Colloquial

Basque

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Colloquial

Basque

A Complete Language Course

Alan R. King and
Begotxu Olaizola Elordi

First published 1996

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Fancis Group, an informa business

© 1996 Alan R. King and Begotxu Olaizola Elordi

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data

King, Alan R. (Alan Roy), 1954-

Colloquial Basque: a complete language course/Alan R. King and

Begotxu Oiaizola Elordi.

(The colloquial series)

Includes index.

1. Basque language - Textbooks for foreign speakers - English.

I. Olaizola Elordt, Begotxu, 1964- . II. Title.

PH5035.K57  1996

499'.9282421 - dc20                95-34867

ISBN: 978-1-138-95811-1 (pbk)

Typeset in Times Ten by

Florence Production Ltd, Stoodleigh, Devon

Contents

Map of the Basque Country

Introduction

1 Bidean
En route

2 Kafetxo bat?
cup of coffee?

3 Iritsi zara!
You’ve arrived!

4 Herria ikusten
Seeing the town

5 Etxean
At home

6 Goazen buelta bat ematera!
Let’s go out!

7 Erosketak (1)
Shopping (1)

8 Erosketak (2)
Shopping (2)

9 Asteburua
The weekend

10 Bidaia prestatzen
Travel preparations

11 ′Hortik zehar′
On the road

12 Etxerantz
Going home

Appendix

Key to exercises

Basque–English vocabulary

English Basque–vocabulary

Subject index

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The Basque Country

Introduction

The Basque language today

As one of Europe's most exotic minority languages, probably unrelated genetically to any other language in the world, Basque has long fascinated linguists and non-specialists alike. According to our present knowledge, assuming that the Indo-European languages ultimately originated from outside Europe, Basque is the only truly indigenous European tongue to survive today, the remnant of a bygone age.

Basque is spoken by two-thirds of a million people who constitute almost 20 per cent of the Basque Country's present population of three-and-a-half million. The proportion was much higher in the past, the sharpest drop having occurred in the last hundred years or so. While this may sound discouraging, there is an extensive band covering much of the northern half of the country, including most of the coastal and highland regions, where Basque, though endangered, is still the native language for most of the local population. Thanks to a recent upsurge in its political, social and economic status, even in the non-Basque-speaking regions you can now find people proud to speak what they firmly regard as their national language.

For long, official Spanish policy was highly unsympathetic to Basque. The language, forced into a kind of underground existence during the Franco years (1939-75), was forbidden in schools and public places and banned from official services and the media. According to state propaganda at the time, it was unpatriotic to speak it, and even those who continued to use Basque in private lived in real fear of being arrested or otherwise punished. Despite these adverse circumstances, a significant proportion of Basque families remained loyal to their ancestral tongue and helped to keep it alive.

After the end of the dictatorial regime, the new Spanish Constitution granted to the regions some degree of self-rule, known as ‘autonomy’. Under the democratic regime, three ‘Spanish’ provinces of the Basque Country (Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa) constituted the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, also known as Euskadi; a fourth province (the largest) has a separate administration as the Autonomous Community of Navarre. Since the early 1980s these communities have had elected ‘autonomous governments’ exercising whatever powers Madrid has ‘transferred’ as a result of political negotiations. Powers transferred to the Eusko Jaurlaritza (the government of the Euskadiko Autonomi Elkartea, seated in Vitoria/Gasteiz) include internal revenue, administration of schools, mass media, health services and the Ertzantza, or Basque police force. The status of the Basque language in this area has improved progressively during recent decades, thanks to widespread popular sentiment, grass-roots campaigning (once clandestine and now legal) and the Eusko Jaurlaritza's official language policies, although the latter are subject to oscillations depending on wavering political factors. Roughly comparable conditions exist in the Navarrese autonomous community, polarized between the north, largely Basque-speaking and pro-Basque, and the south, whose Basque tradition is weak.

These four provinces are referred to collectively as Hegoaldea (‘the South’) as opposed to Iparraldea (‘the North’), comprising the three small provinces of the ‘French’ Basque Country: Lapurdi, Low Navarre and Zuberoa. This region has no self-rule in the French state, despite campaigns to achieve at least a limited degree of autonomy. Apart from the urbanized Bayonne-Biarritz area, most of the rural ‘North’ conserves a strong Basque tradition and flavour, notwithstanding heavy French influence among the younger generation.

Varieties of Basque

Spoken Basque has a number of dialects that are mutually intelligible in normal circumstances and may be thought of as belonging to three rough types that merge into each other: western (Bizkaian), central (e.g. Lapurdian or High Navarrese) and eastern (e.g. Zuberoan). Probably the most widely known dialect today is Gipuzkoan, which straddles the western and central types.

The first Basque books were published in the sixteenth century. The language possesses no very imposing literary history, and the standardized writing system that now exists, known as Euskara Batua (Unified Basque), is a product of recent years still subject to occasional re-adjustments. The media and the schools have contributed to the progressive consolidation of a spoken version of the standard which has distanced itself somewhat from colloquial speech. While most native speakers today are familiar with what we might call ‘television Basque’, they do not really speak it.

Faithful to the title, conversations in this book present a compromise between this slightly stilted modern spoken standard and the colloquial Basque that ordinary people actually speak and the learner is likely to hear. It was decided that in a manual of this scope it was better not to burden the reader with information about dialectal alternatives, so a single model of spoken Basque is provided which will serve most communicative purposes: an approximation to contemporary informal Gipuzkoan speech, omitting the inevitable localisms and vulgarisms that an excess of realism would have implied but which a normal learner would not be expected to reproduce. Language variation is none the less reflected by the occasional speaker of a different dialect in the dialogues (eastern in Unit 11; Bizkaian in Unit 12), and some non-conversational texts: a weather report, a song, informal letters and postcards, public signs, a menu and the occasional written text.

Using the book

Colloquial Basque is a complete introductory course consisting of twelve units. Each unit contains a wealth of study material, and most are subdivided into three sections or lessons. You may find it best to incorporate periodic revision cycles into the study programme, and possibly to skip over certain items according to your interests, at least the first time round. Although such flexibility is intended, it should also be borne in mind that the units as presented form a graded progression.

Each unit section opens with a text, usually a conversation. Many of these are set in an attractive coastal resort town, Zarautz. Here lives Naroa, a Basque school teacher, whose guest is Elin, a Welsh friend who has come to spend the summer holidays. Through them, as they go about their daily chores and engage in various leisure activities, you will experience different aspects of everyday life, culture and language. The conversations, simulating real communication while gradually introducing essential aspects of the language's use and structure, will expose you to an assortment of interactive situations in different settings and models for a range of commonplace communicative transactions.

Each text is followed by a vocabulary list or notes. Analyse the text with this help until its meaning becomes clear to you. This ‘deciphering’ stage is an important part of the learning process. When you understand at least the gist of the text, move on to the following explanatory materials, which clarify and develop many aspects of the language. Simple exercises, interspersed among the explanations, can be worked through in a matter of minutes or seconds and checked in the key at the end of the book. After working through explanations and exercises, go back and reread the conversation or text, perhaps several times, until you understand everything.

The explanations are grouped as follows:

Grammatical nuts and bolts. Only those features of Basque grammar most essential for communication are dwelt on, and these are presented through examples accompanied by the simplest of explanations.

Saying what you mean. In communicating one needs to refer to certain fundamental notions time and time again, such as identity (saying which), place (saying where), time (saying when), reason (saying why), manner (saying how) and so on. The most useful ways of expressing these in Basque are brought together under this heading.

Doing things with words. Communication also involves expressing or establishing what you would like someone to do, what you yourself want to do, or what your attitude to or feeling about something is: invitations, getting permission, making plans, indicating preferences, expressing surprise, etc. You will learn how to perform such communicative acts.

Strategies for communication. By combining the above skills you will be able to communicate in Basque, but it also helps to have an overall strategy or routine for certain common situations, such as ordering in a restaurant, asking someone the way, making introductions or saying goodbye. Each language has certain common formulae for use in such situations, and this section will focus on some of them.

Talking about…Under this heading you will find information and word lists that allow you to express yourself accurately concerning particular topics that are usually relevant to learners’ needs, such as drinks, food, transport, weather, accommodation, shopping and so on. Of course you know your interests better than we do, so you can pick and choose which of these items to concentrate on.

Language and life. Without knowing anything about British culture and lifestyles, how could a foreigner, no matter how good a linguist, understand the true meaning of the English expressions cuppa, half of bitter, going down to the local, top ten, popular press, King's English, lah-di-dah, high street, home counties, or fish and chips? Language is inseparable from a country's life and culture. This section provides useful notes about Basque music, towns, media, dialects, eating habits, bars, fiestas and so on, not only interesting in their own right, but necessary for a proper understanding of the real-life colloquial language.

For further study

The Basque Language: a Practical Introduction by A.R. King (University of Nevada Press, Reno, 1994) is a comprehensive course, suitable for either self-study or classroom use, and serious students will still benefit from its use after having worked through Colloquial Basque. For those who read French, particularly if interested in the dialects written and spoken north of the Pyrenees, P. Lafitte's now classical Grammaire Basque (1944, reprinted by Elkar, Donostia, 1991) remains one of the best Basque grammars available.

The most recommendable dictionaries between English and Basque available are published in Reno by the University of Nevada Press: the large Basque-English Dictionary by G. Aulestia (1989) and its companion volume, the English-Basque Dictionary by G. Aulestia and L. White (1990); there is also a one-volume paperback Basque-English English-Basque Dictionary by Aulestia and White (1992), also distributed in the Basque Country by Elkar under the title Euskara-lngelesa Ingelesa-Euskara Hiztegia (1992). A growing number of dictionaries into Spanish and in Basque only are available from Basque publishers. R.M. Azkue's Diccionario Vasco-Español-Francés (1925), reprinted periodically by Euskaltzaindia, the Basque language academy, and P. Múgica's Diccionario Castellano-Vasco (Mensajero, Bilbao, 1964/1987) are classics, but increasingly dated.

Far too many books and publications in Basque are now available for it to be worth trying to give a general reading list. There are good Basque bookshops in all the major Basque cities, so be sure to visit one if you are in the country. You will also find quite a large selection of Basque records, tapes and compact discs (see Unit 6 for more information), and you may be interested in the Basque-language press and media (see Unit 5).

You might also consider attending a summer residential course. Several are organized each year, varying in level, duration and location, particularly in summer.

Information or addresses can be obtained from Mercator, an internationally based European minority-languages project, or HABE, a Basque institution concerned with the teaching of Basque to adults. Their addresses are:

HABE, a Basque institution concerned with the teaching of Basque to adults. Their addresses are:

Mercator
Prifysgol Cymru
Aberystwyth SY23 3AS
CYMRU (UK)
Tel: 01970–622 533
Fax: 01970–622 190
Email: merc@aber.ac.uk

HABE
Vitoria-Gasteiz kalea, 3
20008 Donostia
EUSKADI (Spain)
Tel: 0034 43–41 26 00
Fax: 0034 43–41 26 01

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their thanks to the following: Arantxa Eizmendi, Brendan Morgan, Lyn Lewis Dafis, Itziar Olaizola, Xabier Olaizola, Armentia Ikastola (Gasteiz), Éire Language and Information Services (Zarautz), Zarauzko Turismo Bulegoa, and the Routledge editorial team.

The song ‘Txoria txori’ on p.99 is reproduced by kind permission of Mikel Laboa and J.A. Artze, authors respectively of the music and lyrics.

1 Bidean
En route

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- word order

- asking questions (1)

- omission of the subject

Saying what you mean

- saying which and where

- singular personal pronouns

- ′in′, ′on′, ′at′, ′to′ and ′from′

Doing things with words

- being polite

Strategies for communication

- saying where you are from

- saying where you live

Language and life

- Basque towns

- speaking Basque

Dialogue 1 (Audio 1:3-5; 7-11)

At the Bilbao bus station

Elin addresses a bus driver

ELIN:

Barkatu!

DRIVER:

Zer?

ELIN:

Hau da Donostiako autobusa?

DRIVER:

EZ.

ELIN:

Non dago, mesedez?

DRIVER(pointing):

Hantxe.

ELIN:

Eskerrik asko.

(Elin approaches a young woman waiting at a bus rank.)

ELIN:

Aizu, badakizu euskaraz?

(The woman just smiles and shakes her head. Elin tries a young man.)

ELIN:

Euskaraz badakizu?

XABIER:

Bai!

ELIN:

Aizu, Donostiako autobusa hau da?

XABIER:

Bai, bai, hauxe da.

ELIN:

A!

Vocabulary

a!

oh! I see! right!

aizu!

hey! I say! could you tell me … ?

autobusa

a/the bus

badakizu

(do) you know

Badakizu euskaraz?

Can you speak Basque?

bai

yes

barkatu!

excuse me! I beg your pardon! I’ m sorry to bother you!

da

is, it is (for saying what something is)

dago

is, it is (for saying where something is)

Donostia

San Sebastian, an important Basque town

Donostiako autobusa

the San Sebastian bus

eskerrik asko

thank you (very much)

euskara

the Basque language

ez

no

han or hantxe

there, over there (a good distance away)

hau or hauxe

this

mesedez

please, if you don't mind

non

where

Xabier

man's name

zer

what

Pronunciation and spelling

In the Gipuzkoan dialect, words have main stress peak most often on the second syllabel, thus autóbusa, badákizu, barkátu, eskérrik, askó, mesédez, euskáldun(a), ‘Basque’, hondártza ‘beach’but it may be on the first syllabel: áizu, káixo ‘hello’, hántxe, bízi ‘live’, pózik ‘happy’, géro ‘then’. Most words with first-syllabel stress are either two-syllabel words, as in the preceding examples, or words formed by adding suffixes to a monosyllabic root as in nóngoa ‘where from?’ (non ‘where?’), trénean ‘on the train’(tren ‘train’), déituko ‘will call’(dei ‘a call’). With two-syllabel roots, the stress may be on the first or second syllabel, sometimes even as alternative pronunciations for the same word form, e.g. hérriko tabérna or herríko taberna ‘the village bar’(herri ‘village, town’). Bisyllabic roots for which initial stress is obligatory include most roots ending in a such as dénda ‘shop’, géla ‘room’.

Basque has five vowel sounds, represented by a, e, i, o and u. These are pronounced roughly as in English pat, pet, pit, pot and put respectively. They can combine in diphthongs (groups of two vowels): ai, ei, oi are pronounced something like the vowel sounds in English buy, bay, boy; au is like that in house; eu, not a familiar sound in English, is produced by pronouncing e and u in quick succession.

R is a strongly trilled sound except when a single r stands between vowels inside a word, as in euskaraz, when it represents a much softer single flap (as in very in standard English or the commonplace American pronunciation of tt in kitty); both sounds are produced by the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth. The trilled r sound occurs in eskerrik asko and barkatu. The trilled r is never silent in Basque (do not say ‘baakatu’!), although the flap r sometimes is silent colloquially (e.g. gero is pronounced geo by some speakers).

B, d, g, p, t and k are pronounced less energetically in Basque than in English. P, t and k are not aspirated (i.e. there is no puff of breath following them); between vowels b, d and g are ‘slurred’, and sometimes even silent in colloquial Basque (e.g. dao for dago).

H is silent except in the North, where it sounds approximately as in English.

S and zare both ‘s’ sounds, but differ: z is like an emphatic English s as in hiss, almost but not quite lisped; s is a ‘mushier’ sound, almost like English sh but not quite. Some Basques fail to differentiate these, so if you don't it won't matter. More importantly, remember not to confuse z with the English z.

X represents the English sh sound, as in push (except in some borrowings, where it is commonly pronounced like s, e.g. taxi, pronounced tasi). Tx represents the English ch sound, as in bunch.

Exercise 1 Make sure, before going any further, that you know how to pronounce every word in the above vocabulary list.

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Word order; asking questions (1)

Study these sentences:

In English, a difference in word order (between This is … and Is this …) makes the difference between a statement and a question. In Basque a question can be formed from a statement just by placing a question mark at the end (in writing) or using a different intonation (in speech).

On the other hand, in Basque also, more than one word order is often possible. The resulting sentences are not completely interchangeable, but the subtle differences are rarely reflected by English word order, and so are often difficult to translate. A short guide to Basque word-order rules is given in a special appendix at the end of the book, for the learner to consult at any time.

Exercise 2 Look for examples in the dialogue of the same sentence with alternative word orders, e.g. Badakizu euskaraz? or Euskaraz badakizu?

As we have just seen, questions asking for a ‘yes’ (bai) or ‘no’ (ez) answer can be identical to corresponding statements, except for intonation or punctuation. However, some speakers do signal such questions by placing the particle al in front of the verb (e.g. da or dago), as in:

Hau al da Donostiako autobusa?

If al is used, falling intonation as in statements must be used.

Omission of the subject

Study these sentences:

In English, when we don't mention the subject the bus, as in the third sentence, we must insert a pronoun instead: it. In Basque, we simply omit the subject in such cases, without any pronoun. ‘It’ is understood from the context.

Exercise 3 How do you translate these two sentences?

Hau da autobusa.
Hau da.

Exercise 4 (review) Translate into Basque (for word order, follow the numbers in parentheses).

1 It's (2) the bus (1).

2 What (1) is (2) it?

3 Where (1) is (2) it?

4 It's (2) over there (1).

5 Do you know?

6 Yes.

7 Is it (3) the San Sebastian (1) bus (2)?

8 No.

9 Oh!

Saying what you mean

Saying which and where

Study these exchanges:

A: Hau da Bilboko autobusa?

Is this the Bilbao bus?

B: Ez

No.

Bilboko autobusa hori da.

That is the Bilbao bus.

Hau Baionako autobusa da.

This is the Bayonne bus.

C: Autobusa hemen dago?

Is the bus here?

D: Ez, hor dago.

No, it's there.

There are two ways of saying ‘is’ (also ‘he is’, ‘she is’ or ‘it is’): da is used when identifying what, who or which one something or someone is; dago when saying where something or someone is.

Learn the words that mean ‘this’ and ‘that’, and ‘here’ and ‘there’. There are two different words for ‘that’, and two for ‘there’. Hura and han refer to things and places quite a long way away; hori and hor to things in the middle distance, or near the person you are speaking to.

Pronouns

Adverbs

Near speaker

hau ‘this’

hemen ‘here’

Further away

hori ‘that’

hor ‘there’

Distant

hura ‘that (over there)’

han ‘(over) there’

In general, use hau or hori for things in the same room or area as you, and hura for things outside the room or area where you are.

Exercise 5 Name several objects around you, using the pattern Hau/Hori/Hura X da, e.g. Hori autobusa da. In place of X you may use any of the following words:

mahaia

a/the table

aulkia

a/the chair

atea

a/the door

leihoa

a/the window

liburua

a/the book

boligrafoa

a/the ballpen

autobusa

a/the bus

kalea

a/the street

You may also use words that you can find in the general vocabulary at the end of the book. However, you must add -a to common nouns unless a word already ends in -a; thus, since the vocabulary gives mendi ‘mountain’, you must say: Hura mendia da ‘That is a (or the) mountain’.

Exercise 6 Make up sentences saying where each of the things is, following this pattern X hemen/hor/han dago, e.g. Liburua hemen dago.

Exercise 7 Ask questions about where each thing is, and answer, using the pattern Non dago X? Hemen/Hor/Han, e.g. Non dago aulkia? Hemen; or the pattern: X hemen (al) dago? Bai/Ez.

Exercise 8 You are in San Sebastian (Donostia) looking for the bus to Bilbao (Bilbo). Take the dialogue we have studied as a general guide, and imagine the conversation(s) you might have at the station.

Each of the six ‘which and where’ words we have just seen has a second form, sometimes called emphatic, obtained by adding -xe or -txe to the basic form. It is enough for now if you understand such forms. They are:

hau

or

hauxe

hori

or

horixe

hura

or

huraxe

hemen

or

hementxe

hor

or

hortxe

han

or

hantxe

Pronunciation and spelling

The letter y is not used in native Basque words in standard spelling. However, the letter i between two vowels is pronounced like the y in the English word kayak.

Exercise 9 How do you pronounce Baiona, mahaia, leihoa? (Ignore the h, which is silent in most people's pronunciation.)

Language and life

Basque towns

The following are the five main towns in the Basque Country (see the map on p. vii). The Basque name is given on the left, and the Spanish name on the right (or, in the case of Baiona, the French name).

Bilbo (also Bilbao)

Bilbao

Donostia(also Donosti)

San Sebastian

Gasteiz

Vitoria

Iruñea

Pamplona

Baiona

Bayonne

From this point onwards, these towns will usually be referred to by their Basque names in this book.

Learn how we say ‘the Donostia bus’ and so on:

Baionako autobusa
Bilboko autobusa
Donostiako autobusa
Gasteizko autobusa
Iruñeko autobusa

Pronunciation and spelling

The letter ñ is used in few words in standard Basque spelling. Its sound is like the ny in canyon.

Doing things with words

Being polite

We can ask for someone's attention by saying Barkatu! ‘Excuse me!’, ask for something saying Mesedez! ‘Please!’, and show gratitude with Eskerrik asko! ‘Thank you!’ However, excessive use of expressions like these in Basque conveys the message that one is showing so much courtesy as to distance oneself socially from the person addressed. Basques often prefer to convey a sense of cameraderie by not standing on ceremony. To sound natural in Basque, therefore, avoid the temptation to say Barkatu, Mesedez and Eskerrik asko each time you would use Excuse me, Please and Thank you in an equivalent situation in English. Remember that Eskerrik asko actually means ‘Thank you very much’, there is no casual, routine way to say just ‘Thanks!’ in Basque. To get someone's attention without being over-polite, one can say Aizu! which literally means ‘Listen!’.

Exercise 10 Reread dialogue 1, looking closely at when and how each of the above-mentioned expressions is used.

Dialogue 2 (Audio 1: 12)

On the bus

Elin and Xabier sit together on the bus to Donostia and get into a conversation

XABIER:

Nongoa zara?

ELIN:

Bangorkoa naiz.

XABIER:

Bangor? Hori non dago?

ELIN:

Gales Herrian.

XABIER:

A, galesa zara?

ELIN:

Bai, baina Inglaterran bizi naiz. Londresen.Etazunon bizi zara?

XABIER:

Ni, Donostian bizi naiz. Donostiarra naiz. Baina nere familia Nafarroakoa da, Leitzakoa.

ELIN:

Nere ama galesa da, Bangorkoa. Baina nere aita Londreskoa da. Eta nere anaia Eskozian bizi da.

Vocabulary

aita

father

ama

mother

baina

but

bera

he, she, him, her

bere

his, her, its

bizi da

lives

bizi naiz

(I) live

bizi zara

(you) live

donostiarra

Donostian, native of Donostia

ere

too, also

Eskozia

Scotland

eta

and (often pronounced ta)

euskalduna

Basque (person etc.)

familia

family

galesa

Welsh

Gales Hema

Wales

Inglaterra

England

-koa

from, native of

Leitza

a small town in Nafarroa

Londres

London

Nafarroa

Navarre, a province

naiz

(I) am

nere

my

ni

I, me

nongoa

where from, native of or belonging to where

Nongoa zara?

Where are you from?

zara

(you) are

zu

you

zure

your

Pronunciation and spelling

When an n in the middle of a word is preceded by the letter i, most Basque speakers pronounce it as if it were ñ, i.e. like ny. Thus baina is generally pronounced ‘bainya’ or ‘banya’.

Strategies for communication

Saying where you are from

Study this exchange:

A:

Nongoa zara ?

Where are you from?

B:

Galesa naiz.

