — 'that' + -rez, 'by' + gain — 'top'. Besides here is 'on top of that': the argument comes as a second layer
- bide batezby the wayLiterally 'by the road, saying it': bidea — 'road'. By the way here is 'en route': the thought came along the way — and was said
- oro harin generalLiterally 'taking all': oro — 'all' + har — from hartu — 'to take'. In general here is 'taking it all': long stories end this way
- laburbildutain shortFrom labur — 'short' + -bildu — 'gather' + -uta: in short here is 'gathered into the short'. The gathered story fits one phrase
- beste hitzetanin other wordsLiterally 'in the other words': hitz — 'word'. English lands word for word — a rare gift for the learner
- garrantzitsuenathe main thingFrom garrantzitsua — 'important' + -en, the superlative: the main thing in one word. Put at the start of the conclusion — and the argument is over
- azkeneanin the endLiterally 'in the last': azken — 'last' + -ean, 'in'. In the end here is 'at the end': a long road, one full stop
- nahiz etaeven ifLiterally 'even and': the conjunction of concession, related to the -arren grammar. It unfolds the sentence: first the concession, then the will
- trukebut in returnA loan from the Spanish trueque — 'exchange', openly admitted. 'But' here is 'in exchange': expensive, but in return — quality
- alderantzizthe other way aroundLiterally 'side-to-side': alde — 'side' + -rantz — 'toward'. The other way around here — about time and about the shirt on backwards alike
- izan arrendespiteLiterally 'being even': arren — the grammar, here with izan. 'Despite' in short: euria izan arren — despite the rain
- aldizhoweverA native word: however and 'for its part' at once. Don't mix with aldizka — 'from time to time': one letter, two meanings
- alde batetikon the one handLiterally 'from the one side' — word for word: alde — 'side' + batetik — 'from one'. Always in a pair: without alde bestetik it's an orphan
- alde bestetikon the other handLiterally 'from the other side': bestetik — 'from the other'. The second pan of the scales: Alde batetik… alde bestetik… — and the decision is clearer
- hala ereneverthelessLiterally 'so even': hala — 'so' + ere — 'even, too'. Nevertheless here is 'even so': the obstacle is named — and forward anyway
- horren ordezinsteadLiterally 'of that instead': ordez — from ordeztu — 'to replace'. Instead here is literally 'in exchange for that' — plan B in two words
- berdin ditI don't careLiterally 'it's the same to me': berdin — 'the same' + dit — 'to me'. 'Whatever' here is 'indifferently': a dare and a philosophy in two words
- hasieranat firstLiterally 'in the beginning': hasiera — 'beginning' + -n. At first here is 'at the start': of a story, a film and a hard job
- geroagolaterFrom gero — 'then' + -ago, 'further': later here is 'a bit later'. A pause word: first the coffee, geroago — the whole life
- horren ondorenafter thatLiterally 'after that': ondoren — from ondo — 'behind, following'. After that here is 'in the wake of that': an event hooks onto an event
- azkenikfinallyFrom azken — 'last' + -ik: finally here is 'lastly'. The full stop of the list: lehenik… geroago… azkenik — and the story is rounded off
- bitarteanwhileLiterally 'in the interval': bitarte — 'interval' + -n. Two actions share one time here: duzun bitartean — while you do it
- aldi bereanat the same timeLiterally 'in the very same time': aldi — 'a time', bere — 'the same'. Simultaneously: hands, head and conversation — all at once
- aurretikbefore (doing)Literally 'from the front side': aurre — 'front' + -tik, 'from'. Before here is 'earlier': atera aurretik — before going out
- ondorenafter (doing)Literally 'behind, following': ondo — 'behind'. After here is 'in the wake of': amaitu ondoren — after finishing
- bezain lasteras soon asLiterally 'as soon': bezain — 'as much as' + laster — 'soon'. The formula of instant reaction: iristen den bezain laster — as soon as I arrive
- harrezkerosince thenLiterally 'from that time': hari — 'that' + -rez + -kero, 'from the spell'. One word carrying a whole era: 'since then' — and everything changed
- betialwaysA native word: always and forever at once. Beti is the favorite word of reproaches and oaths: Beti berandu! and Beti zurekin