I′m Welsh.

Bangorkoa naiz.

I′m from Bangor.

You now know the singular of the present tense of one of the verbs ‘to be’:

naiz

(I) am

zara

(you) are

da

(he, she, it) is

In Bangorkoa ‘(a person or thing) from Bangor, or belonging to Bangor’, we have Bangor followed by two suffixes: -ko meaning ‘from’ or ‘pertaining to’, and -a; you will understand this construction better later. Words ending in n or 1, instead of adding -ko, take -go, thus Dublingoa da ‘He/She is from Dublin’. Likewise, from non ‘where?’ we have nongo ‘where from?’: Nongoa zara?

Alternatively we can make use of a special adjective such as gales(a) ‘Welsh’, euskaldun(a) ‘Basque’. Here are some names of nationalities you may need to know:

euskaldun

Basque (may also mean ‘Basque-speaking’)

espainol

Spanish (as opposed to Basque)

frantses

French (as opposed to Basque)

ingles

English

irlandes

Irish

amerikano

American (from either the United States or anywhere in North, Central or South America according to context)

Adjectives expressing origin from Basque towns end in -ar or -tar, e.g. donostiar(ra) ‘from Donostia’, bilbotar(ra) ‘from Bilbo’, gasteiztar(ra) ‘from Gasteiz’, leitzar(ra) ‘from Leitza’. The -(t)ar suffix is also added to names of countries to form alternative names of nationalities, e.g. irlandar(ra) ‘Irish’, espainiar(ra) ‘Spanish’, etc.

Pronunciation and spelling

Adjectives denoting nationalities do not have a capital letter: Nere aita euskalduna da.

Words ending in r double this letter in spelling when a vowel is added, in order to indicate that the trilled pronunciation is retained, hence donostiarra.

Exercise 11 Have a conversation with someone about where you are each from, and ask about the other person's father or mother. Use the above dialogue as a guide.

Saying where you live

Study this exchange:

A:

Non bizi zara ?

Where do you live?

B:

Inglaterran bizi naiz.

I live in England.

Londresen bizi naiz.

I live in London.

In Basque ‘to live’ is a compound verb, formed from the word bizi and the verb ‘to be’, thus:

bizi naiz

(I) live

bizi zara

(you) live

bizi da

(he, she) lives

‘In’ a place is expressed by the name of the place plus -n if the word ends in a vowel, or -en after a consonant:

Bilbon

in Bilbo

Gasteizen

in Gasteiz

Amerika has the exceptional form Ameriketan ‘in America’. Note these names of countries:

Euskal Herria

Basque Country (traditional name)

Euskadi

Euskadi (another name for the Basque Country)

Espainia

Spain

Frantzia

France

Inglaterra

England

Irlanda

Ireland

Exercise 12 Tell a friend as much as you can about Elin and her family, based on the information in the dialogue. Begin like this: Elin galesa da …Mention where people live and where they are from.

Saying what you mean

Singular personal pronouns

Study these pairs of sentences:

Nere ama hemen bizi da.

My mother lives here.

Hemen bizi da.

She lives here.

Ni hemen bizi naiz.

As for myself, I live here.

Hemen bizi naiz.

I live here.

Non bizi zara zu?

What about you, where do you live?

Non bizi zara?

Where do you live?

We saw that the subject can be omitted in Basque when its reference is understood, without needing to insert a pronoun as in English:

Hemen dago.

Hemen bizi da.

This is also true for human subjects, where English uses a personal pronoun such as I, you, he or she. Such pronouns exist in Basque, but their use in such contexts has a more emphatic meaning, as illustrated in the above examples. In the great majority of cases your Basque will sound much more idiomatic if you avoid the temptation to put in a subject pronoun: for example, ‘I am’ is normally naiz, not ni naiz; ‘he lives’ is bizi da more often than bera bizi da, and so on.

However, sometimes the pronouns are needed. Here are the singular ones. The corresponding possessives, which you have already encountered, are given on the right:

ni

I, me

nere

my

zn

you

znre

your

bera

he, him; she, her; it

bere

his; her; its

Notice in particular that Basque makes no distinction between ‘him’, ‘her’ and ‘it’.

Exercise 13 Answer these questions about yourself and your family without repeating the subject:

Nongoa zara zu? Zure

aita nongoa da? Zure

ama non bizi da?

Reading

Elin, Xabier and Naroa

Elin galesa da. Bangorkoa da. Bangor Gales Herrian dago. Bere ama ere galesa da, baina bere aita ez. Aita inglesa da.

Xabier euskalduna da. Donostiarra da, eta Donostian bizi da.Bere familia Leitzakoa da. Leitza Nafarroan dago.

Naroa Elinen laguna da. Euskalduna da, zarauztarra. Zarautz Gipuzkoako itsasaldean dago. Herri polita da. Hondartza dauka. Naroa irakaslea da.

Elin oporretan dago Euskal Herrian. Orain Donostiako auto-busean dago.

Autobus hau nora doa? Zarautza? Ez. Bilbotik Donostiara doa. Gero Elin Donostiatik Zarautza joango da. Trenean joango da. Trena Donostiatik Zarautza doa.

Naroa, bere laguna, etxean dago. Zarautzen dago. Gero lanera joango da. Etxe polita dauka. Elin oporretan dago, eta Zarautza doa: oso pozik dago!

Vocabulary

dauka

has, has got

doa

is going, goes

etxe

home, house, flat

gero

afterwards, then, later

Gipuzkoa

(a Basque province)

herri

town, village

hondartza

beach

irakasle

teacher

itsasalde

coast

joango da

will go

lagon

friend

Ian

work

lanera

to work

nora

where to

oporretan

on holidays

doa

is going, goes

orain

now

oso

very

polit

pretty

pozik

happy

tren

train

Zarautz

(a town in Gipuzkoa)

zarauztar

‘Zarautzan’

Pronunciation and spelling

We have already discussed the pronunciation of z, s and x in Basque. The combinations tz, ts and tx sound almost like a t followed by z/s/x, but each combination makes a single sound. Tx sounds like English ch. Some Basque speakers do not distinguish between tz and ts.

The letter j is pronounced differently in different parts of the Basque Country. In and around Gipuzkoa, it sounds like the ch in loch, i.e. like a throaty h sound. Another common pronunciation is similar to the y in yoyo. In a few words it always has the latter sound, e.g. Jon ‘John’. The verb joan ‘go’ should be pronounced either ‘hwan’ or ‘yo-an’, although several other dialectal pronunciations of this common word exist.

Saying what you mean

′In′, ′ on′, ′ at′, ′ to′ and′ from′

Study these words:

Donostia

hondartza

etxea

Donostia

the beach

the home

Donostian

hondartzan

etxean

in Donostia

at/on the beach

at home

Donostiara

hondartzara

etxera

to Donostia

to the beach

(go) home

Donostiatik

hondartzatik

etxetik

from Donostia

from the beach

from home

Zarautz

Irun

trena

Zarautz

Irun

the train

Zarautzen

Irunen

trenean

in Zarautz

in Irun

in/on the train

Zarautza

Irun(er)a

trenera

to Zarautz

to Irun

to the train

Zarauztik

Irundik

trenetik

from Zarautz

from Irun

from the train

English expresses case relations – including the spatial relations shown here – by means of prepositions like ‘in’, ‘on’, ‘at’, ‘to’ and ‘from’. There are no prepositions in Basque. Instead, Basque has suffixes called case markers, added on to the ends of nouns. Three of these are:

-n (-en, -an, -ean) meaning ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘at’ (telling where)

-ra (-a, -era) meaning ‘to’

-tik (-dik, -etik) meaning ‘from’

and you have already encountered a fourth case suffix:

-ko (-go, -eko) meaning ‘of, from, belonging to’

as in Donostiako autobusa. A full list of Basque case markers for reference appears in the Appendix. Do not worry yet about the reasons for the various forms of these suffixes: just learn each form as you find it. But take care to learn the meanings of these endings.

Exercise 14 Find the words in the text that mean:

in Nafarroa

on the coast

on the bus

to San Sebastian

to Zarautz

from San Sebastian

at home

in Zarautz

on the train

from Bilbao

(go) home

to work

in San Sebastian

in the Basque Country

in Zarautz

Exercise 15 (review) Translate into Basque:

1 Where is Elin from?

2 She is from Bangor.

3 Bangor? Where is Bangor? In America?

4 No, no. Bangor is in Wales.

5 Does she live in Bangor now?

6 No, now she lives in England. In London.

7 And where is she now?

8 She's going from Bilbo to Donostia.

Language and life

Speaking Basque

How would you answer these questions?

Badakizu euskaraz1

Do you speak Basque?

Euskalduna zara 1

Are you Basque/a Basque speaker?

Nongoa zara?

Where are you from?

As a foreigner (kanpotarra or atzerritarra) speaking even a little bit (pixka bat) of Basque in the Basque Country, you will be bombarded constantly with these and similar questions, asked out of friendly interest, surprise and fascination. In fact, you will become a subject of conversation, for the person you have met is likely to tell the next person she or he sees all about you.

There are several reasons for this. One is that Basques mostly live in small towns or villages where newcomers are noticed and talked about. As a foreigner, making conversation with Basque-speaking people is very easy if you can speak Basque, for two reasons. For one thing, although some English is now taught in the schools, most adult Basques speak no foreign languages. Basque thus truly opens the door to communication.

More importantly, by speaking some Basque you will have shown, in the eyes of Basque speakers, that you are genuinely interested in their country (herria) and their culture (kultura); they will be flattered. Since foreign speakers of Basque are a novelty, they will also be healthily curious about you. Perhaps they will even admire you and present you to their friends as a fine example.

Basque speakers are proud of their heritage, and speaking the language has a strong symbolic value as well as a practical one. Basque speakers (euskaldunak) tend to feel and express an all-pervading friendliness and solidarity among themselves that is untranslatable, yet perfectly accessible to those who learn their language (hizkuntza) and customs (ohiturak), and if you can speak Basque (euskaraz hitzegin) you will be more than ‘just a foreigner’ in their eyes.

2 Kafetxo bat?

Cup of coffee?

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- the suffix -k (1)

- asking questions (2)

Saying what you mean

- numbers (1)

- ′want (to)′

- the future tense

- saying when (1)

- saying where you are or how you are

Strategies for communication

- bars: ordering and paying

- saying what you do

- saying goodbye

- buying train tickets

- writing to a friend

Talking about …

- drinks

- public transport

Language and life

- Basque bars

Dialogue 1 (Audio 1: 14-18)

In a bar in Donostia

Xabier decides to accompany Elin to the railway station. The train is not due yet, and Elin suggests a drink in the station bar. At the bar

ELIN:

Zuk zer nahi duzu?

XABIER:

Nik zuritoa.

ELIN (calling the barman over):

Aizu!

BARMAN:

Bai? Zer nahi duzue?

ELIN:

Zurito bat eta kafesne bat.

XABIER:

Eta zer, oporretan?

ELIN:

Bai, Zarautzen. Zuk zer egiten duzu?

XABIER:

Ikaslea naiz. Kazetaritza ikasten dut Bilbon. Telebistan lan egin nahi dut.

ELIN:

Nik telebistan lan egiten dut!

XABIER:

Bai? Non, Londresen?

ELIN:

Bai …

XABIER:

Begira, zure trena dator.

ELIN:

Hartu nere telefonoa: 13 34 58 (bat-hiru hiru-lau bost-zortzi). Nere izena Elin da.

XABIER:

Eta ni Xabier naiz.

ELIN (to the barman):

Aizu, zenbat da?

BARMAN:

200 (berrehun) pezeta. Eskerrik asko. Gero arte.

ELIN and XABIER:

Bai, agur. (Outside.)

XABIER:

Ba, ikusi arte. Ongi pasa Zarautzen.

ELIN:

Bai. Deitu, e!

XABIER:

Bai, deituko dut eta hitzegingo dugu.

Vocabulary

agur!

goodbye!

ba

well, well then

bat

one, a(n)

begira!

look!

dator

is coming

deitu

call

Deitu, e!

Give me a call sometime, okay?

deituko dut

I’ll call

egiten duzu

(do) you do

gero arte!

bye! (casual; lit. See you later!)

hartu …

Here’s … (lit take …)

hitzegingo dugu

we' ll talk

ikasle

Student

ikasten dut

I study

ikusi arte!

see you! (lit. until see)

izen

name

kafesne

coffee with milk

kafetxo

little cup of coffee (diminutive of kafe ‘coffee’)

kazetaritza

journalism

lan egin

(to) work

lan egiten dut

I work

nahi dut

I want

nahi duzu(e)

(do) you want

nik

I

ongi pasa!

have a good time!

pezeta

peseta

telebista

television

telefono

telephone, phone number

zenbat

how much, how many

zuk

you

zurito

small glass of beer

Pronunciation and spelling

H is silent except in the northern Basque Country. In words where there is an h between two vowels in the spelling, the two vowels may form a diphthong; thus nahi and bai usually rhyme. But some combinations of vowels cannot form diphthongs, e.g. bihar pronounced bi–ar. When an h separates two like vowels, as in zahar, the tendency is to collapse the two vowels into one: zar. Mahai is usually pronounced mai (and mahaia pronounced maya).

Saying what you mean

Numbers (1) (Audio 1: 19)

Study these exchanges:

A: Zein da zure telefonoa?

What is your phone number?

B: Lau-bost bat-bat zortzi-hiru.

451183.

A: Zenbat da?

How much is it?

B: Ehun pezeta.

A hundred pesetas.

The numbers from one to ten, and the hundreds from 100 to 1,000, are as follows:

1

bat

100

ehun

2

bi

200

berrehun

3

hiru

300

hirurehun

4

lau

400

laurehun

5

bost

500

bostehun

6

sei

600

seirehun

7

zazpi

700

zazpirehun

8

zortzi

800

zortzirehun

9

bederatzi

900

bederatzirehun

10

hamar

1000

mila

‘Zero’ is huts or zero (rhyming with gero). Since 100 pesetas are worth approximately 50 pence, many prices involve the hundreds, so you will need to be familiar with these numbers!

Exercise 1 Read these sentences out loud:

Hau da nere telefonoa: 62 50 27.
Bilbotik Donostiara 100 kilometro dago.
Zenbat da? 300 pezeta.

Pronunciation and spelling

Remember how to pronounce n following i? (See page 16.) The same rule applies to I, which after an i is pronounced ‘ly’; thus mila is pronounced ‘milya’. In a few Basque words this sound is spelt II, e.g. Pello.

Exercise 2 Practise pronouncing these words:

baina, mila, txakolina, minutu, bilete, takila, hegazkina,
apirila, ekaina, uztaila, andereño, Oñati, Pello.

′Want (to)′

Study these sentences:

Zer nahi duzu?

What do you want?

Kafea nahi dut.

I want (some) coffee.

Telebistan lan egin nahi dut.

I want to work in television.

Here are the singular forms for ‘to want’:

nahi dut

(I) want

nahi duzu

(you) want

nahi du

(he, she, it) wants

They are used to say someone wants something (e.g. coffee), and also to say someone wants to do something (e.g. work in television).

Exercise 3 Answer these questions about the dialogue:

1 Zer nahi du Xabierrek?

2 Non lan egin nahi du?

3 Zer nahi du Elinek?

4 Nora joan nahi du?

The form nahi duzue is used when addressing more than one person.

Grammatical nuts and bolts

The suffix -k (1)

Study these sentences:

Zuk zer nahi duzu?

What do you want?

Nik kafea nahi dut.

I want coffee.

Nik zurito bat.

I(′ll have) a zurito.

Of course you will be wondering why it's Elin-ek and Xabierr-ek in exercise 3, and also perhaps why we have nik and zuk, rather than ni and zu, for ‘I’ and ‘you’ in this unit. Well, in Basque there are two different kinds of subject, one without -(e)k as in:

Ni hemen bizi naiz.

and one with it, as in:

Nik kafea nahi dut.

The choice depends mainly on which verb is used. Here’s a rule: verbs taking the auxiliary naiz have subjects without -k; verbs taking the auxiliary dut have subjects with -k.

Exercise 4 Fill in the blanks in this conversation with ni, nik, zu or zuk:

XABIER:

______ zer egin nahi duzu?

ELIN:

______Donostiara joan nahi dut.

XABIER:

Bai? ______Donostian bizi naiz.

Strategies for communication

Bars: ordering and paying

Study this dialogue:

A: Zer nahi duzu?

What would you like?

B: Kafesne bat.

A coffee with milk.

(Later.)

B: Aizu, zenbat da?

I say, how much is it?

B: Berrehun pezeta.

Two hundred pesetas.

This little routine is well worth memorizing! A couple of pointers will permit you to substitute other items in it as appropriate. Note first that bat, meaning either ‘one’ or ‘a’ (or ‘an’), must be placed after the noun: zurito bat ‘a/one small beer’ etc. If you don’t use bat, the noun will take the -a suffix: zuritoa, kafesnea etc.; this can mean ‘a’ or ‘the’ ‘beer/coffee/etc.’. It is correct to ask for Kafesnea (‘A coffee’) in a bar; Kafesne bat emphasises that you want just one.

Of course, you may want to ask for more than one. The important thing to remember is that the other numbers precede the noun, unlike bat. So: Hiru kafesne ‘Three coffees’, Lau zurito ‘Four beers’. Also notice that the noun takes no ending with the numerals.

Exercise 5 Supply the missing sentences, then compare with the dialogue:

(Elin wants a white coffee,)

ELIN: ______?

XABIER: Nik zuritoa.

ELIN (calling the barman): ______!

BARMAN: Bai? Zer nahi duzue?

ELIN: ______.

(Later.)

ELIN (asking the barman how much it is): ______?

BARMAN: Berrehun pezeta. Eskerrik asko. Gero arte.

Saying what you do

Study these sentences:

Zer egiten duzu?

What do you do?

Ikaslea naiz.

I am a student.

Telebistan lan egiten dut.

I work in television.

Exercise 6 Make up a conversation between yourself and Elin's friend Naroa about what each of you does. See how many things you might be able to say. You may find some items in the following vocabulary list useful:

Professions:

abokatu

lawyer, solicitor

idazkari

secretary

apaiz

priest

idazle

writer

arkitekto

architect

ikasle

student

arrantzale

fisherman

injeniero

engineer

artista

artist

irakasle

teacher,

baserritar

farmer

professor

bulegari

office worker

kantari

singer

dendari

shopkeeper

kazetari

reporter,

dentista

dentist

journalist

elektrizista

electrician

mediku

doctor

erizain

nurse

mekaniko

mechanic

ertzain/polizia

policeman

moja

nun

etxekoandre

housewife

politikari

politician

funtzionario

civil servant

zuzendari

director

Other expressions:

Zer egiten duzu?

What do you do?

Non egiten duzu lan?

Where do you work?

Zein da zure lanbidea?

What is your occupation?

… lan egiten dut.

I work …

Ez daukat lanik.

I haven't got a job.

Langabezian nago.

I am on the dole.

fabrika batean

in a factory

bulego batean

in an office

enpresa batean

in a firm

eskola batean

in a school

unibertsitatean

in a university, at university

telebistan

in/on television

Saying goodbye

Notice that the barman says Gero arte to Elin and Xabier, literally ‘See you later’, although he doesn't really expect to. This has become just a casual way of saying ‘Bye-bye’. Agur ‘Goodbye’ is slightly more solemn. Some people say Adio.

It may seem strange to answer ’Goodbye!’ by saying ‘Yes!’, but this is done in Basque: notice how Elin and Xabier respond to the barman.

The word arte, placed after a word, means ‘until’: Gero arte is really ‘Until later’. You can also say:

Bihar arte.

Until tomorrow.

Ikusi arte.

Until (we) see (each other).

and so on.

Exercise 7 Find and learn the words or phrases in the text that mean:

1 goodbye

3 enjoy yourself

2 see you later

4 I'll be seeing you

Talking about …

Drinks

Now that you know how to order things in a bar or café, you will want to know the names for some drinks (edariak). To offer someone a drink, ask unceremoniously:

Zer nahi duzu?

What do you want?

Zer edan nahi duzu?

What do you want to drink?

Zer hartuko duzu?

What will you have?

Non-alcoholic options include ura (‘water’), or more specifically ur minerala which may be either gasarekin (with gas, i.e. fizzy) or gasik gabe (without gas, i.e. still); also:

mosto

a kind of grape juice

tonika

tonic

esne

milk

esne bero

hot milk

esne hotz

cold milk

zumo

juice

laranja ur or laranjazko zumo

orange juice

kas

a common brand of ‘pop’

kas naranja

orangeade (Spanish)

kas limon

lemonade (Spanish)

cocacola

coke

Coffee (kafea) is served almost everywhere and comes in three varieties. Hutsa (‘pure’) is a black espresso. Ebakia (‘cut’) is a kafe huts with a drop of hot milk added. Kafesnea (‘coffee-milk’), which constitutes breakfast for some people but is also drunk between or after meals, is a very milky yet strong coffee. None of these resembles a British or American coffee, which is much more watery. Deskafeinatua will get you a cup of warm milk with a packet of instant ‘decaf’ powder. Txokolatea is not available everywhere; it is served strong and thick, and may be accompanied by toast (tostadak) or, most typically of all, long, thin, doughnutty, sugar-coated txurroak (churros in Spanish). Tea is best avoided in Basque cafés, but if you must have one, it's called tea (i.e. tea). Unless you ask for it esne pixka batekin (with a little milk) or limoiarekin, it will be served plain.

Coming to alcohol, you can get wine (ardoa), beer (garagardoa or zerbeza) and various liqueurs and spirits (known generically as a kopa). Wine comes in three colours: red is called ‘black’ (beltza), rose is ‘red’ (gorria) and white is ‘white’ (zuria: this is the least popular, except for certain local varieties, such as txakolina, a very young, faintly sparkling wine produced on the coast). The ordinary wine served in bars is of frankly poor quality; to get a better one, these days more and more people request ardo berezia (special wine). This normally comes from the high-class Rioja wine-producing region on the southern border of the Basque Country (Errioxa in Basque), and is more expensive but still reasonable by British standards.

Beer may be bottled or on tap. The former may be ordered by brand name. Tap beer is served in two sizes; the larger (roughly a half-pint) is called kaña, and the smaller one (very short) is a zurito.

Cider (sagardoa) is produced locally in the region surrounding Donostia in special establishments called sagardotegiak which, during the late winter and early spring, may be visited and the cider drunk straight from the vat; traditional food is also served in a rustic atmosphere. This natural, unsweetened cider, much liked by the locals but not always appreciated by foreigners, is also available in some bars and restaurants by the bottle. Served cool, it is poured out slowly from a height in small quantities (it takes a little practice) and gulped straight down before it loses the slight fizz.

A kopa of local origin and considerable popularity is patxaran; it is obtained by soaking very tart sloe berries in very sweet anisette. Shops and bars offer several commercial brands, but it is far better when home-made by a Basque family.

Dialogue 2 (Audio 1: 22)

At the ticket window

Elin is buying a ticket

TICKET-SELLER:

Bai?

ELIN

Bat Zarautza. Zenbat da?

TICKET-SELLER:

210 (berrehun eta hamar). Hartu txartela.

ELIN:

Noiz aterako da?

TICKET-SELLER:

Bost minutu barru.

ELIN:

Eskerrik asko.

Vocabulary

aterako da

it will leave

noiz

when

barru

within, in …time

txartel

ticket

minutu

minute

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Asking questions (2)

Study these questions:

Non dago?

Where is it?

Non bizi zara?

Where do you live?

Zer nahi duzu?

What do you want?

Zer egiten duzu?

What do you do?

Zenbat da?

How much is it?

Noiz aterako da?

When will it depart?

The most common question words are the following:

zer

what

non

where

nor

who

noiz

when

zein

which

nola

how

zenbat

how many, how

nolako

what kind of

much

zergatik

why

Non is used for asking where something is or where something happens; for ‘where to’ and ‘where from’ there are special forms:

non

where

nora

where to

nondik

where from

nongo

pertaining to where

Question words precede the verb: observe the above examples. Subjects, objects etc. usually follow the verb, e.g.

Non bizi da zure anaia? – Nere anaia Eskozian bizi da.
Nor bizi da hemen?

The other possibility is to put these elements at the beginning of the sentence, e.g.

Zure anaia non bizi da?

Exercise 8 Answer these questions about yourself:

1 Non bizi zara?

2 Zer egiten duzu?

3 Nola (here = ‘what’) da zure izena?

4 Nora joango zara oporretan?

Strategies for communication

Buying train tickets

Exercise 9 Study Dialogue 2 again. You are at the Zarautz railway station and want to go to Donostia. Make up the conversation between yourself and the ticket-seller. Ask for the ticket, its price and when the train will depart.

Talking about …

Public transport

Today the most popular way to move around the country is by car. Despite a hilly terrain (except in the south), the Basque Country has good roads (karreterak or errepideak), and in the most densely populated regions there are now motorways (autobiak). The best motorways, called autopistak, are privately owned and charge a stiff toll (peajea). Coach (autobus) and train (tren) travel is also possible, at a considerably cheaper cost than in Britain. Tickets (txartelak or bileteak) may be sold on the coach or train itself or at the station (geltokian); it is a good idea to get this informazioa ahead of time. In some cases there are cheaper return (Joan eta etorri) tickets, which may only be valid for use the same day. To find out times (orduak), you may manage to get hold of an ordutegi (‘timetable’) from the station; otherwise try asking in a taberna (if the tabernari doesn't know, one of the customers might). There will probably be more buses or trains running if it's an astegun/lanegun (‘weekday/workday’) than if it's a jaiegun (i.e. Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday). If there's no information desk, at the ticket window (takila) in the station you can ask which bus/train you need to take (hartu), what time it's leaving (Zer ordutan ate-ratzen da?), whether you will have to change (aldatu), and you may even be lucky enough to get a mapa. If you miss (galdu) it, you'll have to wait around (itxoin), and catch (harrapatu) the next one (hurrengoa). Of course, if you galdu the last one (azkena), you may have to hartu taxi bat!

Letter

Elin writes to Naroa

Vocabulary

besarkada

hug

hegazkin

plane

erantzun

answer

iritsi da

arrived

gaur

today

iritsiko naiz

(I) will arrive

gutun

letter

kaixo

hello

handi

big

laister

soon

maiatz(a)

May

seguraski

probably

nago

(I) am

uztail(a)

July

nekatuta

tired

zer moduz?

how (are you)?

nola

how

zaude

you are, are you?

Saying what you mean

The future tense

Study this table:

joan

go

joango naiz

shall go, I'm going to go

atera

leave

aterako naiz

shall leave (etc.)

iritsi

arrive

iritsiko naiz

I'II arrive

egin

make

egingo dut

I'II make

lan egin

work

lan egingo dut

I'II work

hitzegin

speak

hitzegingo dut

I'II speak

ikasi

learn

ikasiko dut

I'II learn

ikusi

see

ikusiko dut

I'II see

erosi

buy

erosiko dut

I'II buy

hartu

take

hartuko dut

I'II take

deitu

call

deituko dut

I'II call

bukatu

finish

bukatuko dut

I'II finish

The future tense is formed quite regularly by adding -ko to the verb (-go after n or 1) and adding the right auxiliary, which may be naiz etc. (i.e. the verb ‘to be’) or dut etc. (compare nahi dut ‘I want’, page 26). The general rule is that intransitive verbs take naiz and transitive ones (verbs having a direct object) take dut.

Exercise 10 Translate into Basque:

1 I'll go to Bilbo on the train.

2 Elin will go from Donostia to Zarautz by train.

3 I'll speak in Basque.

4 We'll see.

5 Will you learn Basque?

Saying when (1)

Study these expressions:

orain

now

martxoan

in March

bost minutu barru

oraintxe

right now

apirilean

in April

in five minutes′ time

gaur

today

maiatzean

in May

hiru egun barru

orduan

then

ekainean

in June

in three days′ time

laister

soon

uztailean

in July

gero

later, then

abuztuan

in August

bihar

tomorrow

Exercise 11 Look through the readings in the book so far and find all the examples of the forms shown here.

Saying where you are or how you are

Study these sentences:

Elin Euskal Herrian dago.

Elin is in the Basque Country.

Oporretan nago.

I'm on holiday.

Nekatuta zaude?

Are you tired?

Basque has two verbs ‘to be’. You learnt the singular of one of them, izan, in Unit 1. The other is egon. Here are both of them:

izan

egan

naiz

(I) am

nago

zara

(you) are

zaude

da

(he, she, it) is

dago

Egon is used for saying where something or someone is, e.g.

Naroa etxean dago.

It is also used to express a temporary state, e.g.

Elin pozik dago.

Nekatuta nago.

Exercise 12Translate into Basque:

1 Are you on holiday?

2 I too am happy.

3 Naroa is at home now.

4 I'm very tired.

Strategies for communication

Writing to a friend

Exercise 13 Reread Elin's letter, then put these lines of another letter in the right order.

1 baina gero nola iritsiko naiz Miarritzetik Donostiara?

2 Seán

3 Dublin

4 Abuztuan oporretan nago.

5 Erantzun laister.

6 Zer moduz zaude?

7 1994ko ekainaren 10a

8 Hegazkinean joango naiz Miarritzera,

9 Besarkada handi bat,

10 Zure gutuna gaur iritsi da.

11 Kaixo Xabier,

Exercise 14 (review) Fill in the blanks with the correct endings, without checking against the original letter until you've tried the whole exercise. These are the possible endings:

Language and life

Basque bars

Both bars and cafés serve alcoholic beverages, and both offer coffee too; the main difference is that cafés are smarter and somewhat more expensive. In most villages you will find no cafés, but there will probably be at least a bar where you can get a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and also some gossip if you ask for it. In one-bar villages, the bar is often the shop too, so you can buy some bread (ogia) or local cheese (gazta) if it takes your fancy – or if you want some extra conversation. Men, women, children and the occasional dog will wander casually in and out, all on first-name terms, of course.

Naturally, in the towns there is a different atmosphere, but the important point is that a bar anywhere in this country is not only a watering hole but a meeting place, everything from an unofficial information bureau to a mus club (mus is a popular four-handed card game you may see being played noisily on lazy Sunday afternoons). There is relatively little drunkenness.

In some small bars there are no tables; when there are, there is generally no table service. Normally one pays when leaving, not when served. Towns have many bars, particularly in certain districts such as the old quarter (aide zaharra). The custom is to move from one bar to another having just one short drink in each, rather than staying in one place as one would in Britain. In this way one spends as much time strolling as drinking, and when in a group you can change conversation partners frequently. People take turns paying for each round of drinks. This mostly takes place in the evening preceding a late dinner, and the most common drinks are wine or beer. The quantities are small, so that in one evening quite a few bars can be visited. After dinner, coffee, liqueurs or a longer beer are appropriate, and there is less moving about!

Some bars in towns also offer morsels to eat, called pintxoak (pinchos in Spanish). One eats only one pintxo, and since these are laid out on the counter for people to take, an honour system is in force, which you are advised to respect rigorously, so that you (and other foreign visitors) will be welcomed back next time. When paying before you leave, you will be asked what pintxos have been eaten.

3 Iritsi zara!

You've arrived!

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- basic verb forms

Saying what you mean

- ′have to′

- negative sentences

- ′can't′

- talking about ′us′

- months and dates Doing

things with words

- telling people what to do

Strategies for communication

- giving directions

- finding out who someone is

- getting to speak to someone

- Making Sure You Understand

Talking about …

- directions

- yourself

Dialogue 1 (Audio 1: 24)

Outside the station in Zarautz

Elin asks the way to Naroa's school

ELIN (to a man):

Aizu, barkatu!

MAN:

Bai?

ELIN:

Non dago ikastola?

MAN:

Ez dakit. Ez naiz hemengoa.

ELIN (to a woman):

Barkatu!

WOMAN:

Bai?

ELIN:

Ikastola non dago?

WOMAN:

Begira, segi aurrera eta pasatu semaforoa. Gero lehenengo kalean ezkerretara. Bai?

ELIN:

Semaforoa eta gero ezkerretara.

WOMAN:

Hori da. Ikastola eskubi aldean ikusiko duzu. Ez dago urruti.

ELIN:

Eskerrik asko. Agur.

WOMAN:

Bai, agur.

Vocabulary

alde

side

aurrera

forward, ahead

dakit

I know

eskubi(tara)

right

eskubi aldean

on the right-hand side

ez

not

ez dakit

I don't know

ezker(retara)

left

gero

then, afterwards

hemengo

from here

hori da!

that's right!

ikastola

non-state-controlled Basque-medium elementary or secondary school

ikusiko duzu

you'll see

kale

street

lehenengo

first

pasatu

pass, go past segi continue, go on, carry on

segi

continue, go on, carry on

semaforo

traffic light(s)

urruti

far

Talking about …

Directions

Asking how to find something or get somewhere is a valuable communication skill. It is also a good way to get into a conversation with a stranger and practise your Basque! People are only too happy to help (lagundu) a foreign visitor, whether or not they actually know the way (bidea)!

If you are lost (Galduta nago, ‘I am lost’; Galduta gaude, ‘We are lost’) or are trying to find something (Aurkitu nahi dut/dugu … ‘I/We want to find …’), just approach someone and ask Aizu (or Barkatu), non dago …? Or, to find out the way to the beach, you can ask Nola joaten da hondartzara? ‘How do you get to the beach?’

You may need to understand the names of a few landmarks, such as:

aldapa

slope, hill

ibai

river

autopi

motorway

itsaso

sea

baserri

farmhouse

izkina

corner

bide

path, track, way

kale

street

edifizio

building

karretera

road

eliza

church

leku

place

enparantza

square

mendi

mountain(s)

erreka

stream

plaza

plaza, square

etxe

house

semaforo

traffic lights

gasolindegi

petrol station

taberna

bar

geltoki

railway or coach station

toki

place, spot

trenbide

railway line

hondartza

beach

zubi

bridge

Key verbs are:

joan

go

igo

go up

segi

carry on

jaitsi

go down

pasatu

go past

eman buelta

turn around

hartu

take

and these adverbs may come in handy:

aurrera

forward, ahead

gora

up

atzera

back

behera

down

zuzen

straight

gertu

near

ezkerretara

(to the) left

urruti

far

eskubitara

(to the) right

Strategies for communication

Giving directions

Learn these sentences:

Segi aurrera.

Continue forward (= Keep going).

Lehenengo kalean ezkerretara.

At the first street (go) left.

Eskubi aldean dago.

It's on the right(-hand) side.

Note that Basques will often tell you to turn at the next ‘street’, rather than at the next corner. They may also mention whether you have to go uphill or downhill rather than left or right, so look at the preceding lists again and note the words that refer to these concepts.

Exercise 1 Make up a conversation in the street between yourself and somebody who asks you where the nearest bank (kutxa) in the neighbourhood is.

Letter

Naroa′s reply

Vocabulary

axola

matter

handik

from there

azkenean

at last

hartu

take

bazatoz

you're coming

joan

go

behar dut

I have to

laister

soon

beharko duzu

you'll have to

musu

kiss

beraz

therefore, so

nahiko

quite

bukatu

finish

primeran pasatu

have a great time

ekain

June

problema

problem

epa!

hi!

-rik

any

etorri

come

uztail

July

ezin

cannot,can' t

ze ondo!

that's great! super!

gertu

near, close

zoritxarrez

unfortunately

Doing things with words

Telling people what to do

Study these instructions:

Hartu trena Zarautza.

Take the train to Zarautz.

Gero etorri ikastolara.

Then come to the ikastola

Segi aurrera.

Keep going.

Telling someone what to do (‘Take the train …’, ‘Come to the school’ etc.) is easy in Basque because, as in English, the basic verb form is also an imperative form: Hartu …, Etorri … etc. Some of these basic forms are given in the left-hand part of the tables on pages 35 and 52.

Exercise 2 Say in Basque:

1 Take my phone number.

2 Answer soon!

3 Go past the school and take the first street on the right.

4 Call (me)!

5 Here's your ticket.

Saying what you mean

′Have to′

Study these sentences:

Txartela erosi behar duzu.

You have to buy a ticket.

E.linek Zarautza joan behar du

Elin has to go to Zarautz.

Another way to give an instruction is to tell someone what they have to do. The above examples show how to say ‘have to’ in Basque; it is similar to the expression for ‘want to’ but using behar instead of nahi:

want (to)

have to

I

nahi dut

behar dut

you

nahi duzu

behar duzu

he/she/it

nahi du

behar du

Exercise 3 Can you find two sentences in Naroa's letter which explain what Naroa or Elin have to do?

Exercise 4 Now make up two Basque sentences about having to do something, and two more about wanting to do something.

Negative sentences

Study these examples:

Ez dakit.

I don′t know.

Ez naiz hemengoa.

I′m not from here.

Ikastola ez dago urruti.

The isn′t far.

Notice that ez ‘not’ is placed in front of the verb to make it negative, and that a negated verb is rarely placed at the end of the sentence (unlike a positive verb).

Exercise 5 Which of the following sentences on the right might you use to say the following?

1 someone isn't from here

(a) Tabema ez dago gertu.

2 something isn't near

(b) Nere ama ez da hemengoa.

3 you don't speak the language

(c) Ez dakit euskaraz.

When the verb contains an auxiliary (naiz, dut etc.), ez must always be placed in front of the auxiliary, which then precedes the main verb. For example, joango naiz ‘I shall go’ becomes ez naiz joango ‘I shan't go’.

Exercise 6 Make these sentences negative:

1 Amerikanoa naiz.

2 Irlandara joan nahi dut.

3 Zarautzen bizi naiz.

4 Ikastolara etorri behar duzu.

′Can′t′

Now look at this sentence:

Ezin naiz joan Bilbora.

I can't go to Bilbao.

There is a special word for ‘can't’, ezin. Like ez, it is placed in front of a verb or auxiliary, which is rarely placed at the end of the sentence. The verb is in the basic form. Be sure to learn this useful construction.

Exercise 7 Say that you can't do these things (make sure you choose the right auxiliary in each case):

1 atera kalera

2 joan Donostiara

3 lan egin bihar

4 hitzegin orain

Dialogue 2 (Audio 1: 26-28)

At the ikastola

Elin reaches the school and meets Naroa

ELIN:

Barkatu, Naroa hemen al dago?

SECRETARY:

Naroa, ingles irakaslea?

ELIN:

Bai.

SECRETARY:

Irakasle gelan dago. Oraintxe deituko diot. Nor zara?

ELIN:

Elin.

SECRETARY:

Nola?

ELIN:

Elin.

SECRETARY:

A, zu zara bere lagun galesa? Itxoin pixka bat.

ELIN:

Bai.

(A few minutes later.)

NAROA:

Epa Elin! Iritsi zara! Ongi etorri Euskal Herrira!

ELIN:

Kaixo Naroa! Zer moduz?

NAROA:

Zer moduz bidaia? Nekatuta zaude?

ELIN:

Pixka bat.

NAROA:

Ba oraintxe bertan nere etxera joango gara. Dutxatu, zerbait jan eta ohera. Ados?

ELIN:

Primeran!

Vocabulary

ados?

agreed? all right?

al

question marker (see page 10)

bidaia

trip, journey

deituko diot

I’ll call her

dutxatu

have a shower

gela

room

irakasle

teacher

irakasle gela

teachers' room

iritsi zara!

you've arrived! you’re here!

itxoin/itxaron

wait

jan

eat

joango gara

we'll go

nola?

what? what did you say? pardon?

ohe

bed

ongi etorri!

welcome!

oraintxe

right now, straight away

oraintxe bertan

this very minute

pixka bat

a bit, a little, a while

primeran!

perfect! great!

zerbait

something

Strategies for communication

Finding out who someone is

Study this exchange:

A: Nor zara1

Who are you?

B: Elin.

Elin.

A: A. zu zara Naroaren laguna!

Ah, (so) you′re Naroa′s friend!

Note that it is not considered rude in Basque to ask someone ‘Who are you?’ In English we should probably phrase the question differently, e.g. ‘What's your name, please?’

Exercise 8 A receptionist has the following list of famous people expected at a convention in Zarautz. Play the part of the receptionist welcoming each person as they arrive. Follow this model:

RECEPTIONIST:

Nor zara?

TOM JONES:

Tom Jones.

RECEPTIONIST:

A, zu zara Tom Jones kantaria! Ongi etorri Zarautza!

Refer to page 29 for a list of names of professions.

1 Benito Lertxundi – singer

2 Carlos Garaikoetxea – politician

3 Jose Auxtin Arrieta – writer

4 Miren Azkarate – professor

5 Elin Davies – reporter

Getting to speak to someone

Memorize this short exchange:

A: Barkatu. Naroa hemen al dago?

Excuse me, is Naroa here?

B:Irakasle gelan dago.

She′s in the teachers′ room.

Oraintxe deituko diot.

I′ll call her.

Itxoin pixka bat.

Just a minute.

A: Bai.

Okay.

Exercise 9 Fill in the blanks in this conversation, using models you have learnt:

YOU:

______, Elin______?

SECRETARY:

Bai, bulegoan (in the office) dago. Oraintxe deituko diot.______?

YOU:

______.

SECRETARY:

______pixka bat.

YOU:

______.

Making sure you understand

Exercise 10 (Audio 1: 29) Which of the following sentences on the right might you use to mean the following?

1 you haven't understood

(a) Esan berriro mesedez.

2 you want someone to speak slowly

(b) Barkatu, ez dut ulertu.

3 you want someone to repeat something

(c) Nola? Zer?

(d) Hitzegin poliki, mesedez.

(berriro ‘again’, esan ‘say’, poliki ‘slowly’, ulertu ‘understand’)

It is also useful to know the names of the letters of the alphabet in case you need to spell something out:

Note that c, q, v, w and y are not normally used in Basque words.

Exercise 11 Practise spelling out your name, the town where you live etc.

Saying what you mean

Talking about ‘us’

Study these sentences:

Nere etxera joango gara.

We′ll go to my house.

Hitzegingo dugu.

We′ll talk.

Hemen gaude.

Here we are.

By changing the z of ‘you’ to a g we get the Basque for ‘we’:

zu or zuk

you

gu or guk

we

We can get first-person-plural verb forms by a similar change, so:

zara

you are

→

gara

we are

bizi zara

you live

→

bizi gara

we live

joango zara

you'll go

→

joango gara

we'll go

zaude

you are

→

gaude

we are

nahi duzu

you want

→

nahi dugu

we want

behar duzu

you have to

→

behar dugu

we have to

deituko duzu

you'll call

→

deituko dugu

we'll call

Exercise 12 Say in Basque:

1 We are tired.

2 We'll soon be there, (use iritsi)

3 We'll have a great time.

Months and dates

Learn to at least recognize the names of the months:

January

urtarril

in January

urtarrilean

February

otsail

otsailean

March

martxo

martxoan

April

apiril

apirilean

May

maiatz

maiatzean

June

ekain

ekainean

July

uztail

uztailean

August

abuztu

abuztuan

September

irail

irailean

October

urri

urrian

November

azaro

azaroan

December

abendu

abenduan

When named, the months take an -a: urtarrila, etc.

Four of the names are related to the English names: have you spotted them? Abendua is related to Advent. The other names are of Basque origin; most end in -il meaning ‘month’. Otsail is ‘wolf-month’, for example (otso ‘wolf’). Urri means ‘scarcity’, and azaro is ‘cabbage (aza) season (aro)’. Notice that names of months are not capitalized.

The usual word for ‘month’ is hilabete, literally ‘full-month’ or ‘full-moon’; and the ‘moon’ is called ilargi(a) (compare argi ‘light’).

The commonest construction for giving a date means, literally, ‘the eight of August’ (for example) but the Basque way to express this is ‘August's eight’: abuztuaren zortzia. We place -aren (equivalent to English ‘s) after the month, and -a after the number at the end. If, however, we are saying ‘on the eighth of August’, then the ending is -an or -ean instead: abuztuaren zortzian.

Dates are written as follows:

abuztuaren 8a

the 8th of August

abuztuaren 8an

on the 8th of August

Years are referred to by the appropriate four-digit number with similar suffixes, thus 1994a ‘1994’; 1994an ‘in 1994’. To say this, the full number is used (in thousands, hundreds, tens and digits), e.g. mila bederatzirehun eta laurogeita hamalaua(n). Thankfully, you can also say laurogeita hamalauan ‘in ninety-four’.

When the full date is given, the order is year-month-day, and the year then has the suffix -(e)ko:

1994ko abuztuaren 8a(n)

‘(on) the 8th of August, 1994’

Exercise 13 How do you write these dates in Basque?

1 your birthday

2 Christmas Eve

You haven't learnt how to say all the numbers yet; if you are impatient to know, look ahead to the next unit!

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Basic verb forms

Study this table:

joan

go

joango (naiz)

joaten (naiz)

(I) shall go

(I) go

egin

make

egingo (dut)

egiten (dut)

(I) shall make

(I) make

itxoin

wait

itxoingo (dut)

itxoiten (dut)

atera

leave

aterako (naiz)

ateratzen (naiz)

ikasi

learn

ikasiko (dut)

ikasten (dut)

erosi

buy

erosiko (dut)

erosten (dut)

iritsi

arrive

iritsiko (naiz)

iristen (naiz)

deitu

call

deituko (dut)

deitzen (dut)

hartu

take

hartuko (dut)

hartzen (dut)

dutxatu

shower

dutxatuko (naiz)

dutxatzen (naiz)

The most basic form of each verb is the one that can be used as an imperative and with nahi ‘want to’, behar ‘have to’ and ezin ‘cannot’. Some examples are given in the left-hand column. The form used to make the future tense, which we studied in Unit 2, ends in -ko or -go, as in the middle column. The forms shown in the right-hand column are the ones used in a kind of present tense that you will learn more about in the next unit; these end in -tzen or -ten.

Notice that the basic forms (on the left) can be divided into four types with characteristic endings, namely -n, no ending, -i and -tu respectively. Instead of -tu we have -du when the preceding letter is n or 1, e.g. bazkaldu ‘have lunch’, kendu ‘take away’.

To get the present-tense form on the right, for the last two types of verb we must remove the ending -i or -tu/-du before adding -tzen or -ten; for the first type we remove the -n before adding -ten.

Exercise 14 Give the future and present forms of: joan, egin, hitzegin, ikusi, deitu, bazkaldu.

Exercise 15 Supply the correct forms (present or future) of the verbs shown for this dialogue:

A: Zer______ (egin) duzu bihar?

B: Astelehenetan (on Mondays) normalean lanera______ (joan) naiz baina bihar ez naiz______(joan).

A: Orduan (then) zer (egin) duzu?

B: Lagunekin (with my friends)______(hitzegin) dut eta gero______(ikusi) dugu.

Talking about. ..

Yourself

If someone asks you Nola duzu izena? (‘What's your name?’) or Nola deitzen zara? (‘What are you called?’), you may just give your izena (‘first name’), or perhaps both your izena and your abizena (‘surname’), depending on the circumstances. If you are asked for your abizenak (in the plural), this is because in Spain people officially use two, those of their father and mother.