- askotanoftenLiterally 'in many times': asko — 'many' + -tan, 'in'. Frequency here is counted in times: often is many times, rarely is few times
- gutxitanrarelyLiterally 'in few times': gutxi — 'few' + -tan. Partner of askotan: one letter shifted the scale — from 'often' to 'rarely'
- batzuetansometimesLiterally 'in some times': batzuk — 'some' + -tan. Sometimes here is 'in other times': the honest middle between beti and inoiz ez
- inoiz ezneverLiterally 'ever not': inoiz — 'ever', ez — 'not'. The double negation is obligatory: inoiz ez dut — 'I never do'
- normaleanusuallyA loan from the Latin normalis + -ean, openly admitted. Usually here is 'in the norm': stories about one's day start this way
- luzelong (for a time)The same word as 'long', without the article — an adverb: luze hitz egin — to speak long. Length works in space and in time alike
- aldi bakoitzeanevery timeLiterally 'in each time': aldi — 'a time' + bakoitza — 'each'. Every time here is 'in every spell': and again the same thing
- aldizkafrom time to timeFrom aldi — 'a time' + -ka, 'in portions': time from time here is 'time after time'. Don't mix with aldiz — 'however': the suffix decides everything
- orain arteso farLiterally 'until now': orain — 'now' + arte — 'until', the same as gaur arte — 'until today'. So far is the border: everything before it — the past
- bat-bateansuddenlyLiterally 'in one': bat — 'one', doubled for sharpness. Suddenly here is 'in one instant': thunder, the bell and the news all arrive bat-batean
- aurrezin advanceLiterally 'in-front-ly': aurre — 'front' + -z, 'by'. In advance here is 'ahead': tickets are bought and tables booked this way
- garaizon timeLiterally 'in-spell-ly': garai — 'a spell, a time' + -z. On time here is 'in one's spell': come garaiz — and the door is still open
- presazurgentlyA loan from the Spanish prisa — 'haste' + -z, openly admitted. Urgently here is 'with haste': the doctor and the airline get called this way
- berehalaright awayA native word: right away and immediately at once, from bere — 'one's own'. The answer came berehala — of itself, on the spot
- apurka-apurkagraduallyLiterally 'bit by bit': zati — 'a piece', apur — 'a broken-off bit' + -ka. Gradually here is 'piece by piece': a language is learned exactly so
- kasualitatezby chanceA loan from the Spanish casualidad, openly admitted; related to kasua — 'case'. By chance here is 'by-case': finds and meetings come this way
- nahitaon purposeFrom nahi — 'wish' + -ta: on purpose here is 'by wish'. The opposite of kasualitatez: one — you wanted it, the other — it happened itself
- azken uneanat the last momentLiterally 'in the last instant': une — 'instant', a loan from Latin, openly admitted. All purchases and decisions live in the azken unean
- goiz edo berandusooner or laterLiterally 'early or late' — word for word: goiz — 'early', berandu — 'late'. The formula of consolation and prediction: everything will come out goiz edo berandu
- mendeacenturyA native word: a hundred years. Before the number Basque puts a dot: XXI. mendea — the twenty-first century
- aroaeraA native word: a spell as a layer of time. Related to haurtzaroa — 'childhood' and gaztaroa — 'youth': everything on -aro — a life spell
- hamarkadadecadeThe same word as 'a set of ten' — context splits them: ten items and ten years alike. The eighties are laurogeiko hamarkada
- aldiaperiodA native word: a span, a term and a turn at once. With berean it gives 'simultaneously' — aldi berean
- uneainstantA native word: a moment. Related to une hartan — 'at that instant': the instant everything happened
- iraunkorraprolongedThe same word as 'durable' — context splits them: iraun is both to endure and to last. Long-lasting: a rain and a conversation alike
- egun hauetanthese days (soon)Literally 'in these days': egun — 'day' + -tan. Around today: just now or very soon
- gaur egunnowadaysLiterally 'today now': two time words stacked. In contrast to before
- aspalditiksince time immemorialLiterally 'from long since': aspaldi — 'long ago' + -tik, 'from where'. From the very beginning of times
- minutu gutxi batzuetanin a matter of minutesLiterally 'in few minutes': minutu — 'minute' + gutxi — 'few'. Count to three and it's ready
- egungoamodernFrom egun — 'day' + -go: 'today's', current. Partner of antzinakoa — 'the ancient'
- antzinakoaage-oldThe same word as 'olden' — context splits them: from the depths of centuries, about peoples and eras. From antzina — 'long ago'
- kondairalegendA native word: an old tale that goes from mouth to mouth. Related to kontatu — 'to tell'
- arbasoaancestorA native word: 'the father's father'. Related to aita — 'father': the kin walks backward — arbasoak are those who were
- historikoahistoricA loan from the Greek historia — 'an inquiring', openly admitted. Touching the past: a day, a center, a moment
- zaharkitubecome outdatedFrom zahar — 'old' + -kitu: 'to become old', to leave use. Phones and words zaharkitzen dira
- iraganathe bygoneThe same word as 'the past' — context splits them: what went by and is sighed over. From igaro — 'to pass'
- urtekariachronicleFrom urte — 'year' + -kari: 'the yearly' — what is written on year by year. The village and the school keep one
- indusketakexcavationsFrom indusi — 'to dig' + -keta, the action noun: digging, the earth removed layer by layer
- hondakin zaharrakancient ruinsLiterally 'the old remains': hondakin — ruins and waste at once. What remained of the walls
- noizbehinkaoccasionallyFrom noizbait — 'sometime' + -ka: 'once-when', from time to time. Partner of etengabe — 'constantly'
- egunerodailyFrom egun — 'day' + -ero, as urtero — 'every year': day after day
- aldiroregularlyFrom aldi — 'a period' + -ro: period after period, without skips
- lehenengozfor the first time everFrom lehenengo — 'first' + the instrumental -z: 'by the first'. Related to lehen aldiz — 'the first time'
- berriroanewFrom berri — 'new' + -ro: 'newly again'. Related to berriz — 'again' and berritu — 'to renew'
- gero eta sarriagomore and more oftenLiterally 'then and more-often': sarri — 'often' + the comparative -ago. One time after another, more often
- astegunetanon weekdaysLiterally 'in the week's days': aste — 'week' + egun — 'day'. Without Saturday and Sunday
- bat bai, bat ezevery other timeLiterally 'one yes, one no': you take one, you leave the other. Luck and transport are often bat bai, bat ez
- urtean behinonce a yearLiterally 'in the year one time': behin — 'once'. The holiday or the vacation you wait for all year
- behin eta berriztime and againLiterally 'once and again': the same thing repeats without end. Basque loves such pairs: berriro eta berriro
- bitarteanmeanwhileThe same word as 'while' — context splits them: filling the pause while another thing goes on. From bitarte — 'the interval'
- aldi bereanin parallelThe same pairing as 'simultaneously' — context splits them: two matters side by side, one not waiting for the other
- … arteuntil (then)The same arte as 'until (doing)' — context splits them: a limit of time, not place. Gaueko hamarrera arte — 'until ten in the evening'
- ondorenafterwardsThe same word as 'after (doing)' — context splits them: years later, looking back. From ondoren — 'after'
- bezperanon the eveFrom bezpera — 'the eve, the evening before': the day before, preparations under way
- jarraianfurther onLiterally 'in the continuation': jarraitu — 'to continue'. Further along the course of the matter
- oraingoanthis timeFrom orain — 'now' + -koan: by the present count, unlike the past ones
- denboranin due timeLiterally 'in time': in its own term, neither early nor late. Related to denbora — 'time'
- atzeratutaretroactivelyThe same participle as 'put off': setting the date backward. Data atzeratuta jarri — 'to write the date retroactively'
- berehalawithout delayThe same word as 'right away' — context splits them: not dragging a single second, carrying out the order as is
- errutinaroutineA loan from the French routine — 'a road with a rut', openly admitted. Every day the same: both comfort and cage
- egonkortasunastabilityFrom egon — 'to stay' + -kor + -tasun: 'the standing-ness' — nothing wobbles
- egokituadaptFrom egoki — 'suitable' + -tu: 'to become suitable', to the place and the time
- konformaturesign oneselfA loan from the Latin conformare — 'to shape together', openly admitted. To shape oneself with it: not liked, but accepted
- bira puntuaturning pointLiterally 'the turn's point': bira — 'turn' + puntu — 'point'. After it everything goes differently
- berriro hasistart overLiterally 'to begin anew': berriro — 'anew' + hasi — 'to begin'. From a clean page