In formal contexts you might be addressed as Anderson jauna (Mr A.), McDonald andrea (Mrs McD.), or Jones andereñoa (Miss J.) – with the title always following the name – but Basques do not often use such terms of address, and one certainly never would in reference to oneself. The unaccompanied term jauna is occasionally used like our ‘sir’, but this usage is as often as not intended humorously or facetiously, so avoid it. In a religious context, Jauna is ‘Lord’.

If called upon to prove your identity, you will need to produce your pasaportea, given that, as a foreign national, you have not got a nortasun agiria (also NAN), that is, an official identity card. It is a good idea to know your pasaporte zenbakia by heart (zenbaki ‘number’).

Someone may want to know your helbidea (‘address’) or your telefono zenbakia. You have already learnt how to say phone numbers and to answer the question Non bizi zara?; for Basque addresses see Unit 12.

It is just possible that you might be asked, or want to ask someone else, Zenbat urte dituzu? (‘How old are you?’). If you don't want to give away your adina (‘age’), at this point you can honestly answer that you haven't learnt all the numbers yet – or else you can reply Nik hamar urte ditut; eta zuk?

If things are getting personal, the next question may be Ezkonduta zaude? ‘Are you married?’; besides just being or not being ezkonduta, other possible variations include dibortziatua, or alarguna (‘a widow(er)’). Then there may be questions about your emaztea (’wife’), senarra (‘husband’), or familia.

The one thing you can be sure of being asked is Nongoa zara?, as it will be obvious that you are not hemengoa (‘from here’). You may as well rehearse the answer to that question ahead of time (see Unit 1 if necessary).

Exercise 16 (review) Fill in the blanks from memory:

4 Herria ikusten

Seeing the town

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- plural verb forms

- word formation

Saying what you mean

- singular and plural nouns

- this one, that one, or which one?

- Describing

- saying what there is

- plural qualified nouns

- the compound present tense

- numbers (2)

Doing things with words

- agreeing about what to do

Talking about …

- the town

- banks and money

Dialogue 1 (Audio 1: 31)

A walk through the town

Naroa shows Elin around Zarautz

ELIN:

Non bizi zara?

NAROA:

Aide zaharrean. Hondartzatik joango gara.

ELIN:

OSO ondo.

(Ten minutes later.)

NAROA:

Hondartzara iritsi gara.

ELIN:

OSO luzea da! Zein da herri hori, hor urrutian?

NAROA:(After walking along the beach they reach the centre of town.)

Getaria. Herri arrantzalea da.

NAROA:

Hau da aide zaharra. Hemen azoka, kutxak, tabernak eta denda handiak daude. Hor dago enparantza nagusia. Ikusten al duzu eliza bat han aurrean?

ELIN:

Bai.

NAROA:

Zaharra eta polita da.Ondoan parke eder bat dago.

Vocabulary

aide

side, part, region

ikusten duzu

(do) you see

kutxa

bank

aide zaharra

the old part of the town

luze

long

nagusi

chief, main, principal, biggest

arrantzale

fisherman

herri arrantzale

fishing village

aurrean

in front, opposite

ondo!

good! great!

ondoan

next to (it)

azoka

market

parke

park

denda

shop

taberna

bar

eder

beautiful

-tik

from, through, along

eliza

church

enparantza

square

urrutian

in the distance

han

over there

zahar

old

hemen

here

zein

which? which one? what?

hor

there

Saying what you mean

Singular and plural nouns

Study this table:

tren

train

trena

a/the train

trenak

(the)trains

autobus

bus

Autobusa

Autobusak

kale

street

Kalea

kaleak

geltoki

station

Geltokia

geltokiak

semaforo

traffic light

Semaforoa

semaforoak

portu

harbour

portua

portuak

taberna

Bar

taberna

a/the bar

tabernak

(the) bars

denda

shop

denda

geridak

ikastola

school

ikastola

Ikastolak

eliza

church

eliza

elizak

hondartza

beach

hondartza

Hondartzak

Each noun in Basque possesses a basic form, which may end in a consonant or in any vowel. This is the form of the noun that is given in dictionaries and word lists. For most proper names (capitalized names of people, places etc.) it is also the form of the word commonly used, e.g. Xabier, Naroa, Elin, Zarautz, Bilbo, Donostia etc.

Common nouns, however, such as those in the above table, most often take a suffix called an article. Although the Basque article sometimes can be translated by the English the, this is but an inexact correspondence.

The article has a singular form -a and a plural form -ak, which are attached to the noun’s basic form, as in the first half of the table. With nouns whose basic form itself ends in an a, this is dropped when the article is added, as in the second half.

Remember that a final r is doubled when a suffix beginning with a vowel is attached: thus baserritar ‘farmer’ has the forms base-rritarra, baserritarrak. There are very few exceptions indeed to this rule, but an important one to remember is ur ‘water’ which with the article is ura.

When is the article used with a noun? So often, in fact, that it is easier to state when the article is not used! Usually it is not used with numerals, e.g. bi kafesne ‘two coffees with milk’. This also applies to the numeral ‘one’, bat, which follows the noun: kafesne bat.

Exercise 1 Say in Basque, using the article:

station, village, street, train, aeroplane, ticket, telephone, work beach, journey, problem, television, mother, father traffic lights, buses, kisses, friends shops, houses, hugs, pesetas

Exercise 2 Say in Basque, using no article:

Bilbao, London, England, Gipuzkoa, Leitza Xabier, Naroa, Elintwo coffees, three wines, one coke, four beers five houses, a/one house, a/one shop, ten bars, how many churches?

This one, that one or which one?

Study these sentences and exchanges:

Tren hau zaharra da.

This train is old.

Kale hau zaharra da.

This street is old.

Eliza hau zaharra da.

This church is old.

Zein autobus da?

Which bus is it?

Zein irakasle da?

Which teacher is she/he/it?

Zein taberna da?

Which bar is it?

A: Zein da herri hori?

What is that town?

B: Herri hori Getaria da.

That town is Getaria.

A: Zein da taberna hori?

Which is that bar?

B: Taberna hori ‘Zelaitxo’ da.

That bar is the ‘Zelaitxo’.

When the Basque words for ‘this’ (hau), ‘that’ (hori and hura) and ‘which?’ (zein) are used with a noun, no article is used. In grammars these words are called determiners. Notice that taberna ends in an a; ‘ tabern’ is thus an impossible form. Note also that zein precedes a noun, whereas the demonstratives (‘this’ and ‘that’) follow.

Exercise 3 Translate into Basque.

A: (looking at a picture) Which beach is this?

B: This beach is Ondarreta, in San Sebastian.

A: Is that very far away?

B: No, that isn't very far away. 10 km (kilometro).

Describing

Study these sentences:

Elin galesa da.

Elin is Welsh.

Zarauzko hondartza luzea da.

Zarautz's beach is long.

Eliza hau zaharra da.

This church is old.

Parke hau ederra da.

This park is beautiful.

Notice that a predicate adjective (gales, luze etc.), surprisingly, takes an article!

Exercise 4 Using the above dialogue, describe the places by making sentences as in the example:

1    Zarauzko hondartza: Zarauzko hondartza luzea da.

2    Denda hori

3    Parkea

4    Eliza

Now study these phrases:

aide zaharra

the/an old district

parke ederra

the/a beautiful park

eliza txikia

the/a small church

herri arrantzalea

the/a fishing village

enparantza nagusia

the main square

alde zahar bat

an/one old district

parke eder bat

a/one beautiful park

eliza txiki bat

a/one small church

herri arrantzale bat

a/one fishing village

enparantza nagusi bat

a/one main square

Attributive adjectives in English precede the noun (beautiful park) but in Basque they follow it (parke eder). Apart from this, note where the article -a and the numeral bat are placed: not after the noun but after the adjective. The rule is that they are placed at the end of the noun phrase.

Exercise 5 Reread the dialogue, looking carefully at how the above phrases are used.

With numerals above ‘one’, and zein ‘which’, the rule given earlier is followed, e.g. bi parke eder ‘two beautiful parks’, zein eliza txiki? ‘which small church?’.

Doing things with words

Agreeing about what to do

Study these exchanges:

A: Hondartzatik joango gara.

We'll go via the beach.

B: Oso ondo.

Very well./Fine.

A: Itxoin pixka bat.

Wait a moment.

B: Bai.

Okay.

A: Nere etxera joango gara.

We'll go to my house.

Ados?

Agreed?/AII right?

B: Primeran!

Great!/Perfect!

Which of the above is a suggestion? Which is a request?

Bai!, ondo! or oso ondo!, bale!, konforme! ‘agreed’, primeran! and ederki! ‘fine’ can all be used to express that you accept or agree with a suggestion or a request.

Eastern Basques use ongi instead of ondo; western Basques use ederto instead of ederki.

Exercise 6 Agree with these suggestions. Try to convey your meaning using different forms.

1   Oporretan Hawaii-ra joango gara.

2   Autobusean joango gara nere etxera?

3   Zazpiretan Txiki-Polit tabernan, ados?

Talking about …

The town

Herri usually refers to a village or a small town, hiri to a large town or a city; if in doubt, use herri. Hiriak and most herriak consist of a number of auzoak (‘neighbourhoods or districts’); all except the smallest villages also have a centre (zentrua) which generally comprises an older section (the aide zaharra) and a newer part. Typically, most tabernak will be in the alde zaharra but the denda handiak are probably elsewhere.

To find your way to the centre of a very small town or village, a good trick is to head for the church (eliza) which will usually be the most noticeable landmark and be centrally located, with an adjoining plaza somewhere in the alde zaharra (if the town is big enough to have one). An enparantza is a special kind of central plaza, square or oblong in shape with columns along each side. A good specimen is the Konstituzio Enparantza in Donostia (Plaza de la Constitutión in Spanish).

There may be an azoka or merkatua (‘market’); some open daily, others certain days of the week. There will be dendak, of course, and an increasing number of supermerkatuak are to be found, although mostly of modest proportions by modern British standards.

Larger towns have parks (parkeak) or, better yet, a beach (hondartza) with a promenade (pasealekua). There may also be a portua or kaia (‘a small harbour’) where you can stroll. If worst comes to worst, there might at least be an ibaia (‘river’) or erreka (‘stream’)!

Other typical landmarks for larger towns include the ospitalea (‘hospital’), the anbulategia (‘clinic’), the komisaldegia (‘police station’), the gasolindegia (‘petrol station’), and one or more zineak (‘cinemas’).

In towns the kanposantua (‘cemetery’) may be on the outskirts, perhaps up on a hill (mendi), while in villages it sometimes adjoins the eliza.

Dialogue 2 (Audio 1: 33)

A visit to a bank

Elin changes some money

ELIN:

Han badago kutxa bat. Sartuko naiz …

(In the bank.)

Libra esterlinak aldatu nahi ditut. Zein da kanbioa?

BANK CLERK:

190 (ehun eta laurogeita hamar) pezeta.

ELIN:

Ze komisio hartzen duzue?

BANK CLERK:

Ehuneko hirua.

ELIN:

Ondo. Hirurehun libra aldatuko ditut.

BANK CLERK:

Ekarri pasaportea, mesedez.

Bilete handiak ala txikiak nahi dituzu?

ELIN:

Berdin zait.

BANK CLERK:

55.290 (berrogeita hamabost mila berrehun eta laurogeita hamar) pezeta.

(Counting out the money.)

10 (hamar), 20 (hogei), 25 (hogeita bost), 30 (hogeita hamar), 35 (hogeita hamabost), 40 (berrogei), 45 (berrogeita bost), 50 (berrogeita hamar), 52 (berrogeita hamabi), 54 (berrogeita hamalau), 55 (berrogeita hamabost), 290 (berrehun eta laurogeita hamar) pezeta. Sinatu hemen, mesedez.

ELIN:

Mila esker. Agur.

BANK CLERK:

Bai, agur.

Vocabulary

aldatu

change, exchange

aldatuko ditut

I'll change (plural object)

badago

there is

berdin zait!

I don't mind! I'm not bothered! it makes

berrogei

Forty

bilete

ticket, banknote

ehuneko

per cent

ehuneko hiru

three per cent

ekarri

give me! let me have! (lit. bring!)

esterlin

Stirling

hamabost

fifteen

hogei

twenty

kanbio

exchange rate

komisio

commission

laurogei

eighty

libra

pound

mila

thousand; one thousand

mila esker!

thank you very much! (lit. ‘a thosand thanks’)

milako

thousand-peseta note (approximately £5)

nahi ditut

I want (plural object)

nahi dituzu

(do) you want (plural object)

pasaporte

passport

sartu

go in, enter

sinatu

sign

txiki

small, little

Saying what you mean

Saying what there is

Study these sentences:

To express existence (‘there is’), one of the verbs ‘to be’ is used. The construction has two variants, in one of which ‘is’ is preceded by the prefix ba- while in the other variation of this construction ba- does not appear. When ba- is absent, the noun phrase whose existence is asserted must be immediately followed by dago. The verb agrees in number, hence ‘there are’ is (ba)daude.

Exercise 7 Describe your own town (zure herria) or your neighbourhood (zure auzoa) using Dialogue 1 as a general guide and telling what there is there.

Plural qualified nouns

Study these phrases:

kale luzeak

long streets

autobus zaharrak

old buses

bilete handiak

large banknotes

denda handiak

large shops

libra esterlinak

pounds Stirling

Compare the use of attributive adjectives in singular noun phrases (e.g. eliza txikia). In plural noun phrases there is the same structure, but the article at the end is the plural -ak.

Exercise 8 Translate into Basque.

1   Let me have your old coins (txanpon).

2   I want to change (some) Irish (irlandes) pounds.

3   They are fine parks.

The compound present tense

Study these sentences:

Xabierrek kazetaritza ikasten du.

Xabier studies journalism.

Zuk zer egiten duzu?

What do you do?

Ikusten al duzu eliza bat ban aurrean.

Do you see a church over there opposite?

Ze komisio hartzen duzue?

What commission do you take?

Review the basic verb forms on page 52. Forms in -tzen or -ten are used to form a present tense which, like the English present simple (Xabier studies …, Do you see … ), expresses either a general or a habitual act.

Numbers (2) (Audio 1: 34)

Have you figured out how two-digit numbers are expressed in Basque yet? If not, take another look at the conversation in the bank. Only the following new words are involved, and these are quite easy if you learnt the numbers given in Unit 2:

11    hamaika

12    hamabi

13    hamahiro

14    hamalau

15    hamabost

16    hamasei

17    hamazazpi

18    hemezortzi or hamazortzi

19    hemeretzi

20    hogei

40    berrogei

60    birorogei

80    laurogei

The numbers from twelve to eighteen clearly mean ‘ten-two’, ‘ten-three’ etc. (with hamar ‘ten’ shortened to hama-). The words for ‘sixty’ and ‘eighty’ mean ‘three-twenties’ and ‘four-twenties’. The prefix berr- means ‘double’ in both berrehun ‘two hundred’ (2 x 100) and berrogei (2 x 20).

Multiples of a thousand are: 2.000 bi mila, 3.000 hiru mila, 15.000 hamabost mila etc. Notice that a dot is used rather than a comma. On the other hand, in decimals a comma is used rather than a dot: 3,5 hiru koma bost = 3.5, i.e. 31/2! For one thousand, just mila is used.

Exercise 9 Read these numbers out loud in Basque: 7,14, 21, 28; 9, 18, 27; 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24; 35, 40, 45, 50, 55; 60, 70, 80, 90, 100.

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Plural verb forms

Notice the verb forms in these sentences:

Autobusak zaharrak dira.

The buses are old.

Non daude zure lagunak?

Where are your friends?

Hemen komisioa hartzen dute.

They take commission here.

Kazetariak al zarete?

Are you journalists?

Nekatuta al zaudete?

Are you (plural) tired?

Zer nahi duzue?

What do you (people) want?

Hirurehun libra aldatuko ditut.

I';ll change £300.

When a Basque verb (or auxiliary) has a plural subject or a plural object, it goes into a special form. We shall note three different types of plural verb form.

First, you must learn the forms used when the subject is third-person plural (they):

Third-person singular

Third-person plural

da

is

dira

are

dago

is

daude

are

du

(transitive auxiliary)

dute

(transitive auxiliary)

dauka

has

daukate

have

Notice that the transitive plural forms, dute and daukate, are formed with the suffix -te; and also the resemblance between daude ‘they are’ and gaude ‘we are’.

Next, there are special forms for ‘you’ when referring to more than one person (i.e. zuek rather than zu ‘you’). You already know that duzue is the plural form corresponding to duzu. In intransitive ‘you’ verb forms, the plural suffix is -te:

Second-person singular

Second-person plural

zara

you are

zarete

you are

zaude

you are

zaudete

you are

duzu

(transitive auxiliary)

duzue

(transitive auxiliary)

daukazu

you have

daukazue

you have

Lastly, when a transitive verb has a plural object it agrees with it in number too! Note these forms:

Singular-object auxiliary

plural-object auxiliary

dut

I …

ditut

I …

duzu

you …

dituzu

you …

du

he/she/it …

ditu

he/she/it .

The verb can even agree in number with both subject and object, e.g. Dolarrak hartzen dituzue? ‘Do you (plural) take dollars (plural)?’

Exercise 10 Find examples of plural verb forms in the above dialogue.

Talking about …

Banks and money

A distinction is made between banks (bankuak) and savings banks (kutxak), but in most places either will change (aldatu) your money (dirua), cheques (txekeak) or traveller's cheques (usually called traveller-ak). Exchange bureaux will display a sign saying trukea and no doubt its translation in Spanish (cambio), French (change) and English (exchange). Here is some additional vocabulary:

txanpon

Coin

dolar

dollar

Bilete

Note

kontu

account; bill

Kanbio

exchange (rate)

txartel

card; ticket

ehuneko

per cent

ordaindu

pay

portzentaia

percentage

kobratu

charge

Peseta

Peseta

kontatu

count

Libera

(French) franc

bueltak or kanbioak

Libra (esterlina)

pound (Stirling)

change (i.e. money returned)

Street signs

Elin and Naroa have been walking around Zarautz. Most street signs are in Basque, not Spanish. Here are some of them: can you guess their meanings? Which ones might you need to recognize?

Announcing various services:

Of general interest:

Of interest to tourists::

Inside buildings:

Where would you expect to see these?:

Vocabulary

anbulategi

clinic, medical

informazfo

information

centre

irteera

exit, way out

aparkaleku

car park, parking

komun

toilet

place

larrialdi

emergency

berri

new(ly)

lurpeko

underground

bulego

office

margotu

paint(ed)

bultza(tu)

push

museo

museum

debekatu

forbidden, prohibited, not allowed

parrokia

parish (church)

pasagune

passage

(poli)kiroldegi

sports centre

dutxa

shower

posta

post

enplegu

employment

pribatu

private

erre

smoke

publiko

public

ertzaintza

Basque police

sarrera

entrance, entry

gabe

without

turismo

Tourism

gorri

red

udal

municipality, municipal, council

gurutze

cross

harrera

reception

hortz

tooth

udaletxe

town hall

ibilgailu

vehicle

udaltzaingoa

municipal police

igerileku

swimming pool

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Word formation

Do not try to memorize the whole of the preceding vocabulary. Study it, however, to see how Basque words are formed.

Exercise 11 Some are related to words you know in English: which ones are they?

Exercise 12 Some are formed by joining two words. What compounds are formed from the following? Check on their meanings.

aparka(tu) to park + leku place

igeri swim + leku place

larri critical + aldi period, time

udal municipal, council + etxe house, building

Exercise 13 Notice how the suffix -era has been used to form the next three words: what do they mean?

sar(tu) enter → sarrera

irte(n) go out → irteera

har(tu) receive,take → harrera

Exercise 14 Two compound words are formed from the following words and suffixes: can you find and analyse them?

ibili

move about

kirolak

sports

-tegi/-degi

place

-gailu

device

5 Etxean

At home

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- further auxiliary forms (preview)

Saying what you mean

- emphasizing qualities

- saying what you've got

- ′with′

- the present continuous tense

- days of the week

Doing things with words

- saying what you like

- expressing surprise

- finding out someone's wishes or intentions

- stating your own wishes or intentions

Talking about …

- the home

Language and life

- Basque-language media

Dialogue 1 (Audio 1: 35-36)

In Naroa's flat

Naroa shows her flat to Elin

NAROA:

Hemen daukazu sukaldea eta eskubitara jangela eta terraza.

ELIN:

Zein ederrak!

NAROA:

Bai, oso pozik nago etxearekin. Eta ondoan bainugela.

ELIN:

OSO polita eta txukuna da.

NAROA:

Gero hemen daude nere logela eta … zurea.

ELIN:

Ze handia! Gainera oso argitsua da.

NAROA:

Bai.

ELIN:

OSO etxe polita daukazu. Asko gustatzen zait. Alokairu altua ordainduko duzu, ezta?

NAROA:

50.000 (berrogeita hamar mila) pezeta

ELIN:

Londresen ez daukagu horrelakorik!

Vocabulary

alokairu

rent, rental

altu

high

argitsu

bright

asko

a lot, very much, many

bainugela

bathroom

daukagu

we have

daukazu

you have

eder

beautiful, handsome, very nice, fine, large

etxe

house, home, flat

etxearekin

with the house

ezta?

right? isn't it? don't you?

gainera

what is more, and also, furthermore, on top of that

gustatzen zait

I like (it)

horrelakorik

anything like that

jangela

dining room

logela

bedroom

ordaindu

pay

ordainduko

you will pay, you must pay

sukalde

kitchen

terraza

balcony, terrace

txukun

neat, tidy, clean

ze …

how … !

zein

how … !

zurea

yours

Doing things with words

Saying what you like

Study these exchanges:

A: Hau da nere etxea.

This is my house/flat.

B: Gustatzen zait.

I like it.

or Asko gustatzen zait.

I like it very much.

or Polita da.

It's nice.

or Oso polita da.

It's very nice.

A: Zapata berriak erosi ditut.

I've bought some new shoes.

B:Gustatzen zaizkit.

I like them.

or Asko gustatzen zaizkit.

I like them very much.

or Politak dira.

They're nice.

or Oso politak dira.

They're very nice.

There are many ways to express that you like something. Notice the distinct singular and plural verb forms.Gustatu ‘like’ takes a new kind of auxiliary:

gustatzen zait

I like (it)

gustatzen zaizkit

I like (them)

Avoid using gustatu to say you like a person, unless you mean to say that you ‘fancy’ them! To say that someone is nice, use the adjective jaton

Elin (oso) jatorra da.

You can use other adjectives to express liking or approval, such as goxo ‘sweet, delicious’, on ‘good’ and others in the above vocabulary. Adjectives expressing disapproval include txar ‘bad’, zikin ‘dirty’ and itsusi ‘ugly.’

Note this sentence in the dialogue:

Oso pozik nago etxearekin.

Exercise 1 Make remarks expressing admiration of your friend's home. You may use the above dialogue as a guide.

Expressing surprise

Study these exchanges:

A: Hemen dago zure gela.

Here is your room.

B: Ze handia!

How big!

A: Jangela eta terraza hor daude

The dining room and the balcony are there

B: Zein ederrak!

They're enormous!

Either ze … ! or zein … ! can be used in such exclamations. The adjective takes the article agreeing in number with the noun phrase referred to.

Exercise 2 Check that you know the meanings of these words:

polit

itsusi

zahar

berri

handi

txiki

jator

luze

txukun

zikin

argitsu

eder

urruti

gertu

Then express your surprise in these exchanges, using adjectives:

NAROA:

Hemen dago Zarauzko geltokia …

You:

_______

NAROA:

Hor daukazu zure logela …

You:

________

NAROA:

Nor da hori?