- lehen bezalaeverything as beforeLiterally 'as before': bezala is 'like, in the manner of'. Everything as before — the years passed, the order stayed
- bira emanto turn the tideThe same phrase as 'to take a turn' — the meaning tells them apart: here it gives the course of things a sharp turn. A match and an illness can turn the tide
- bere kabuz joanto go on its ownLiterally 'to go by its own will': bere kabuz is 'on its own'. Going on its own — no push needed, it just goes
- aldaketaren ateanon the threshold of changeLiterally 'change at the door': atea is door. On the threshold of change — the change stands behind the door, the hand already on the handle
- berriz ereagainLiterally 'again too': berriz — 'anew' + ere — 'too'. Again here is a boost: once more, and for sure
- lastersoonA native word: soon, shortly. Laster bisitan! — 'visiting soon' — is how people sign letters
- aspaldilong agoLiterally 'long since far': aspalditik — 'since long ago'. Partner of berriki — 'recently'
- berrikirecentlyFrom berri — 'new': recently here is 'newly close'. Partner of aspaldi — 'long ago': berriki heldu naiz — I arrived recently
- berandulateA native word: late. From it, berandutu — 'to be late'. Partner of goiz — 'early'
- goizearlyA native word: early — and 'morning' is the same word: goizean — 'in the morning'. Goiz esnatu naiz — I woke up early
- azkarswiftThe same word as 'sharply' — context splits them: fast here is about your own motion. Azkar ibili! — walk faster!
- errazeasyA native word: easy, simple. Partner of zail — 'hard': erraza edo zaila? — easy or hard?
- zailhardA native word: difficult, uphill. Partner of erraz — 'easy'. Zaila da — it's hard
- oraintxejust nowLiterally 'now-just': orain + -txe, closeness. Just now here is a minute ago: oraintxe heldu da — he's just arrived
- goizeanin the morningFrom goiza — 'morning' + -an: literally 'in the morning'. A relative: goiz — 'early': goiz esnatu, goizean kafea — woke up early, coffee in the morning
- eguerdianat middayFrom eguerdia — 'noon' + -an. Partner: gauean — 'at night'
- arratsaldeanin the eveningThe same word as 'in the afternoon' — context splits them: here it is the time after work. From arratsaldea — 'evening'
- gaueanat nightFrom gaua — 'night' + -an: night as darkness and sleep. Partner: eguerdian — 'at midday'. Gauean isiltasuna dago — at night there is silence
- egunoroevery dayLiterally 'day-every': egun — 'day' + oro — 'every'. Every day here means with no skips. A relative: egunero — 'daily'
- egun osoanall dayLiterally 'in the whole day': osoa — 'whole' + -an. All day here is one stretch from waking to sleep
- momentuamomentA loan from Latin momentum, openly admitted. The native relative is unea
- erlojuaclockA loan from Spanish reloj, openly admitted. One word for the wall clock and the wristwatch: hormako erlojua, esku erlojua
- egutegiacalendarLiterally a 'day-store': egun — 'day' + -tegi, a keeping place. A calendar hangs on the wall or lives in your phone
- Zer ordu da?what time is it?Literally 'what hour is it?': ordu — 'hour'. The answer runs plural: bostak dira — 'it's five o'clock'
- otsailaFebruaryA native word, from otso — 'wolf': the wolf-month of cold. It follows urtarrila — 'January'
- martxoaMarchA loan from Latin martius, openly admitted. The month of winds: martxo haizeak — the March winds
- apirilaAprilA loan from Latin aprilis, openly admitted. The month of rains: apiril euriteak
- maiatzaMayA loan from Latin maius, openly admitted. The month of flowers: loreen hila — literally 'the flowers' month'
- ekainaJuneA native word: ekain. Don't mix it with uztaila — 'July': one letter divides the summer
- abuztuaAugustA loan from Latin augustus, openly admitted. The month of festivals: herriko jaiak abuztuan — the village festivals are in August
- irailaSeptemberA native word: irail. School opens in it: irailan eskola hasten da
- urriaOctoberA native word: urri — and the same word means 'rare, sparse': fewer days, less light
- azaroaNovemberA native word, from aza — 'cabbage': the month for planting cabbage. You couldn't invent anything more practical
- abenduaDecemberA native word: abendu, the month of long nights. Toward it they prepare gabonak — Christmas
- urteayearA native word: urte. You know urtarrila — 'January', the year's month. How old are you is zenbat urte? — 'how many years?'