ELIN:

Xabier, lagun bat.

NAROA:

________

Saying what you mean

Emphasizing qualities

Study these sentences:

Bainugela oso polita da. Oso pozik nago etxearekin. Oso etxe polita daukazu. Alokairu oso altua ordaintzen dugu.

The bathroom is very nice. I'm very happy with the house. You have a very pretty house. We pay a very high rent.

Oso ‘very’ precedes the word it intensifies, but notice in the last two examples that there are two possible word orders for modifying an attributive adjective.

Still another way to intensify the meaning of an adjective is by repeating it, e.g.

Herri hau polit-polita da

Exercise 3 Fill in the blanks and check against the dialogue afterwards:

Saying what you've got

Study these sentences:

Zarautzek hondartza dauka.

Zarautz has a beach.

Oso etxe polita daukazu.

You have a very pretty house.

Hemen daukazu sukaldea.

Here you have the kitchen.

Londresen ez daukagu

In London we haven't got

horrelakorik!

anything like that!

Londresen lagunak dauzkat.

I have some friends in London.

There are two verbs ‘to have’ in Basque. One of them you have already met in the guise of an auxiliary: dut, duzu etc.:

Lan asko dut.

I have a lot of work

Zer duzu?

What's the matter? (lit. ‘What have you got?’)

Badugu problema txiki bat.

We have a little problem.

Here the ba- prefix appears, as in badago ‘there is’. Note the plural-object form:

Lagunak ditugu hemen.

We have friends here

In the Gipuzkoan and Bizkaian dialects, you will often hear the forms of another verb ‘to have’, eduki, which are as follows:

Singular object

Plural object

‘I have (it) ’ etc.

‘I have (them) ’ etc.

daukat

dauzkat

daukazu

dauzkazu

dauka

dauzka

daukagu

dauzkagu

daukazue

dauzkazue

daukate

dauzkate

Exercise 4 Show a friend around your home, talking about what you have got. Remember to use the plural-object forms when necessary! The vocabulary list in the following section may also be useful.

Talking about

The home

Here is a fuller list of vocabulary associated with the home, to learn or refer to as needed:

Geneneral

Rooms

etxe

house, home

gela/habitazio

room

pisu

flat; floor, storey

egongela

living room

baserri

farm, farmhouse

logela

bedroom

hotel/ostatu

hotel

sukalde

kitchen

pentsio

lodging house

jangela

dining room

bainugela

bathroom

komun

toilet

ate

door

giltza

key

leiho

window

terraza/balkoi

balcony

Furniture

Miscellaneous

ohe

bed

argi

light

armario

wardrobe, cupboard

lanpara

lamp

mahai

table

telefono

telephone

aulki

chair

telebista

television

sofa

sofa

irrati

radio

berogailu

heater

kalefazio

heating

eskailera

stairs, staircase

igogailu

lift

buzoi

letter-box

Verbs

erosi

buy

alokatu

rent, let

Dialogue 2 (Audio 1: 38)

In the kitchen

Naroa offers Elin something to eat and they discuss tomorrow's plans

NAROA:

Zerbait jan nahi al duzu?

ELIN:

Gustora hartuko nuke entsalada bat, eta kitto. Ez daukat goserik.

NAROA:

Ederki. Zer egin nahi zenuke bihar?

ELIN:

Eguraldi ona badago, hondartzara joan nahi nuke.

NAROA:

Oso ideia ona iruditzen zait.

ELIN:

Zoritxarrez zu ezin zara etorri. Lanera joan behar duzu!

NAROA:

Ez! Bihar larunbata da.

ELIN:

A, egia da! Orduan hondartzara joango gara elkarrekin?

NAROA:

Noski! Gaur gauean, nere lagunekin atera nahi duzu ala oso nekatuta zaude?

ELIN:

Ez, ez; atera nahi dut.

NAROA:

Ba oraintxe bertan deituko diet eta geldituko naiz gerorako. {Naroa phones, but there is no answer.)Ez dute erantzuten. Beranduago deituko dut.

ELIN:

Nik bitartean lo pixka bat egingo dut.

vocabulary

ala

or (in questions)

atera

go out

ba-

if

badago

if … is, if there is

beranduago

later

bihar

tomorrow

bitartean

meanwhile, in the meantime

deituko diet

I'll call them

ederki!

okay! fine! great!

egia

true

eguraldi

weather

-ekin

with

nere lagunekin

with my friends

elkarrekin

together

entsalada

salad

gau

night, evening

gaur

today

gaur gauean

this evening, tonight

gelditu

arrange to meet someone

geldituko naiz gerorako

I'll arrange to meet later

gose

hunger

ez daukat goserik

I'm not hungry*

gustora

with pleasure, gladly

gustora hartuko nuke

I'd like to have

hartuko nuke

I'd take, I'd have

ideia

idea

iruditzen zait

(it) seems to me, I think

jan

eat

kitto!

that's that! that's all! nothing else

larunbat

Saturday

lo egin

sleep

lo pixka bat egin

have a nap

nahi nuke

I would like

nahi zenuke

would you like

noski!

of course! certainly!

on

good

orduan

then

zerbait

something

zoritxarrez

unfortunately

Doing things with words

Finding out someone's wishes or intentions

Study these questions:

Zerbait jan nahi (al) duzu?

Do you want to eat something?

Nere lagunekin atera nahi (al) duzu?

Do you want to go out with my friends?

Zer egin nahi zenuke bihar?

What would you like to do tomorrow?

You may feel it is a bit brusque to ask people what they want to do; in English it is more polite to ask what they would like to do. The Basques are less ceremonious, so you are more likely to be asked what you nahi duzu than what you nahi zenuke.Our advice is to understand zenuke (it isused sometimes) but, when making an offer or a suggestion yourself, use duzu.

Exercise 5 You have a guest. Find out if he/she would like to:

1   hondartzara joan orain (go to the beach now)

2   etxea ikusi (see the flat/house)

3   dutxatu (have a shower)

4   lo pixka bat egin (have a nap)

If, however, you are not suggesting but simply asking what someone intends or would like to do, nahi zenuke may be appropriate, so …

Exercise 6 Ask a friend whether he/she would like to:

1   Euskal Herrian bizi datorren urtean (live in the Basque Country next year)

1   euskara gehiago ikasi (learn more Basque)

1   zerbait egin bihar (do something tomorrow)

Stating your own wishes or intentions

Study these sentences:

Atera nahi dut.

I want to go out.

Hondartzara joan nahi nuke.

I'd like to go to the beach.

Lo pixka bat egingo dut.

I'm going to have a nap.

Beranduago deituko dut.

I'll call later

Lagunei deitzeko asmoa daukat.

I intend to call (my) friends.

Basques may express their intentions not only by saying ‘I want to do something’ (Zerbait egin nahi dut) or ‘I would like to do something’ (Zerbait egin nahi nuke) but also, with greater optimism, by declaring ‘I am going to do something’ (Zerbait egingo dut) .

‘I intend’ is expressed as ‘I have the intention’: asmoa daukat.What one intends to do is expressed by the -tzeko (-teko) form, obtained by changing -n to -ko in the -tze-n (-te-n) form of verbs which you already know: deitzen → deitzeko, joaten → joateko, etc.

Exercise 7 How might you answer each of the questions you asked in exercise 6?

Exercise 8 Now fill in the gaps and check against the dialogue:

NAROA:

Zerbait ______ ______ ______ ______?

ELIN:

Gustora hartuko nuke entsalada bat, eta kitto. Ez daukat goserik.

NAROA:

Ondo. Zer egin ______ ______ bihar?

ELIN:

Eguraldi ona badadago, hondartzara ______ ______ ______.

NAROA:

Gaur gauean nere lagunekin ______ ______ _____?

ELIN:

Noski!

NAROA:

( …) EZ dute erantzuten. Beranduago ______ ______.

ELIN:

Nik bitartean lo pixka bat ______ ______.

To say you don't want or intend to do something, use Ez dut.. nahi or Ez daukat … -t (z) eko asmorik.

Saying what you mean

′With′

Study these sentences:

Oso pozik nago etxearekin. Nere lagunekin atera nahi duzu?

I'm very happy with the house. Would you like to go out with my friends?

Bihar hondartzara joango gara elkarrekin.

Tomorrow we'll go to the beach together.

The suffix -ekin, which means ‘with’, combines with the singular article as -arekin:

etxearekin

with the house

With the plural article, it is -ekin:

lagunekin

with (the) friends

Elkar means ‘each other’, so elkarrekin ‘together’ is literally ‘with each other’.

Exercise 9 Translate into Basque:

1   I'm very happy with the car, of course.

2   We'll take the train together.

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Further auxiliary forms (preview)

Study the auxiliary forms in these sentences:

Naroa? Oraintxe deituko diot.

Naroa? I'll call her now.

Lagunei deitu al diezu?

Have you called (your) friends?

Deituko dizut eta hitzegingo dugu!

I'll call you and we'll talk!

Let us take stock of the auxiliary forms you know so far. First we have the following two sets, one normally for intransitive (objectless) verbs:

(joango) naiz/zara/da/gara/zarete/dira

I/you/he … /we/you/they (will go)

and one for transitive verbs, with these forms when the object is singular:

(ikusiko) dut/duzu/du/dugu/duzue/dute

I/you/he … /we/you/they (will see it)

and these other forms when the object is plural:

(ikusiko) ditut/dituzu/ditu/ditugu/dituzue/dituzte

I/you/he … /we/you/they (will see them)

Besides these, you have begun to notice some other auxiliary forms. There is the set used with gustatu ‘like’ and iruditu ‘seem’, which is as follows when referring to something in the singular.

(gustatzen) zait/zaizu/zaio/zaigu/zaizue/zaie

I/you/he … /we/you/they (like it)

but again has distinct forms for referring to things in the plural:

(gustatzen) zaizkit/zaizkizu/zaizkio/zaizkigu/zaizkizue/zaizkie

I/you/he … /we/you/they (like them)

There is another set of forms which we have seen used with the verb deitu ‘call’ when we talk about calling someone; there are forms for calling just one person:

(deituko) diot/diozu/dio/diogu/diozue/diote

I/you/he … /we/you/they (will call him/her)

and others for calling more than one person:

(deituko) diet/diezu/die/diegu/diezue/diete

I/you/he … /we/you/they (will call them)

Additionally, there are other forms used when the person called is first person (‘me, us’) or second person (‘you’), such as:

deituko dizut

I'll call you

For the moment, just concentrate on trying to recognize these forms.

Dialogue 3 (Audio 1: 39)

In the living room

Elin has just got up from her ‘siesta’. Naroa has been watching television

ELIN:

Aupa! Lagunei deitu al diezu?

NAROA:

EZ, oraintxe horixe bera egiteko asmoa daukat.

ELIN:

Zer dago telebistan?

NAROA:

Berriak ikusten ari naiz. Bukatzen ari dira. Orain eguraldia emango dute.

TV WEATHERMAN:

Arratsalde on. Larunbatean zerua estalita egongo da Euskal Herri osoan eta tarteka euria egingo du. Tenperaturak ez dira aldatuko. Igandean zerua ilun-ilun egongo da eta euri gehiago egingo du. Beraz, aterkiak prestatu badaezpada! Tenperaturak ere freskoak izango dira. Itsasoari dagokionez …

ELIN:

Zer eguraldi egingo du? Hitz bat bakarrik ulertu dut: ‘euria’!

NAROA:

Orduan dena ulertu duzu. Bihar bero egingo du baina euri pixka bat ere bai.

ELIN:

Kaka zaharra. Bihar ezin gara joan hondartzara .

NAROA:

Auskalo! Ez dute beti asmatzen. Igual eguzkia egingo du.

Vocabulary

Note: The words used in the weather forecast will not be given here. Can you understand (or guess) the meaning of more words than Elin can?

asmatu

guess, get it right

Ez dute beti asmatzen.

They don't always get it right.

Aupa!

Hiya!

Auskalo!

Who knows!

bakarrik

only

bero

hot, warm

bero egingo du

it will be warm

berriak

news

beti

always

bukatu

finish

bukatzen ari dira

they're finishing

deitu diezu

you (have) called them

dena

everything, all

egin

do, make

egiteko asmoa daukat

I intend to do

eguraldi

weather

eguraldia eman

give the weather forecast

Zer eguraldi egingo du?

What will the weather be like?

eguzki

sun

eguzkia egingo du

it will be sunny

eman

give

ere bai

too, also

euri

rain

euria egingo du

it will rain

hitz

word

horixe bera

just that

igual

perhaps

ikusten ari naiz

I'm seeing, I'm watching

kaka

shit

Kaka zaharra!

Damn it!

lagunei

friends (object of deitu)

telebista

television

ulertu

understand

ulertu dut

I understood

zahar

old

Saying what you mean

The present continuous tense

Study these sentences:

Berriak ikusten ari naiz. Programa bukatzen ari da. Euskara ikasten ari zara?

I'm watching the news. The programme is finishing. Are you learning Basque?

This is the tense used to say what is happening now. Some verbs have special simple forms that also express an ongoing activity: dator ‘is coming', doa ‘is going’, but most verbs do not.

The present continuous is formed from the -tzen or -ten form of the verb and a compound auxiliarymade up of the word ari followed by a form of the verb ‘to be': ari naiz, ari zara, ari da etc. Note that the same auxiliary forms are used with intransitive and transitive verbs; this is an exception to the general rule.

Exercise 10 Answer these questions using the present continuous of the verb given:

1    Zer egiten ari da Naroa? (ikusi)

2    Zer egiten ari da Elin? (lo egin)

3    Zer egiten ari zara?

Days of the week (Audio 1: 40)

The days of the week, like the names of the months, are not capitalized and are treated as common nouns (hence used with the article):

astelehen-a

Monday

astearte-a

Tuesday

asteazken-a

Wednesday

ostegun-a

Thursday

ostiral-a

Friday

larunbat-a

Saturday

igande-a

Sunday

To say ‘on Monday, Tuesday etc.’, instead of the final -a use -an after a vowel or -ean after a consonant: astelehenean, asteartean etc.

Exercise 11 (review) Translate:

Hau da zure bulegoa.

Hemen daukazu komuna.

Kaka zaharra! Larunbatean euria egingo du.

Oso eguraldi ona egiten ari da gaur.

Etxean ardo ona daukat.

Ze programa txarra!

Language and life

Basque-language media

Until 1980 the Basque komunikabideak or ‘mass’ media consisted of a couple of weekly magazines (aldizkariak) and the odd programme (saioa) on local radio (irrati) stations. Today there is a national television channel (telebista), a choice of full-time radio stations, a daily newspaper (egunkaria) and various magazines, as well as more specialized or local media, all in Basque.

Euskadi Irratia can be heard all over the Basque Country and offers a staple of music, news bulletins, current affairs programmes, quizzes, serials etc. in Basque. Euskadi Gaztea, also in Basque, plays popular music aimed at a younger audience. There are also local Basque-language stations serving each region. Euskal Telebista's Basque-language service, ETB1, can be received throughout the country.

Argia is a long-standing Basque-language weekly magazine of current affairs and general interest. HABE (see page 6) publish a monthly magazine for Basque learners, also called HABE. There is also a growing number of local magazines, either in Basque or bilingual.

A younger member of the Basque-language media is the newspaper Euskaldunon Egunkaria. Unlike the nation-wide television and radio stations, the Egunkaria,independent of government control, enjoys editorial autonomy.

1. Some people feel that Ez daukat goserik is not a very ‘genuinely Basque’ way of saying ‘I'm not hungry’; however, it is what most people use colloquially. To say that you're hungry, you may say Gose naiz, Goseak nago or Gosea daukat.

6 Goazen buelta bat ematera!

Let's go out!

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- palatalization

- the suffix -i/-ri (to whom)

Saying what you mean

- telling the time

- the perfect tense

- indirect statements

Strategies for communication

- talking on the phone

- informal introductions

Talking about …

- going out with friends

- people

Language and life

- Basque music

Dialogue 1 (Audio 2: 1-2)

On the phone

Naroa phones a friend and arranges to meet in the evening

VOICE:

Bai?

NAROA:

Idoia etxean al dago?

VOICE:

Oraintxe jarriko da.

IDOIA:

Bai, nor da?

NAROA:

Naroa naiz. Buelta bat ematera aterako al gara gaur?

IDOIA:

Bai. Eguerdian Itziar eta Mikel ikusi ditut eta bede-ratzietan gelditu gara Musika Plazan. Bertsolariak daude.

NAROA:

A, oso ondo. Nere lagun galesa, Elin, gaur iritsi da eta …

IDOIA:

Primeran! Horrela ezagutuko dugu. Gurekin etorriko al da?

NAROA:

Bai, bai. Josebaren lagunari deitu al diozu?

IDOIA:

Josuri? Bai, baina Gernikara joan da gurasoekin. Jaiak dira. Han familia daukate eta urtero j oaten dira, badakizu.

NAROA:

A, bai. Arrazoia daukazu. Orduan bederatziak arte.

IDOIA:

Bai, gero arte. Agur.

Vocabulary

Note: Idoia and Itziar are women's names; like Naroa, these have no English equivalent. Mikel (‘Michael’), Joseba (‘Joseph’) and Josu (‘Jesus’) are men's names.

arrazoi

reason

arrazoia daukazu

you’re right

badakizu

you know, as you know

bederatziak arte!

see you at nine o’clock!

bederatzietan

at nine o’clock

bertsolari

verse reciters (see page 99)

buelta

turn

buelta bat eman

turn around (lit. ‘give a turn’)

buelta bat ematera joau/atera

go out for a stroll, drive etc.(lit. ‘go (out) and turn around’)

deitu diozu

you called (him/her)

eguerdi

noon, midday

ezagutu

know (a person or place); meet (someone for the first time)

familia

family; relatives

gelditu gara

we have arranged to meet

guraso(ak)

parents

gurekin

with us

horrela

that way, so, thus

ikusi ditut

I saw (them)

jai(ak)

fiestas

jaiak dira

there are fiestas, it's fiesta time

jarri

put, place

oraintxe jarriko da

she’ll come to the phone now, i.e.I’ll get her

joan da

(he/she) has gone, went

joaten dira

they go

Musika Plaza

a central square in the old part of Zarautz

nor

who

nor da?

who is it? who's speaking?

-ri

dative suffix (see below)

urte

year

urtero

every year

Strategies for communication

Talking on the phone

Observe the Basque ‘telephone etiquette’ illustrated in the above dialogue. You will find it useful to study the following notes carefully as you go.

Bai, nor da? or just Bai? or Nor da? are some typical ways of answering the phone in Basque. One does not say Kaixo ’Hello’! Note that unlike English etiquette, it is not considered impolite to ask straight out ‘Who is it?’, or even Nor zara? ’Who are you?’; in English, we’d be more likely to say ‘Who's speaking?’ Note also that the answer is (Naroa) naiz ‘I am (Naroa)’, rather than This is N. or It's N. as English speakers would say.

To ask whether you can speak to someone, you may ask (Idoia) hor dago? ‘Is I. there?’ or (Idoia) etxean dago? ‘Is I. at home?’

The verb jarri (intransitive) is used to mean ‘come to the phone’, and it is common to say Jarriko da ‘she’ll come to the phone’ instead of Deituko diot ‘I’ll call her’, although this is possible, as is also Esango diot ‘I’ll tell her’ or Esango diot jartzeko ‘I’ll tell her to come to the phone’. In other contexts, however, jarri has different meanings, including ‘sit, stand, put, place’. If you have arranged (gelditu) to meet the other person, you may refer to this at the end of the conversation using the… arte formula, e.g. Igande arte ‘see you on Sunday’ or Bederatziak arte ‘see you at nine’. Whether you are going to see them or not, you can say Gero arte ‘see you later’. You can also say Deituko dizut ‘I’ll call you’.

Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks in these telephone conversations:

SOMEONE:

Bai?

You:

Elin _____?

SOMEONE:

Bai, oraintxe _____.

(After a while.)

SOMEONE:

Aizu, ez dago. Oraintxe atera da (she just went out).

You:

A, bale. Gero _____diot.

NAROA:

______?

IDOIA:

Kaixo Naroa.

NAROA:

Oi, Idoia zara, ezta? Zer moduz?

IDOIA:

Ondo. Buelta bat ematera joan nahi al duzu?

(Five minutes later.)

IDOIA:

Orduan zazpiak ______.

NAROA:

Bai, _____.

Saying what you mean

Telling the time

Compare:

bederatziak

nine o’clock

Bederatziak dira.

It's nine o’clock.

Bederatziak arte!

See you at nine!

bederatzietan

at nine o’clock

Notice that times are treated as plural in Basque (-etan is a plural suffix). In the plurals of ‘three’ and ‘four’ an -r- is often inserted, e.g. hirurak 'three o’clock’, lauretan ’at four o’clock’. Exceptionally, in ‘one o’clock’ and ‘two o’clock’, the word ordu ’hour’ is prefixed: ordu bietan ’at two o’clock’. ‘One o’clock’ is singular, so we have Ordu bata da ’It is one o’clock’.

To specify a.m. or p.m., place goizeko (for the morning), arra-tsaldeko (from mid-afternoon to mid-evening) or gaueko (for late evening or night) before the time: goizeko bederatzietan ’at nine a.m.’.

For ‘about’ with times, place aldean after the time, e.g. hamabiak aldean ’around about twelve’.

To be even less specific, you may just use goizean, arratsaldean or gauean, but note carefully which periods of the day these refer to (mentioned above); they do not quite coincide with ‘morning’, ‘afternoon’ and ‘evening’, which may result in misunderstandings!

Basques are generally less strictly punctual than the British, but more so than the proverbial Mexicans, so don't go overboard!

‘Half past’ is t’erdiak (for eta erdiak ’and a half), as in hamar t’erdiak ’half past ten’; hamar t’erdietan ’at ten thirty’. ‘A quarter past7 is eta laurden(ak).

‘Five past six’ is seiak eta bost, and the same pattern is followed for ‘ten past’, ‘twenty past’ and ‘twenty-five past’: eta hamar, eta hogei, eta hogeita bost. ’At five past six’ is seiak eta bostetan.

‘Five to seven’ is zazpiak bost gutxi; ’a quarter to’ is laurden gutxi. ’At ten to seven’ is zazpiak hamar gutxitan. From these examples you can work out how to express other times if interested.

You should learn these questions:

Zer ordu da?

What time is it?

zer ordutan?

(at) what time?

zer ordutatik?

from/since what time?

zer ordu arte?

until what time?

noiz?

when?

noiztik?

from/since when?

noiz arte?

until when?

Here are a few more useful expressions:

Goiz da.

It's early.

Berandu da.

It's late.

eguerdian

at midday (actually refers to about one to two o’clock, i.e. around lunch time)

Exercise 2 Answer these questions:

1   Zer ordu da orain?

2   Zer ordutan joaten zara lanera?

3   Zer ordu arte Ian egiten duzu goizean?

4   Noiz joango zara Euskal Herrira?

The perfect tense (Audio 2: 4)

Study these sentences:

Hondartzara iritsi gara.

We've arrived at the beach.

Josu Gernikara joan da

Josu has gone to Gernika with (his)

gurasoekin.

parents.

Idoiari deitu diot.

I('ve) called Idoia.

The perfect tense is formed by adding the usual auxiliary forms to the basic form of the main verb, ending in -tu, -du, -i, -n etc. (see page 52).

The tense has two meanings. Often it is equivalent to an English simple past, as in:

Elin gaur iritsi da.

Elin arrived today.

Eguerdian ikusi ditut Itziar

I saw Itziar and Mikel at noon.

eta Mikel.

In such cases we are usually referring to something that happened today. It can also refer to what someone has done (either today or at some other time), as in the earlier examples.

Exercise 3 Say what you did today. Use the vocabulary at the end of the book if necessary.

Talking about …

Going out with friends

A favourite form of socializing in the Basque Country is just to kalera atera (lit. ‘go out to the street’) and buelta bat eman as described on page 38. This is also referred to as pote bat hartu (‘have a glass of wine’) - the bat not to be taken too seriously. All you need is to elkartu (‘get together’) with lagun bat. As likely as not you or your friend will soon ikusi ('see’) or topo egin (‘bump into’) someone else you know (ezagutu) who is probably doing the same thing as you (buelta bat ematen), whom you may invite (gonbidatu) to pote bat hartu with you. After that you may want to suggest beste bat (‘another one’) at the next taberna, remembering when it's your turn (zure txanda) to pay the round.

If you prefer not to leave things to chance, you may gelditu with your lagunak as Naroa did, setting a time (zer ordutan?) and a place (non?). Local people often have their particular group (talde) of friends for such purposes, called a koadrila. This institution has been compared to marriage: for Basques a koadrila is a serious, long-term commitment providing security yet demanding loyalty in return and sometimes ending in tears or anger!

You may gonbidatu (‘invite’) a friend or two to your home afaltzera (i.e. for an evening meal) or kafea hartzera in the afternoon, but the neutral territory of ‘the street’ (kalea) is the preferred arena for socialization. Besides bar-hopping (poteoa), other possible activities include going out for a meal (afaltzera), going to the pictures (zinera) or to wherever there happen to be fiestas (jaietara).

Alternatively, for a wholesome daytime activity, how about going hiking (mendira)?

Dialogue 2 (Audio 2: 5)

Nine o’clock at the plaza

The members of Naroa's ‘koadrila’ get together

IDOIA:

Nor falta da?

MIKEL:

Ba … Naroa eta bere laguna bakarrik.

IDOIA:

Eta Olatz?

MIKEL:

Itziarrek esan dit ez datorrela.

ITZIAR:

Bai, azterketa bat dauka.

ANTTON and JOSEBA:

Begira, hantxe datoz besteak …

Naroa arrives and introduces her friend to the ‘koadrila’.)

NAROA:

Aupa! Hau da Elin.

ELIN:

Kaixo, zer moduz?

NAROA:

Hau da Idoia, hau Antton, Joseba eta Mikel eta Itziar.

ALL:

Kaixo!

ITZIAR:

Zerbait hartuko dugu? Goazen!

(They go into a bar.)

IDOIA:

Zer nahi duzue?

NAROA and JOSEBA:

Nik kaña.

ELIN:

Nik ere bai.

ANTTON:

Nik txakolin bat.

ITZIAR:

Ba nik beltza.

IDOIA:

Eta zuk, Mikel?

MIKEL:

Ura.

(Idoia calls the barwoman.)

IDOIA:

Aizu! Hiru kana, txakolin bat, bi beltz eta ur mineral Bat.

(Elin asks about a song being played in the bar.)

ELIN:

Ze kanta da hori?

NAROA:

OSO ezaguna da. Mikel Laboarena da.

ELIN:

Asko gustatzen zait.

MIKEL:

Nongoa zara, Elin?

ELIN:

Gales Herrian jaio nintzen.

IDOIA:

Hartu edariak.

JOSEBA:

Nere arreba Eskozian egon da. Oso polita omen da. Ezagutzen al duzu?

ELIN:

Bai, nere anaia han bizi da. Polita da. Gales Herria ere bai!

NAROA:

Biak ezagutzeko gogoa daukat. Bidaia bat antolatu beharko dugu, e!

Vocabulary

Note: New woman's name: Olatz; new man's name: Antton (‘Anthony’). Mikel Laboa is a well-known Basque singer.

anaia

brother

antolatu

organize

arreba

sister

azterketa

examination

beltz

see pages 30-1

besteak

the others

biak

both (lit. the two)

datorrela

that (he/she) is coming

ez datorrela

that he/she is not coming

datoz

(they) are coming

edari

drink (noun), beverage

egon

be (see pages 36-7)

egon da

has been, was

esan

say, tell

esan dit

told me

Eskozia

Scotland

ezagun

well known

falta da

is missing, isn't here

Goazen!

Let's go! Come on!

gogo

desire, wish

ezagutzeko gogoa daukat

I’d love to see (lit. I have a desire to be acquainted with)

hartu

take, have

Hartu edariak!

Here are your drinks!

Zerbait hartuko dugu?

Shall we have a drink?

jaio

be born

jaio nintzen

I was born

kanta

song

Kaña

see pages 30-1

Laboarena

Laboa's, by Laboa

omen da

I hear that it is, I understand that it is

txakolin

see pages 30-1

ur (mineral)

see pages 30-1

ze

what

Strategies for communication

Informal introductions

Look at how Naroa introduces her friends.

Exercise 4 Now introduce Naroa to some of your friends using the above dialogue as a reference.

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Palatalization

’Anthony’ (or Tony’) is either Anton or Antton in Basque. The second form is pronounced almost like ‘An-tyon’; it is a palatalized t. Because of a tendency to confuse tt and tx, the form Antxon is also encountered.

Basque has the following palatal consonants: ñ (approximately ‘ny’), 11 (‘ly’), tt ('ty’), dd (‘dy’), x ('sh’) and tx (‘ch’).

The consonants n, 1, t, d, s/z and ts/tz are sometimes palatalized in Basque words as a way of expressing affection, familiarity or ‘softening’. For example, gozo means ‘sweet’ (like sugar) but goxo means ‘delicious’ or ‘gentle’; amoña is ‘grandmother’ while amofia is ‘granny’; a very large dog (for which Basques have a certain predilection!) is a zakur whereas a smaller (or normal) specimen is known as a txakur.

You will also come across such diminutives in people's names, and Antton is an example. So Pedro ’Peter’ gives Pello ’Pete’, the Spanish José gives Joxe (stressed on the first syllable!).

As we have seen, the above consonants can also be palatalized following an i, although in the modern standard language this palatalization is not shown in the spelling. Certain dialects do not palatalize after i, but all dialects make some use of expressive palatalization.

The suffix -i/-ri (to whom) (Audio 2: 6)

Study these sentences:

Oraintxe deituko diot Naroari.

i’ll call Naroa now.

Josebaren lagunari deitu diozu?

Have you phoned Joseba's friend?

The words ending in -(r)i in the above examples are in the dative case; generally they express who to:

Eman hau Elini.

Give this to Elin.

They are also used as the objects of certain verbs that take the dative in Basque although there is no ‘to’ in English, such as deitu ’call’ and esan 'tell’ (i.e. ‘say to’):

Deitu Elini.

Call Elin.

Esan Naroari…

Tell Naroa …

Verbs taking a dative object have auxiliary forms of the diot type, e.g.

Nik deituko diot Elini.

I’ll call Elin.

or of the zait type, e.g.

Etxea gustatzen zaio Elini.

Elin likes the house.

Note that a third-person-singular dative object is represented by an -o- in the auxiliary, while a plural one is represented by an -e-, e.g.

Nere lagunei esango diet.

I’ll tell my friends.

Elini eta Naroari, hondartza

Elin and Naroa like the beach.

gustatzen zaie.

Let us look at the main forms of the dative suffix; the corresponding forms of the ‘with’ suffix, -ekin (Unit 5), will also be shown for comparison and reference.

‘To’ (dative)

‘With’

Examples

Proper names

ending in a consonant

-i

-ekin

Elini, Elinekin

ending in a vowel

-ri

-rekin

Naroari, Naroarekin

Most personal pronouns

-ri

-rekin

zuri, guri, nirekin

Singular article

-ari

-arekin

lagunari, lagunarekin

Plural article

-ei

-ekin

lagunei, lagunekin

Zuek ‘you (plural)’

zuei

zuekin

Nor? ’who‘

nori

norekin

Exercise 5 Answer these questions about the dialogue; the answers all have the dative suffix:

1    Nori esan dio Olatzek ezin dela etorri (that she can't come)?

2    Nori emango diote ura? (eman ‘give’)

3    Nori gustatzen zaio Mikel Laboaren kanta?

Saying what you mean

Indirect statements

Study these sentences:

Itziarrek esan dit Olatz ez datorrela.

Itziar told me that Olatz isn't coming.

Esan Naroari Elin hemen dagoela.

Tell Naroa that Elin is here.

Eskozia oso polita omen da.

I’ve heard that Scotland is very pretty.

Notice that in the first two sentences the suffix -ela attached to a verb has a similar function to that in the English translation:

dator she is coming

→

datorrela that she is coming

dago she

→

dagoela that she

Sometimes the suffix is -la, e.g.

dauka he/she has

→

daukala that he/she has

nahi dute they want

→

nahi dutela that they want

and sometimes there are further changes:

da he/she/it is

→

dela that he/she/it is

nahi dut I want

→

nahi dudala that I want

gustatzen zait I like

→

gustatzen zaidala that I like

→

This suffix can only be added to a verb form.

These forms are used in indirect statements, that is, when reporting what someone says, thinks, knows etc. It corresponds to English that, but beware! Sometimes we omit that in English:

I know she's come. = I know that she's come.

In Basque -(e)la cannot be omitted:

Etorri da.

She's come.

Badakit etorri dela.

I know she's come.

There is another way of saying that what you are saying is what you have been told or heard, rather than what you know at first hand. It consists of placing omen in front of the finite form:

Etorri omen da.

She has come (I am told).

Exercise 6 Answer these questions about the dialogue, beginning your responses with the words given:

1    Zer esaten dio Naroak Elini?

Kanta hori …

2   Zer esaten dio Josebak Elini?

Bere arreba …

3   Zer esaten du Josebak?

Eskozia oso …

4   Zer esaten dio Elinek Josebari?

Bere anaia …

5   Zer esaten du Elinek?

Gales Herria ere …

Talking about …

People

pertsona

person

jende

people

Jende is singular in form but plural in meaning:

Non dago jendea?

Where are the people?

To say ‘three people’ just say hiru:

Hiru etorri dira.

Three (people) have come.

and similarly:

Zenbat etorri dira?

How many people have come?

Bat etorri da.

One person has come.

emakume/andre

woman, lady

gizon

man

neska

girl

mutil

boy,fellow

neskatxo

little girl

mutiko

little boy

umetxo/haurtxo

baby

ume/haur

child

In English it is now considered sexist to call women ‘girls’, since men are not normally called ‘boys’. In Basque, however, women and even grandmothers are regularly referred to informally as neskak but no one's ire is provoked since men are similarly called mutilak. Andre is more respectful than emakume, being closest to iady’ in English. There is no word in regular use for ‘gentleman’; don't use jaun, which means ‘lord’! The expression jaun-andreak, ’ladies and gentlemen’ (but notice the order!), is an exception.

zahar

old

gazte

young

gazte

young man, youth (normally male)

neska gazte bat

a young girl, a girl

Badator gazte bat.

A young man is coming.

Lagun

friend

Ezagun

acquaintance

As an adjective, ezagun means ‘well known’. Don't confuse ezagun with the verb ezagutu which means both ‘know, be acquainted with (a place or person)’ and ‘get to know, become acquainted with, meet’. This in turn is not to be confused with jakin ’know (a fact, a language etc.)’!

gurasoak

parents

aita-amak

parents, Mum and Dad

ama

mother

aita

father

amatxo

mummy

aitatxo

daddy

amona/amama

grandmother

aitona/aitita

grandfather

izeba

Aunt

osaba

uncle

izeba Ana

Aunty Ana

ahizpa

sister (of a female)

anaia

brother

arreba

sister (of a male)

neba

brother (of a female)

lehengusu

cousin

Neba is only used in Bizkaian dialect; the ahizpa/arreba distinction, however, is observed everywhere.

emazte/andre

wife

senar

husband

alaba

daughter

seme

son

familia

family

iloba

nephew, niece

(b)iloba

grandchild

Song (Audio 2: 7)

Txoria txori

Here are the words of a song written by J.A. Artze and sung by Mikel Laboa. The simple, poignant message, a haunting melody and Laboa's inimitable voice have all helped to make this one of the best-loved of all contemporary Basque songs, as well as a hit with learners of the language

Hegoak ebaki banizkion

If I had cut its wings

nerea izango zen,

it would have been mine,

ez zuen aldegingo.

it wouldn't have flown away.

Bainan honela

But then

ez zen gehiago txoria izango,

it would have been a bird no longer,

eta nik txoria nuen maite.

and it was the bird that I loved.

Language and life

Basque music

In centuries past, Basque folk traditions, like those of other cultures throughout the world, included a lively oral literature, now in decline and already partly lost to us. However, some surviving elements of those traditions have been taken up with renewed enthusiasm by recent generations of Basques and given a new lease on life.

Some forms of traditional verse recital are still practised, such as the kopla zaharrak sung on Santa Ageda day and other festivals. Bertsolaritza, improvised verse singing, also survived into the twentieth century and has undergone a renaissance in the post-Franco period, with the organization of local and national com-petitions and courses to train young potential bertsolariak in the art of making up bertsoak.

Traditional Basque musical instruments include the txistu (a high-pitched wooden wind instrument played with one hand), the dultzaina (a conical wind instrument popular in Navarre), the alboka (a distant relative of the clarinet made up of two horns) and txalaparta (rousing rhythmic music produced by hitting variously pitched planks of wood with wooden sticks). Trikiti (more often referred to in the Bizkaian dialect form trikitixa) is played on a tambourine and a small accordeon, sometimes with singing and usually danceable; introduced by Lombard immigrants in the nineteenth century, both the music and the dancing have undergone a recent revival, with frequent competitions and many amateur and professional groups (trikitilariak). Some of the latter, such as Tapia eta Leturia, have experimented mixing trikitixa rhythms and sounds with various modern musical styles.

Modern Basque folk, pop and rock music has flourished since the 1960s within a broader cultural (and political) revival movement, the first wave of which produced important singer-authors including Mikel Laboa, Benito Lertxundi, Xabier Lete and Lourdes Iriondo. These were followed in the 1970s and 1980s by folk-pop singers like Imanol and groups like Oskorri, and numerous more rock-orientated groups including Egan, Akelarre, Itoiz and Niko Etchart, and hard-rock bands such as Ertzainak, Delirium Tremens, Negu Gorriak and E.H. Sukarra.

7 Erosketak (1)

Shopping (1)

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- plural-object verb forms

- the suffix -k (2)

- adjectival -ko

Saying what you mean

- which ones; these or those?

- saying how much and how many

- any and none

- ′other′ and ′another′

- comparisons (1)

Doing things with words

- expressing preference

Talking about …

- food and shopping

- books and music

Dialogue 1 (Audio 2: 8-9)

At the grocer's

Elin goes shopping

ELIN:

Egunon.

SHOPKEEPER:

Bai,egunon.Eguralditxarra,e?

ELIN:

Bai,oso.

SHOPKEEPER:

Zernahizenuen?

ELIN:

Letxugabatetabiedohirutomate.

SHOPKEEPER:

Letxuga…etatomateak.Zeintomatenahidituzu?Horiekgorriagoakdaude.Hauekpixkabatberdeakdaudeoraindik,bainahobeakdiraentsaladarako.

ELIN:

Nahiagoditutgorriak.

(The shopkeeper weighs three tomatoes.)

SHOPKEEPER:

Horrelanahikoa?

ELIN:

Bai.

SHOPKEEPER:

Zerbaitgehiago?

ELIN:

Bai, ogibat, esn!3 bat eta gazta pixka bat. Ba al daukazue eguzkitako kremarik?

SHOPKEEPER:

Hori aldameneko dendan aurkituko duzu.

ELIN:

Zenbat da dena?

SHOPKEEPER:

Guztira 320(hirurehun eta hogei).

ELIN:

Agur.

SHOPKEEPER:

Agur.

At the post office (Audio 2: 10)

Elin purchases some stamps

CLERK:

Bai?

ELIN:

Seiluak nahi ditut.

CLERK:

Atzerrirako?

ELIN:

Bai, Europarako.

CLERK:

Zenbat behar dituzu?

ELIN:

Hamar.

CLERK:

Seirehun pezeta. Besterik?

ELIN:

Ez,hori da dena.

Vocabulary

-ago

-er, more (comparative suffix)

aldameneko

neighbouring, next door

atzerri

abroad

aurkitu

find

behar dut

I need

berde

green, unripe

beste

other, else

Besterik?

Anything else?

edo

or

egun

day

Egun on!

good morning!

entsalada

salad

entsaladarako

for salad

erosketak

shopping

erosketak egin

do the shopping, go shopping

esne

milk

Europa

Europe

gazta

cheese

gehiago

more (quantity)

Zerbait gehiago?

Anything else?

gorri

red, ripe

gorriago

redder, riper

guzti

all

guztira

altogether, in total

hauek

these (plural of hau)

hobe

better (irregular comparative)

horiek

those (plural of hori)

krema

cream (usually not the edible kind), lotion

eguzkitako krema

sun cream

letxuga

lettuce

nahiago dut

I prefer

nahiko(a)

enough; quite a lot, quite

ogi

bread, loaf of bread

oraindik

still, yet

-rako

for

-rik

any

seilu

stamp

tomate

tomato

txar

bad

zenuen

you had/did (past tense of duzu)

Zer nahi zenuen?

What did you want? What can I do for you?

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Plural-object verb forms

Study these sentences:

Seiluak nahi ditut.

I want (some) stamps.

Bi hiztegi dauzkat.

I've got two dictionaries.

Hauek gustatzen zaizkit.

I like these.

Nere lagunei deituko diet.

I'll call my friends.

Here is a list of the plural-object verb forms you should now know:

dut etc.

daukat etc.

zait etc.

diot etc.

I

ditut

dauzkat

zaizkit

diet

you

dituzu

dauzkazu

zaizkizu

diezu

s/he,it

ditu

dauzka

zaizkio

die

we

ditugu

dauzkagu

zaizkigu

diegu

you

dituzue

dauzkazue

zaizkizue

diezue

they

dituzte(!)

dauzkate

zaizkie

diete

Exercise 1 Complete the second sentence ineach pair:

1 You need a tomato. How many tomatoes do you need?

Tomate bat behar duzu. Zenbat tomate behar ___?

2 I prefer rosé wine. I prefer ripe tomatoes.

Nahiago dut ardo gorria. ___ tomate gorriak.

3 We'll change a little money. We'll change three hundred pounds.

Diru pixka bat aldatuko dugu. Hirurehun ___ ___ ___.

4 We've got a nice lettuce. We've got red and green tomatoes.

Letxuga eder bat daukagu. Tomate ___ eta berdeak ___.

5 Zarautz has a fine beach. Zarautz has a lot of bars.

Zarautzek hondartza ederra dauka. ___ ___ asko ___.

6 Do you like this table? Do you like these chairs?

Mahai hau gustatzen al zaizu? Aulki hauek ___ ___ ___ ?

7 The shopkeeper will help her. The shopkeeper will help them.

Dendariak lagunduko dio. ___ ___ ___.

Saying what you mean

Which ones; these or those?

Study these sentences:

Zein dira mendi horiek?

What are those mountains?

Zein tomate nahi dituzu?

Which tomatoes do you want?

Tomate horiek hobeak dira.

Those tomatoes are better.

Zein, like which in English, can have singular or plural reference. Since there is no article in the zein-phrase, this may be ambiguous:

zein tomate?

which tomato(es)?

but the verb allows us to distinguish between singular and plural:

Zein tomate nahi duzu?

Which tomato do you want?

Zein tomate nahi dituzu?

Which tomatoes do you want?

Similarly with zenbat, so:

Zenbat kafe dago hemen?

How much coffee is there here?

Zenbat kafe daude hemen?

How many coffees are there here? (i.e. cups of coffee)

The demonstratives do have distinct plural forms, ending in -ek:

Singular

Plural

hau

this

hauek

these

hori

that

horiek

those

hura

that(far away)

haiek

those(far away)

Notice the third form is irregular. These are either used alone or following the noun without the article, as in the third example above.

Most people don't say horiek and we suggest that you pronounce it without the r, as hoiek (i.e. ‘oyek’).

Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks:

1 How much lettuce do you need? How many lettuces do you need?

Zenbat letxuga behar duzu? ___ ___ ___ dituzu?

2 Which wine do you prefer? Which wines do you prefer?

Zein ardo nahiago duzu? Zein ___ ___ ___ ?

3 This is my friend. These are my friends.

Hau da nere laguna. ___ dira nere lagunak.

4 That boy is good-looking. Those boys are good-looking.

Mutil hori polita da. ___ ___ ___ ___

5 What is that mountain? What are those mountains?

Zein da rnendi hori? ___ ___ ___ ___ ?

Saying how much and how many

Exercise 3 Learn the following important words:

bat

one, a, an

batzuk

some (more than one)

pixka bat

a little, a bit, some

pare bat

a couple, a few

asko

a lot, many, very much

pila bat

loads, heaps

gehiago

more

gutxi

not many, not much, few

gutxiago

fewer, less, not so many, not so much

These quantifiers may, like the demonstratives and zenbat, be used either alone (see above), or with an unsuffixed noun which they must follow:

letxuga bat

one lettuce, a lettuce

liburu batzuk

some books

tomate pare bat

a couple of tomatoes

taberna asko

a lot of bars

komisio gehiago

more commission

denda gutxi

few shops, not many shops

supermerkatu gutxiago

fewer supermarkets

Note also how compound quantifiers are constructed; these precede the unsuffixed noun:

litro bat esne

a litre of milk

bi kilo patata

two kilos of potatoes

hiru baso ur

three glasses of water

Although the official metric weight units gramo and kilo(gramo) are in general use, Basques also employ a ‘pound’ (libra) equal to half a kilo.

However, the article is added to den ‘all’ and guzti ‘all, every’. The former is mostly used without a noun, and can translate ‘everything’ (dena) or ‘everyone’ (denak):

Gazta guztia jan duzu.

You've eaten all the cheese.

Tomate guztiak jan ditugu.

We've eaten all the tomatoes.

Hori da dena.

That is all.

Denak hemen daude.

They're all here.

Dena erosi dut.

I've bought everything.

Etorri al dira denak?

Has everybody come? (note the plural)

Remember that whereas the above all follow a noun, zein, zenbat and the numerals above one precede the noun.

Exercise 4 Complete the sentences, then compare with the dialogue.

SHOPKEEPER:

Zer nahi duzu?

ELIN:

Letxuga ___ eta bi edo hiru ___ .

SHOPKEEPER (putting three tomatoes on the scale):

Horrela ___?

ELIN:

Bai.

SHOPKEEPER:

Zerbait ___?

ELIN:

Bai, ogi ___, esne ___ eta gazta ___. Zenbat da ___?

Any and none

Study these sentences:

Ba al daukazue eguzkitako kremarik?

Have you got any suntan lotion?

Ez daukagu esnerik.

We haven't got any milk.

Ez dago problemarik.

There's no problem (lit There isn't any problem.)

To express ‘any’ in such sentences as these, the suffix -rik is added to the noun phrase in place of the article. This is called the partitive suffix. Singular and plural are not distinguished, but the -rik phrase is always treated as singular. After a consonant, the suffix is -ik:

Ez dago libururik.

There aren't any books or There are no books.

Ez daukat lanik.

I haven't got (any) work or I have no work.

Notice how -(r)ik with a negative translates ‘no’ in these examples. The partitive is used mainly in negative sentences and in questions.