- egun beteafull dayLiterally 'a full day': betea — 'full', from bete — 'to fill'. A full day here is day and night in one piece
- mende bata hundred yearsLiterally 'one century': mendea — 'century'. A century here is a hundred years as a span, or the anniversary: mendeurrena
- minutuaminuteA loan from Latin minutus — 'lessened', openly admitted. A minute here is a small part of the hour: orduaren zatia
- segunduaa secondA loan from Latin secundus — 'following', openly admitted. A second is the 'next step' after the minute: minutuaren atzetik
- ordu erdihalf an hourLiterally 'half of the hour': erdia — 'half'. Half an hour goes bare, as after a number: ordu erdi itxaron dut
- eguerdianoonLiterally 'day's half': eguna — 'day' + erdia — 'half'. Partner of gauerdia — 'midnight'
- gauerdiamidnightLiterally 'night's half': gaua — 'night' + erdia. Midnight is when trains arrive in fairy tales
- orainnowA native word: now, at present. Related: oraindik — 'still' and oraintxe — 'just now'
- epeadeadlineA native word: epe. You know berme-epea — 'the warranty period'. Epea amaitzen da — the deadline is running out
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.
- Goizean kafea edaten dutIn the morning I drink coffee
- Egun luzea izan daThe day turned out very long
- Gaur etxean lan egiten dutToday I'm working from home
- Bihar ez dut lanikTomorrow I'm not working
- Atzo euria egin zuen egun osoanYesterday it rained all day
- Arratsalderako ez da bero handirik egitenCloser to evening it isn't so hot anymore
What is worth knowing about these words
goiza — morning. Goiz is 'early' and 'morning'; goiza wears the article. Goiz argitu — daybreak, literally 'the morning lightens': a phrase from a song
egun — day. A familiar word: egun on — good morning — comes from it. Egunero — every day, literally 'day-ly'
gaur — today. Gaur gauean — tonight, literally 'today in the night': the word is glued from gau — 'night'
bihar — tomorrow. From bi — 'two' and egun — 'day': tomorrow is the 'second day'. The day before yesterday, herenegun, counts the other way
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 goiza — morning.
- What is this word?
It is ordua — hour.
- What is this word?
It is oro har — in general.
- What is this word?
It is alderantziz — the other way around.
- What is this word?
It is berdin dit — I don't care.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “morning” in Basque?
Goiz is 'early' and 'morning'; goiza wears the article. Goiz argitu — daybreak, literally 'the morning lightens': a phrase from a song
- How do you say “hour” in Basque?
Both the hour as a measure and the time on the clock: Zer ordu da? — literally 'what hour is it?' — through izan, not egon
- How do you say “in general” in Basque?
Literally 'taking all': oro — 'all' + har — from hartu — 'to take'. In general here is 'taking it all': long stories end this way
- How do you say “the other way around” in Basque?
Literally 'side-to-side': alde — 'side' + -rantz — 'toward'. The other way around here — about time and about the shirt on backwards alike
- How do you say “I don't care” in Basque?
Literally 'it's the same to me': berdin — 'the same' + dit — 'to me'. 'Whatever' here is 'indifferently': a dare and a philosophy in two words
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.
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 “morning” in Basque?
«goiza». Goiz is 'early' and 'morning'; goiza wears the article. Goiz argitu — daybreak, literally 'the morning lightens': a phrase from a song. It is one of 149 words in the set “time, days and hours” — the rest are in the table above.
How many time words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 149 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, 149 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.