Exercise 5 (Audio 2: 11) You need these things. Say that you haven't got them, then ask a neighbour if they have them:

1. Esnea behar duzu. →
Ez daukat ___. Ba al daukazu ___?

2. Kafea behar duzu.

3. Gatza behar duzu. (gatz ‘salt’)

4. Seiluak behar dituzu.

5. Ardo pixka bat behar duzu.

6. Ardo beltza behar duzu.

7. Tomate bat behar duzu.

Talking about …

Food and shopping

Basques eat three main meals, although neither their times nor their typical content coincide very closely with British habits. Basque cooking has an excellent reputation, so on visiting, and particularly when with local people, we suggest you leave the baked beans at home together with all your preconceived ideas on the subject, and allow yourself to enjoy the Basque eating experience.

Meals are more often referred to by verbs (they are activities!) than by nouns:

Verb

Noun

Time

Typically consists of

‘breakfast’

gosaldu

gosari

7–10

kafesnea and a croissant

‘lunch’

bazkaldu

bazkari

1–3

three-course meal with wine, followed by coffee

‘supper’

afaldu

afari

8–10

a bit like an English breakfast: may include eggs (arraultzak) or an omelette (tortila), cold cuts, cheese etc.

On festive occasions or if you afaldu out, however, the evening meal becomes a more elaborate affair with all the trappings of the bazkaria and more.

Additionally, there are two institutionalized snack-times for those with sufficient appetite: a mid-morning hamaiketako(‘elevenses’) and a late-afternoon merienda (verb: meriendatu). These are apt to be confused with lunch and tea respectively by unwary Britons, but they are not a Basque's main meals. A typical hamaiketakoa is a bokadilo or ogitarteko, i.e. a hefty sandwich, and a glass of wine; merienda can be anything from a coffee and a cake (pastel bat) to another bokadilo. Some bars sell a selection of bokadiloak, even if not advertised, so ask (Ba al daukazu bokadilorik?)!

It is understandable that Basques are not as given to in-between snacks as the British; bars of chocolate (txokolatinak), packets of crisps (patatak) and the like are for children and teenagers, and biscuits are mainly reserved for breakfast.

Eating habits influence shopping habits. You will not find much in the way of tinned foods, because Basques prefer home-cooked food and distrust tins. Frozen foods are more popular, but ready-made meals are not; microwave ovens are still fairly new. All in all, shops sell fewer processed foods and a larger proportion of ‘raw materials’. Here is some basic vocabulary:

haragi

meat

arrain

fish

fruta

fruit

ogi

bread

esne

milk

ur

water

gatz

salt

azukre

sugar

olio

oil

tipula

onion

letxuga

lettuce

tomate

tomato

patata

potato

arraultz

egg

gazta

cheese

gaileta

biscuit

txokolate

chocolate

izozki or helatu

ice-cream

Non-food items that may be bought in a supermarket, and in some cases even a small grocers, include:

pilak

batteries

kleenex (pron. klines)

tissues

poxpoluak

matches

hortzetako pasta

toothpaste

jaboi

soap

komuneko papera

toilet paper

txanpu

shampoo

konpresa

sanitary towel

orrazi

comb

afeitatzeko makina

razor

painal

nappy

kolonia

eau de cologne

preserbatibo

condom

tampax (pron. tanpas)

tampax

kutxila

razor blade

eguzkitako krema

suntan lotion

In a farmazia or botika (identified by a green cross), you can find some of the above articles, as well as:

tiritak

plasters

aspirinak

aspirin

botika

medicine

pastilak

pills

hortzetako zepilo

toothbrush

In a paperdenda you will find:

postal

postcard

sobre

envelope

(idazteko) paper

(writing) paper)

boligrafo

ball-pen

(paper-a, one r)

mapa

map

koaderno

notebook

For the following you will want an argazkidenda (fotografi-denda):

karrete

roll of film

pelikula

film

errebelatu

develop

argazki

photograph

argazki makina

camera

bideo zinta

videotape

Both tobacco and stamps are sold at an estanko (these also sell stationery, but not all stationers sell stamps and tobacco):

tabako

tobacco (in general)

zigarro

cigarette

puru

cigar

txiskero

lighter

seilu

stamp

Some shopping items not listed above:

eguzkitako

sunglasses

toaila

towel

betaurrekoak

opari

gift, present

thes will be discussed in Unit 10.

Dialogue 2 (Audio 2: 12-13)

At a bookshop

Elin wishes to buy a dictionary and a cassette

ASSISTANT:

Bai?

ELIN:

Euskarazko hiztegi bat bilatzen ari naiz. Honek zenbat balio du?

ASSISTANT:

Horrek? Hiru mila pezeta.

ELIN:

Garestia da.

ASSISTANT:

Beste hiztegi hau merkeagoa da.

ELIN:

Erakutsi, mesedez. Ez, hau txikiegia da. Lehenengoa hartuko dut. Beste gauza bat. Ba al daukazue Oskorriren zinta berria?

ASSISTANT:

Zinta ez da gelditzen. Compact disk-a bakarrik gelditzen zait.

ELIN:

EZ, ez.

ASSISTANT (showing another tape by Oskorri):

Ezagutzen al duzu hau? Nere iritziz hobea da.

ELIN:

Zaharragoa da, ez?

ASSISTANT:

Iaz atera zen.

ELIN:

EZ dakit. Berriena nahi nuen. Edukiko al duzue berriro?

ASSISTANT:

Ba, datorren astean seguraski ekarriko dute.

ELIN:

Bale. Itxoingo dut orduan. Zenbat zen hiztegia?

ASSISTANT:

Hiru mila, mesedez.

ELIN:

Eskerrik asko.

ASSISTANT:

Zuri! Agur.

ELIN:

Agur.

Vocabulary

Note: Oskorri is the name of a popular music group.

aste

week

atera zen

it came out

bale

okay, alright

balio du

costs

berri

new

berrlena

the newest one, the most recent one

berrlro

again

bilatu

look for

datorren

next

datorren astean

next week

eduki

have

edukiko duzu?

will you have? will you get?

-egi

too

ekarri

bring

ekarriko dute

they'll bring it, i.e. we'll get it

-en(a)

(the)… -est (superlative suffix)

erakutsi

show

euskarazko

Basque, in Basque

garesti

expensive

gauza

thing

Beste gauza bat.

And another thing; Oh yes, and …

gelditu

remain

ez da gelditzen

there are none left, (it) is sold out, we’ve run out

gelditzen zait

I have … left, I've still got

hiztegi

dictionary

honek

this (one) (subject: hau + -k)

horrek

that (one) (subject: hori; + -k)

iaz

last year

iritzi

opinion

nere iritziz

in my opinion

itxoin

wait

lehenengo

first

merke

cheap

nahl nuen

I wanted

zen

was (simple past of da)

zinta

tape

zuri

to you (dative)

Zuri!

Thank you! (shopkeepers’ response to Eskerrik asko)

Saying what you mean

‘Other’ and ‘another’

Exercise 6 Note these different ways of using beste ‘other’.

Beste zinta bat daukagu.

We have another tape.

Baina baste hau hobea da.

But this other one is better.

Beste hiztegia merkeagoa da.

The other dictionary is cheaper.

Beste zintak zaharragoak dira.

The other tapes are older.

Besterik?

Anything else? (= Any other?)

Beste gauza bat …

Another thing …

Comparisons (1)

Study these sentences:

Beste hiztegia merkeagoa da.

The other dictionary is cheaper.

Tomate horiek gorriagoak daude.

Those tomatoes are riper.

Zinta hau zaharragoa da,baina hobea da.

This tape is older, but it's better.

Tomate hauek hobeak dira entsaladarako.

These tomatoes are better for salad.

Hiztegi hau txikiegia da.

This dictionary is too small.

Tomate hauek gorriegiak daude.

These tomatoes are too ripe.

A: Zein zinta erosi duzu1

Which tape did you buy?

B: Berriena.

The newest (one).

Basque has three suffixes that are used in the regular comparison of adjectives or adverbs:

1   -ago is like –er in English; it forms the comparative.

2   -en is like –est in English; it forms the superlative.

3   -egi forms the ‘excessive’, which in English is expressed by too.

For example:

handi

big

handiago

bigger

handien

biggest

handiegi

too big

Comparative, superlative and excessive adjectives can take the same suffixes as cardinal ones, such as the article -a, -ak or the partitive -rik; see the above examples.

There are few irregular comparisons, the most important being hobe ‘better’ (the comparative of on ‘good’) and gehiago ‘more’ (the comparative of asko ‘many, much’).

Exercise 7 (Audio 2: 14)  Reply ‘Yes, but that other one is better, cheaper etc’ or ‘Yes, but those other ones are better etc.’:

1   Seilu hau zaharra da. →

Bai, baina beste seilu hori zaharragoa da.

2   Hiztegi hau txikia da.

3   Patata hauek merkeak dira.

4   Bideo zinta hauek onak dira.

Exercise 8 Find the sentences in the dialogue that mean:

1   No, this is too small.

2   In my opinion this is a better (one).

3   It is older, isn't it?

4   I wanted the newest (one).

Grammatical nuts and bolts

The suffix -k (2) (Audio 2: 15)

Study these sentences:

Zarautzek hondartza dauka.

Zarautz has a beach.

Elinek ondo hitzegiten du euskaraz.

Elin speaks Basque well

Naroak lagunak ditu Iparraldean.

Naroa has friends in the North.

A:Hiztegi honek zenbat balio du?

How much does this dictionary’cost?

B:Horrek? Hiru mila pezeta.

That one? Three thousand pesetas.

The forms of the ergative suffix are:

Examples

Proper names

Ending in a consonant

-ek

Elinek

Ending in a vowel

-k

Naroak

Most personal pronouns

-k

zuk, guk, nik

Singular article

-ak

lagunak

Plural article

-ek

lagunek

Zuek ‘you (plural)’

zuek

Nor ‘who’

nork

The hardest forms to learn are those of the singular demonstratives, which are irregular because they each have a distinct stem for suffixed forms:

This

That

That (over there)

hau

hori

hura

with -k

honek

horrek

hark

with -i (dative)

honi

horri

hari

with -ekin (‘with’)

honekin

horrekin

harekin

The plural forms are more regular:

These

Those

Those (over there)

hauek

horiek

haiek

with -k

hauek

horiek

haiek

with -i (dative)

hauei

horiei

haiei

with -ekin (‘with’)

hauekin

horiekin

haiekin

The ergative suffix is used with the subjects of:

verbs taking the auxiliary dut … , e.g. Nik ikusteu dut ‘I see (it)’;

verbs taking the auxiliary diot … , e.g. Nik lagunduko diot ‘I'll help (her/him)’;

the verb eduki ‘have’, e.g. Nik badaukat zinta hau ‘I've got this tape’.

It is also used when one of these verbs is merely understood, e.g.

Hiztegi honek zenbat balio du? – Horrek?

Nork nahi du kaña bat? – Nik!

Nik zuritoa (nahi dut understood).

Exercise 9 Answer these questions about the text. Don't forget the -k!

1   Zerk balio du 3.000 pezeta? (What costs …)

2   Nork kantatzen du zintan? (Who sings …)

3   Nork nahi du Oskorriren zinta berria? (Who wants …)

Adjectival -ko

Study these sentences:

Euskarazko hiztegi bat nahi dut.

I want a Basque dictionary. (= a dictionary in-Basque)

Eguzkitako krema erosi behar dugu.

We need to buy suntan lotion. (= cream for in-the-sun)

Hori aldameneko dendan aurkituko duzu.

You'll find that in the shop next-door.

Gaurko eguraldia hobea da.

Today's weather is better.

Oraingo musika ez zait gustatzen.

I don't like modern music. (= the music of now)

The suffix allows words other than adjectives to be used adjectivally, i.e. as qualifiers of nouns. Sometimes these words are adverbs or adverbial expressions:

gaur

today

→

gaurko eguraldia

today's weather

euskaraz

in Basque

→

euskarazko Iiburuak

books in Basque

When -ko replaces -n it may incorporate the latter's meaning of ‘in, on, at’, e.g.

eguzkitan

in the sun

→

eguzkitako krema

suntan lotion (i.e. ‘cream for in-the-sun’)

aldamenean

next door

→

aldameneko denda

the shop next door

Unlike normal adjectives, forms with -ko precede the noun they qualify.

Exercise 10 Answer these questions in Basque. You may need to consult the shopping vocabulary given earlier.

1   Zer behar duzu hondartzan ez erretzeko (not to get burnt)?

2   Eta begiek (eyes) zer behar dute eguzkitan?

3   Bi gauza behar dituzu hortzak garbitzeko (to clean your teeth) Zer dira gauza hauek?

4   Gutun bat idazteko (to write a letter) zer beharko duzu?

Doing things with words

Expressing preference

Study these sentences:

Lehenengoa erosiko/hartuko dut.

I'll buy/take the first one.

Nahiago dut gorria.

I prefer the red one.

Nahiago ditut berdeak.

I prefer the green ones.

Ez zait gustatzen hori.

I don't like that one.

Nere iritziz zinta hau hobea da.

In my opinion this tape is better.

Exercise 11 Using similar expressions, give your personal opinion on these subjects:

rock musika

telebistako programak

haragia

Talking about …

Books and music

Here is some useful vocabulary:

liburudenda

bookshop

musikadenda

music shop

liburu

book

aldizkari

magazine, periodical

egunkari

daily newspaper

hiztegi

dictionary

nobela

novel

idazle

writer

idatzi

write

irakurri

read

musika

music

kanta/abesti

song

diska

record

zinta

tape

euskal musika

Basque music

talde

group, band

entzun

listen

kantaldi/kontzertu

concert

jaialdi

festival

Shop signs etc.

Here are the signs on some of the shops and other commercial establishments that Elin walked past today:

supermerkatua

fotokopiak

Aroztegia

AZOKA

TABAKOAK

lleapaindegia

Haragitegia

FARMAZIA

Edaritegia

ARRAINDEGIA

Argidenda

TABERNA

Okindegia

sukaldea

Kafetegia

gozotegia –

BURDINDEGIA

Jatetxea

izozkitegia

Auto Osagarriak

Erretegia

ARDOTEGIA

oinetakoak

HOTELA

Liburudenda

ZAPATEGIA

Pentsioa

Signs on shop doors:

Vocabulary

apaindu

decorate, smarten up

argi

light; electricity

ardo

wine

arotz

carpenter

arrain

fish

auto

car, automobile

bultza!

push!

burdin

iron

erre

burn; roast, grill, barbecue; smoke

erretegi

grill, restaurant specializing in grilled meat

farmazia

chemist's

goiz

morning

gozo

sweet

haragi

meat

hotel

hotel

ile

hair

ileapaindegi

hairdresser's

irekita

open

itxita

closed, shut

izozki

ice-cream

jatetxe

restaurant

kafe

coffee

liburu

book

negu

winter

oinetako

shoe, footwear

okin

baker

ordu

hour; time (of day)

ordutegi

timetable; opening hours

osagarri

component

pentsio

lodging house

supermerkatu

supermarket

tabako

tobacco

uda

summer

zabalik

open

zapata

shoe

Exercise 12 Which of the shop signs above are the following?

fishmonger's

butcher's

cake shop

tobacconist

chemist's

bookshop

ironmonger's

carpentry shop

shoe shop

hairdresser's

bar

café

restaurant

hotel

Exercise 13 Where would you find the following?

ice-cream

wine

automobile parts

kitchen furniture

Exercise 14 Review what you learnt in Unit 4 about Basque word formation. How many words in the above signs are related to words in English or other European languages? How many of them are composed of two words that have been joined together (like book shop or hairdresser in English)? How many are formed by adding a suffix to another word (like bakery or tobacconist in English)?

8 Erosketak (2)

Shopping (2)

In this unit we will look at:

Saying what you mean

- saying whose

- genitive -ko and the local cases

- saying what kind

- saying how

- ′if′

- linking and emphasizing

- impersonal verb forms

- being and having

There are some differences between this and other units. It has a single, longer reading – a piece of moderately formal prose – instead of the shorter, mostly conversational texts you are used to so far. Careful study of this reading and the following explanations and exercises, aided by the translation provided in the key, will give you new insight into Basque structure.

From this point, texts will not be followed by vocabulary lists. Look up new words in the general vocabulary at the end of the book. The special notes provided from Unit 9 onwards to guide you through each text will also be helpful.

Reading

Some shopping advice

Erosketak egitera j oaten bazara Euskal Herrian, hiru aukera dauzkazu janaria eta abar erostean: denda txikiak, supermerkatu handia edo azoka. Bakoitzak bere aide onak eta aide txarrak ditu.

Eguneroko erosketa txikiak egiteko, errazena dudarik gabe fruta denda, harategi eta bestelako dendatxoetara jaistea da. Hauek herri eta auzo guztietan aurkitzen dira. Zarautz bezalako herri batean, dendari euskaldunak aurkituko dituzu; beraz euskara entzuteko eta erabiltzeko aukera ederra edukiko duzu. Baina ez hori bakarrik. Janariaz, eguraldiaz, auzoaz, edo beste edozertaz galdetu nahi baduzu, edo berriketan aritu besterik gabe, aurrera beldurrik gabe. Baina kontuz! Dendariak ere seguraski zure bizitzaz zerbait jakin nahiko du eta.

Dendatxo askotan primerako fruta eta barazkiak saltzen dira, batez ere hauek zuzenean jabearen baratzetik baldin badatoz. Prezioak, ordea, ez dira merkeenak izango, supermerkatu batzuekin konparatuta behintzat. Hortik aparte, janari marka edo mota bereziak bilatzen ari bazara, supermerkatu handi batean aukera zabalagoa eskainiko da seguraski. Gainera, badago haragia, arraina, fruta, barazkiak, ogia, eta bestelako gauzak leku berean erosteko erraztasuna.

Behin gutxienez joan beharko zenuke azokara, ikustera behintzat. Goizean bisitatzea da hoberena, bere kolore eta zarata guztiarekin ezagotu nahi baduzu, etxekoandreez eta saltzaileez beteta. Ez galdu esperientzia interesgarri hori. Gainera, euskara entzuteko beste aukera bat da.

Hamaika gauza desberdin saltzen dira azokan. Postu batzuk ia-ia denda txikiak dira. Bidearen erdian, edo mahai txiki batean, baserritar batzuek beren barazkiak dituzte salgai: letxugak, tomateak, azenarioak, patatak eta garaiko berdura freskoak. Aldamenean norbaitek bertako gazta ederrak saltzen ditu; intxaurrak ere badauzka, nahi badituzu. Hor parean arraina dago, fresko-freskoa. Eta begira lore horiek!

Hala ere, azokako gauzak ez dira beti izaten dendakoak baino merkeagoak; denetatik egoten da. Beraz, hobe da prezioa galdetzea. Horrela, gainera, euskaraz egingo duzu. Ez badakizu zerbaiten izena, galdetu!

Jendea zain badago erosteko, esan: ‘Nor da azkena?’ ‘Ni naiz’ erantzungo dizu norbaitek. Gero gogoratu noren atzean zauden eta errespetatu.

Normalean euskaldunek ez dute prezioa eztabaidatzen. Ez badaude ados, merkeago bat bilatuko dute. Baina hori bai, kalitate ona eskatzen dute beren janarian. Ez bazaizu gustatu tomate hori, saltzaileari esan, beldurrik gabe: ‘Hau neretzat oso berdea dago’ edo ‘Ez al daukazu gorriagorik?’ Hau egiten baduzu, haren errespetua lortuko duzu.

Saying what you mean

Saying whose (Audio 2: 16)

Study these sentences:

Elinen laguna Naroa deitzen da.

Elin's friend is called Naroa.

Josebaren laguna ez dator.

Joseba's friend isn't coming.

The Basque equivalent of ‘apostrophe-.?’ expressing possession, as in ‘Elin's friend’, is the suffix -(r)en . If you take a word with the suffix -(r)ekin meaning ‘with’ (see Units 5 and 6) and replace the letters kin by n , you will have the possessive form. Compare:

Possessive

‘With’

Examples

Proper names

Ending in a consonant

-en

-ekin

Elinen, Elinekin ‘Elin's’, ‘with Elin’

Ending in a vowel

-ren

-rekin

Josebaren, Josebarekin

Singular article

-aren

-arekin

lagunaren, lagunarekin

Plural article

-en

-ekin

lagunen, lagunekin

Nor? ‘who’

noren

norekin

Like all Basque case suffixes and apostrophe-s in English, the possessive ending is always added to the last word of a phrase:

beste mutilaren neska-laguna

the other fellow's girlfriend

Josebaren laguna ez dator.

Joseba's friend isn't coming.

In Basque this last word is not always a noun, e.g.

ume txikiaren zapatak

the little child's shoes

A chain of two or more possessors is possible, as in English:

Josebaren lagunaren ama

Joseba's friend's mother

A phrase containing a possessor still needs to contain an article or determiner (see Unit 4); note, for example, that ‘Joseba's friend’ is not ‘Josebaren lagun’ but Josebaren laguna, while ‘Joseba's friends’ is Josebaren lagunak. But another determiner may replace the article:

Laboaren kanta hau

this song of Laboa's, this song by Laboa

Oskorriren kanta bat

a song of Oskorri's, a song by Oskorri

Naroaren lagun batzuk

some of Naroa's friends, some friends of Naroa's

Josebaren lagunaren ama

Joseba's friend's mother

A phrase with a possessor can take case suffixes, e.g.

Barazki hauek dendariaren baratzetik datoz.

These vegetables come from the shopkeeper's garden.

But the possessor-phrase can also be used as a predicate, in which case it is ‘headless’ and usually has a suffixed article, e.g.

Kanta hori ez da Oskorrirena. Laboarena da.

That song isn't (one of) Oskorri's. It's Laboa's.

Kafe hau norena da? Whose is this coffee?

Note also:

Noren kantak entzun dituzu? – Mikel Laboarenak.

Whose songs have you heard? – Mikel Laboa's.

Sometimes the Basque possessive suffix should be translated by ‘of’ instead of apostrophe-s, e.g.

Zer da kantaren izena? What's the name of the song?

Haragi honen kolorea ez zait gustatzen.

I don't like the colour of this meat.

The possessive forms of the personal pronouns ni, zu and gu, which you already know, are exceptional in having no n at the end; but zuek is regular:

Possessive

‘With’

ni I

nire (nere)

nirekin (nerekin)

zu you (sg.)

zure

zurekin

gu we

gure

gurekin

zuek you (pl.)

zuen

zuekin

Exercise 1 Before attempting the following exercise, reread Dialogue 2 in Unit 6. Then practise using possessive forms by answering these questions as suggested:

1   Nor da Elin? Naroalaguna da.

2   Eta Idoia, Antton, Joseba, Mikel eta Itziar? Beste lagun izenak dira.

3   Txakolina norena da? Antton da.

4   Eta beltza? Beltza Itziarrda.

5   Kañak norenak dira? Elin, Naroa eta Joseba.

6   Noren kanta entzuten dute tabernan? Mikel Laboa kanta ezagun bat.

7   Nor dago Eskozian? Elinanaia.

8   Nor gehiago egon da Eskozian? Josebaarreba ere egon da.

9   Nor dira Elin, Mikel, Idoia eta abar? Horiek Naroa lagun batzuk dira.

10   Nork dauka azterketa bat? Naroabeste lagun batek.Lagun horrizena Olatz da.

Genitive -ko and the local cases

Study these sentences:

Hau Donostiako autobusa da.

This is the Donostia bus.

Garaiko berdura freskoak dituzte salgai.

They have green vegetables of the season for sale.

Elin Bangorkoa da.

Elin is from Bangor.

Nongoa zara?

Where are you from?

We have already seen how -ko can be added to words like gaur ‘today’, euskaraz ‘in Basque’, and so on, i.e. to adverbs and adverbial expressions, giving to these an adjectival function (page 115). But -ko is also often added to nouns and noun phrases with a genitive function. It is sometimes translatable by of, although as the above examples show this is not always the case.

Genitive -ko has a range of forms paralleling those of the ‘local’ cases, namely -n ‘in/on/at’, -ra ‘to’ and -tik ‘from’. It is therefore sometimes called the ‘local genitive’ to distinguish it from the possessive suffix -(r)en . This is a good place to give the endings of all the main ‘local’ cases, including genitive -ko:

‘In/on/at’

‘To’

‘From’

Genitive

Proper names

Ending in a consonant

-en

-(er)a

(e)tik/- dik

-(e)ko/-go

Ending in a vowel

-n

-ra

-tik

-ko

Singular article

Ending in a consonant

-ean

-era

-etik dik

-eko

Ending in a vowel

-an

-ra

-tik

-ko

Plural article

-etan

-etara

-etatik

-etako

Genitive -ko , like possessive -(r)en , precedes the noun, and may also appear in predicative or headless structures. The most difficult question is when to use -ko and when to use -(r)en: this is something even Basques disagree about occasionally! If place or time is involved, use -ko: etxeko andrea ‘housewife, lady of the house’, garaiko fruta ‘fruit of the season’. If possession or a characteristic is expressed, use -(r)en: emakumearen etxea ‘the woman's house’, etxearen kolorea ‘the colour of the house’. Above all, never use -ko with animate possessors: for example emakumearen, not ‘emakumeko’, for ‘the woman's, of the woman’.

Exercise 2 Complete the translations of these sentences by choosing between the -(r)en and -ko alternatives shown. Give reasons.

1   What are the good points of small shops, (of) the supermarket, and (of) the market? Zein dira ———— aide onak?

(a)   denda txikien, supermerkatuaren eta azokaren

(b)   denda txikietako, supermerkatuko eta azokako

2   Every day I pop down to the shop next door in order to buy something. Egunero ———— dendara jaisten naiz zerbait erostera.

(a)   aldamenaren

(b)   aldameneko

3   Many of Zarautz's shopkeepers are Basque speakers. ———— dendari asko euskaldunak dira.

(a)   Zarautzen

(b)   Zarauzko

4   You will have to answer the shopkeepers’ questions. ———— galderak erantzun beharko dituzu.

(a)   Dendarien

(b)   Dendarietako

5   Prices in the small shops are not always the cheapest. ———— prezioak ez dira beti merkeenak (izaten).

(a)   Denden

(b)   Dendetako

6   You should go to see the things in the market. ———— gauzak ikustera joan beharko zenuke.

(a)   Azokaren

(b)   Azokako

7   The farmers at the tables sell their vegetables. ———— baserritarrek beren barazkiak saltzen dituzte.

(a)   Mahaien

(b)   Mahaietako

8   I'm going to buy this woman's fish. ———— arraina erosiko dut.

(a)   Emakume honen

(b)   Emakume honetako

9   Which things are cheaper, those at the market or those in the shops? Zein gauza dira merkeagoak, ————

(a)   azokarenak ala dendenak?

(b)   azokakoak ala dendetakoak?

10   Where did you leave Monday's newspaper? Non utzi duzu ———— egunkaria?

(a)   astelehenaren

(b)   asteleheneko

Saying what kind

There are a small number of -ko words, all ending in -lako, which express the idea of ‘kind’ or ‘type’; these include:

honelako

this kind of

horrelako

that kind of

halako

that kind of, such a kind of

bestelako

another kind of

bezalako

like, such as

nolako?

what kind of?

Saying how

The most common general-purpose suffix for forming adverbs, comparable to English -ly, is -ki, e.g. ederki lit. ‘beautifully’, poliki ‘slowly’, lit. ‘nicely’. The variant -gi is seen in ongi ‘well’ but is otherwise rare.

Also, by removing the -ko ending from the above -lako words, we obtain the following words ending in -la expressing manner:

honela

this way, like this

horrela

that way, like that

hala

like that, so

bestela

some other way, otherwise

bezala

like, as

nola?

how?

′if′

Study these sentences:

Erosketak egitera joaten bazara …

If you go shopping …

Eguraldiaz galdetu nahi baduzu …

if you want to ask about the weather …

Barazkiak onak dira jabearen baratzetik badatoz.

The vegetables are good if they come from the owner's garden.

In Basque, ‘if is expressed not by a separate word but by a prefix attached to the auxiliary (if there is one) or to the main verb (if no auxiliary is used): joaten ba-zara ‘if you go’, nahi ba-duzu ‘if you want’, ba-datoz ‘if they come, if they are coming’.

The affirmative particle that is sometimes attached to finite main verbs like datoz also has the form ba- , so that a form like badatoz is potentially ambiguous, meaning either ‘they come’ (affirmative) or ‘if they come’ (condition). However, there is rarely any confusion in practice, as they occur in somewhat different contexts.

In negative conditions ( ‘if … not’), the order is ez ba-, e.g.

Ez bazara etxera joaten … or Etxera joaten ez bazara …

If you don't go home …

This could also be translated as Unless you go home …

Occasionally the untranslatable word baldin is placed in front of ba- ‘if to emphasize it, e.g.

jabearen baratzetik baldin badatoz

if they come from the owner's garden.

The if -clause is usually accompanied by another clause saying ‘what will happen if. In Basque, as in English, the verb here is usually in the future, although an imperative is also possible:

Gasteiza joaten bazara, zurekin joango naiz.

If you go to Gasteiz, I'll go with you.

Gasteiza joaten bazara, deitu.

If you go to Gasteiz, give me a call.

Exercise 3 Make up suitable endings for these sentences:

1. Bihar bero egiten badu …

2. Nahi baduzue …

3. Opari polit bat ikusten badut …

4. Ezin bazara etorri gaur …

5. Ez baduzu joan nahi gurekin …

6. Now make up some more examples of your own.

Liking and emphasizing (Audio 2: 17)

Co-ordinating conjunctions are the commonest way of all to link ideas together. You already know the main Basque ones: eta ‘and’, baina ‘but’, edo ‘or’.

Exercise 4 Find all the examples of eta, baina and edo in the first two paragraphs of the reading. What functions do they have?

Here are some other very common linking words you should learn to recognize:

gainera

furthermore, additionally, also

beraz

therefore, so, consequently

hala ere

however

The above words often stand at the beginning of a sentence. The following, on the contrary, must come after either a whole clause or the first part of one:

berriz or ordea

but, in contrast, however, on the other hand

behintzat

indeed, certainly, at least

Another important linking word that never stands first in the sentence is ere ‘too, also’; it can also mean ‘either, neither’ in negative sentences. Ere may be placed after the phrase it applies to, which comes first in the sentence, e.g.

Mikel ere etorriko da.

Mikel, too, will come.

Mikel ere ez da etorriko.

Mikel isn't coming either.

In elliptical sentences of the following type, it is reinforced as ere bai ‘and … also’ or ere ez ‘nor … either’:

Idoia etorriko da. Mikel ere bai.

Idoia will come. And Mikel too.

Alternatively, such elliptical sentences may be introduced by Baita … ‘And so …’ or Ezta … ‘And neither …’, in which case just ere is placed at the end:

Idoia etorriko da, baita Mikel ere.

Idoia will come, and so will Mikel.

In other contexts, also may be best translated by gainera.

Besides the above, written Basque is quite rich in phrasal linking or emphasizing expressions, a few of which also appear in our reading.

Exercise 5 Supply the missing words/phrases, then check against the text:

Eguneroko erosketa txikiak egiteko, errazena ———— ———— fruta denda, harategi, eta bestelako dendatxoetara jaistea da. Zarautz ———— herri bate an, dendari euskaldunak aurkitukodituzu;———— euskara entzuteko eta erabiltzeko aukera ederraedukiko duzu. Baina ———— ———— ———— . Janariaz, eguraldiaz, auzoaz edo beste edozertaz galdetu nahi baduzu, edoberriketan aritu ———— ———— , aurrera beldurrik gabe. Bainakontuz! Dendariak ere ———— zure bizitzaz zerbait jakin nahikodu eta.

Dendatxo askotan primerako fruta eta barazkiak saltzen dira, ———— ———— hauek zuzenean jabearen baratzetik baldinbadatoz. Prezioak, ————, ———— ez dira merkeenak izango, supermerkatubatzuekin konparatuta ———— . ————, badagoharagia, arraina, fruta, barazkiak, ogia eta bestelako gauzak lekuberean erosteko erraztasuna.

Impersonal verb forms (Audio 2: 18)

Study these sentences:

Hauek herri eta auzo guztietan aurkitzen dira.

These are found in all towns and neighbourhoods.

Denda askotan barazki onak saltzen dira.

Good vegetables are sold in many shops.

Any transitive verb may be made impersonal by using the intransitive auxiliary forms with it instead of the ordinary transitive ones. The intransitive auxiliary agrees with the noun that would represent the object of the non-impersonal verb. In other words, the object is converted into the subject of the impersonal verb. Often, the Basque impersonal can be translated into English using a passive construction. Compare:

Normal

Impersonal

Ogia saltzen dugu.

Ogia saltzen da.

We sell bread.

Bread is sold.

Barazkiak saltzen ditugu.

Barazkiak saltzen dira.

We sell vegetables.

Vegetables are sold.

Exercise 6 Either find the sentences in the reading that correspond to the following, or try your hand at translating them first!

1   A multitude of (Hamaika) different things are sold in the market.

2   In a large supermarket a wider choice is offered.

Being and having

Notice how is is translated into Basque in these sentences:

Errazena dendatxora

The easiest (thing) is to run down

jaistea da.

(descend) to the shop.

Hor parean arraina dago.

Opposite there, there's fish.

and how has/have is translated in the following:

Hiru aukera dauzkazu janaria erostean.

You have three choices when shopping for (buying) food.

Bakoitzak bere aide onak eta txarrak ditu.

Each has its good and bad points. (= Each has its good sides and bad sides.)

In the above examples, da is a part of the verb izan, while dago comes from egon; both izan and egon mean ‘be’. In the second pair of examples, ditu belongs to izan ‘have’, and dauzkazu belongs to eduki, also ‘have’. As you will have noticed, both the verb ‘be’ (e.g. da) and the verb ‘have’ (e.g. dut) have identical participles, izan. For example, izan naiz is ‘I have been, I was’, while izan dut is ‘I have had, I had’. The compound tenses of ‘be’ and ‘have’ are thus:

izan or egon naiz

I have been, I was

izan or eduki dut

I have had, I had

izango or egongo naiz

I will be

izango or edukiko dut

I will have

izaten or egoten naiz

I am (habitually)

izaten or edukitzen dut

I have (habitually)

Exercise 7 Make sure you understand the following sentences in the reading; check the translation if necessary.

Euskara entzuteko aukera edukiko duzu.

Prezioak ez dira merkeenak izango.

Azokako gauzak ez dira beti izaten merkeak. Denetatik egoten da.

9 Asteburua

The weekend

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

•the infix -ta-

Saying what you mean

•comparisons (2)

•purpose

•uses of the future tense

•‘about’

•alternatives and choices

•‘for’

•position: being specific

•the simple present tense

Talking about …

•the weather

•restaurant food

Language and life

•eating out

Dialogue 1 (Audio 2: 19)

On the beach

Elin and Naroa are sunbathing

NAROA:

Krema ekarri al duzu? Bestela erreko gara.

ELIN:

Tori. Ze beroa! Azkenean eguraldi ona.

NAROA:

Bai, oso atsegina dago. Baina aurten iaz baino euri gehiago egin duo

ELIN:

Baliteke, baina hau gure eguraldia baino hobea da, dena dela. Zer moduz egongo da ura? Garbia?

NAROA:

Nahikoa.

ELIN:

Hotza egongo al da?

NAROA:

Ez,epela.Joango al gara bainatzera?

ELIN:

Itxoin.Eguzki pixka bat hartu ondoren.

NAROA:

Ongi. Emaidazu egunkaria. Zerbait irakurri nahi dut Bosniari buruz.

(Later.)

ELIN:

Ze bainu ederra! Ura zoragarria dago.

NAROA:

Bai.

ELIN:

Zer egin nahi duzu oporretan? Zarautzen gelditu?

NAROA:

Kanpora atera nahi nuke. Bizkaira beharbada, edo Iparraldera. Zer iruditzen zaizu?

ELIN:

Eta non egingo dugu lo? Hotelak garestiak al dira?

NAROA:

Kanpinean merkea da.

ELIN:

Nahi baduzu bihar Turismo Bulegora joango naiz galdetzera.

NAROA:

Ideia ona da hori. Galdetu Iparraldeko kanpinei buruz.

ELIN:

Aizu, komunik ba al dago hemen?

NAROA:

Gurutze Gorriaren aldamenean. Hara bazoaz, ekarri gero helatu pare bat txozna hartatik.

ELIN:

Ze ideia ona. Nolakoak?

NAROA:

Berdin zait. Bueno, txokolatezkoa.

ELIN:

Bale. Ora in arte.

(Still later.)

NAROA:

Ze ordu da? Berandu izango da.

ELIN:

Hemen daukat erlojua. Oraintxe begiratuko dut. Zazpi t'erdiak! Joango al gara etxera?

NAROA:

Bai. Goazen dutxatzera eta aldatzera, gauean afaltzera goaz eta.

ELIN:

Ai ene! Azkenean erre egin gara. Begira zure bizkarra.

NAROA:

Ba zurea ez dago hobeto!

Notes

Tori! Here you are! There you are! when passing something to someone; you can also say Hartu!

Aurten iaz baino euri gehiago egin duo. It has rained more this year than last year (note the Basque word order!).

Hau gure eguraldia baino hobea da. This is better than our weather. bainatzera for a swim, lit. ‘to bathe’

eguzki pixka bat hartu ondoren after sunbathing a while, lit. ‘after taking a little sun’

Emaidazu … Give me …, i.e. Pass me … ; with friends this is not impolite in Basque; you can also say Eman …

Bosnian buruz about Bosnia

Ze bainu ederra! (roughly) That was lovely!

nahi nuke I would like (see pages 78-9)

Nahi baduzu … lit If you want …, but the English equivalent is If you like …

joango naiz galdetzera I'll go to ask, I'll go and ask

Aizu, … I say … ; note how this is used here to change the subject abruptly.

Hara bazoaz … If you're going over there …

Ekarri … Bring … ; note once more that the use of such a direct command among friends is not rude in Basque

txozna hartatik from the stand over there

Berdin zait! I don't mind! I don't care!

Orain arte! lit Until now! (as opposed to Gero arte! ‘Until later!’),this means something like See you in a moment!

Berandu izango da.It must be late.

Oraintxe begiratuko dut could be translated: Let me have a look.

gauean afaltzera goaz eta as we are going out for dinner tonight; goaz ‘we are going’; note the ‘explanatory’ use of eta in final position.

Ai ene! Oh my goodness! Oh my! The original meaning of ene, still found in some dialects, is ‘my’ (= nire or nere).

erre egin gara = erre gara we've got burnt, we're burnt; note this intransitive use of erre ‘burn’; the inserted egin makes it more emphatic, a bit like we've gone and got burnt!

zurea ez dago hobeto: yours is no better (hobeto or hobeki are adverbial derivatives of hobe ‘better’, cf ondo/ongi from on ‘good’).

Saying what you mean

Comparisons (2)

Study these sentences:

Hau gure eguraldia baino hobea da.

This is better than our weather

Hau da Oskorriren zintarik berriena.

This is Oskorri's newest tape.

In comparing two things in English, we put than before the second item, the standard of comparison; in Basque, we put baino after the standard. Thus gure eguraldia baino hobea ‘better than our weather’. While the comparative adjective (or adverb) often follows baino as here, this is not obligatory; in colloquial Basque we can also say Hau hobea da, gure eguraldia baino.

A noun qualified by a superlative adjective often takes the partitive suffix -(r)ik as in the second example above.

Exercise 1 Complete these sentences by inserting either baino or -ik/-rik, and translate them:

1   Hotelak kanpinak__________garestiagoak izaten dira.

2   Hau da Zarauzko hotel__________garestiena.

3   Zarautz askoz gertuago dago Donostiatik Bilbotik__________.

4   Elini txokolatezko helatua bainilazkoa (vanilla__________gehiago gustatzen zaio.

Purpose

Study these sentences:

Bihar Turismo Bulegora joango naiz galdetzera.

I'll go to the Tourist Office tomorrow to ask (and ask).

Euskara entzuteko eta erabiltzeko aukera daukazu.

You have a chance to hear and use Basque.

Basque verbs have no single form corresponding closely to what in English is called the infinitive, i.e. to use, to ask etc. To translate English infinitives into Basque, we must therefore look at their context. For example, you already know that if an infinitive is governed by ‘want’ or ‘would like’, the basic form ending in -tu, -i, -n etc. is used in Basque:

euskara erabili nahi dut

I want to use Basque

galdetu nahi nuke

I would like to ask

When the infinitive expresses purpose, i.e. when it is at all possible to replace it by in order to … in English, the Basque equivalent is a verb form ending in either -t(z)era or -t(z)eko.These are formed by taking the -t(z)en form and replacing the final n by either -ra or -ko.

The -t(z)era form is used if the governing verb is one of going or coming, sending or bringing etc., in other words, of movement. Most often, it is a form of joan ‘go’. In this context we sometimes use ‘and’ in English instead of ‘to’, e.g. joan galdetzera ‘go and ask’. If the governing word has nothing to do with movement and the infinitive simply expresses purpose, use -t(z)eko.

Exercise 2 Choose the appropriate verb form:

1 Joango al gara__________?(bainatu/bainatzera/bainatzeko)

2 Ordua da (It's time) etxera__________.(joan/joatera/joateko)

3 Zer eskatu (order) duzu__________?(edan/edatera/edateko)

4 Aurten Euskal Herrira__________nahi nuke,(joan/joatera/joateko)

5 Goazen azokara erosketak__________.(egin/egitera/egiteko)

6 Euskal Herrian gaude euskara__________.(ikasi/ikastera/ikasteko)

7 Supermerkatuan gauza asko daude__________.(erosi/erostera/erosteko)

8 Arraina eskatu (order) dut, eta ardoa__________. (edan/edatera/edateko)

9 Azokara joan beharko zenuke,__________behintzat.(ikusi/ikustera/ikusteko)

10 Zinta hau__________. nahi dut.(entzun/entzutera/entzuteko)

Uses of the future tense (Audio 2: 20-21)

Exercise 3 Supply the missing words and then check your answers against the dialogue:

NAROA:

Krema ekarri al duzu? Bestela (1)______ ______.

ELIN:

Tori. Ze beroa! Zer moduz (2))______ ______ura? Garbia?

NAROA:

Nahikoa.

ELIN:

Hotza (3))______ al)______?

NAROA:

EZ, epela. (4)______ al ______ bainatzera?

ELIN:

Itxoin. Eguzki pixka bat hartu ondoren.

All four answers to the above exercise consist of verbs in the future tense. In (1), erreko gara ‘we'll burn’, a prediction is made about the future, but this is not the function of the other three examples.

In (4), Joango al gara bainatzera? ‘Shall we go swimming?’, the future tense is used in a question with a first-person subject to make a suggestion or to consult on what one should do, as with English Shall we … ? The subject may be singular, like English Shall I …?, e.g.

Kontua eskatuko dut?      Shall I ask for the bill?

The question may be replaced by a statement to express a higher degree of self-confidence, e.g.

Kontua eskatuko dut.      I'll ask for the bill.

although other additions to the sentence may reduce its directness, as in:

Nahi baduzu lagunduko dizut.      If you like I'll help you.

With the second person, questions in the future tense may serve to ask someone to do something, e.g.

Helatu pare bat ekarriko al dituzu?      Will/Would you bring a couple of ices?

although we saw in the dialogue that an imperative can also be used here: Ekarri helatu pare bat.Such requests can again be softened by additional phrases such as hara bazoaz in the dialogue, or simply mesedez ‘please’. Of course, a question in the future tense may also be used to ask what someone's intention is, to make an offer, and with various functions, e.g.

Hemen egongo zara datorren astean?

Will you be here next week?

Kafe gebiago hartuko duzu?

Will you have some more coffee?

Items (2) and (3) in the above exercise illustrate yet another common function of the future tense in colloquial Basque, namely to give one's opinion or say that something is probably the case, rather than definitely so. For example, you can say to someone as they return from a swim:

Ura epela egongo da, ezta?     I expect the water is warm, isn't it?

and you might get a reply like:

Bai, oso goxoa dago.

In contrast, the use of the present tense, Ura epela dago, implies that you know that the water is warm. After the above exchange you might say to someone else:

Ura epela omen dago.

where omen conveys the fact that you have not acquired this information by first-hand experience, but are going on hearsay (see page 97).

′About ′

Study these sentences:

Zerbait irakurri nahi dut Bosniari buruz.

I want to read something about Bosnia.

Janariaz, eguraldiaz edo auzoaz galdetu nahi baduzu …

If you want to ask about food, (about) the weather or (about) the neighbourhood …

Horretaz hitzegin dugu hondartzan.

We've been speaking about that on the beach.

The first sentence shows one way of expressing ‘about (something)’ in Basque: the thing ‘about which’ takes the dative suffix -(r)i (for the full set of dative endings see page 95) followed by buruz.

An alternative is to use the forms of the so-called instrumental case ending, whose basic form is -(e)z. With the singular article, this makes -az, and with the plural article, -ez. Thus for example:

mendiari buruz or mendiaz      about/concerning the mountain

mendiari buruz or mendiez      about/concerning the mountains

Sometimes an alternative form of the instrumental suffix, -taz, is used, particularly with determiners and pronouns, as the last example above illustrates. ‘What about?’ is zertaz.

Exercise 4 Answer these questions about the story:

1   Bainatu baino lehen, zertaz ari dira hitzegiten Elin eta Naroa?

2   Zeri buruz irakurri nahi du Naroak?

3   Zeri buruz hitzegiten dute Elinek eta Naroak bainatu ondoren

4   Zertaz galdetuko du Elinek Turismo Bulegoan?

Grammatical nuts and bolts

The infix -ta-

Study these sentences:

Zer egin nahi duzu oporretan?

What do you want to do on (your) holidays?

Dendatxo askotan barazki onak saltzen dira.

Good vegetables are sold in many small shops.

Eseri izkinako mahai hartan.

Sit at that corner table.

Ekarri helatu batzuk txozna hartatik.

Bring some ice cream from that stand.

Look again at the table of case forms given on page 124 and note that the plural forms consist of -e- (for the plural) followed by the syllable -ta- plus the case suffix: herrietako (= herri-e-ta-ko) jaiak ‘village fiestas’, ‘(the) fiestas of (the) villages’, and so on for all the local cases.

This -ta- element also appears in both singular and plural demonstratives, e.g. kale honetan ‘in/on this street’, kale hauetan 4n/on these streets’, in some determiners and pronouns (without the plural -e-), e.g. askotan, gutxitan (some people use batetan ‘in one’, although batean is generally preferred), and in some other kinds of noun phrase lacking an article, e.g. bi herritan (= herri-ta-n) ‘in two towns’. Finally, it also shows up in some forms of the instrumental ending (-taz), as we just saw.

Talking about…

The weather (Audio 2: 22)

Note these common weather expressions:

Eguraldi ona/ederra/txarra dago.

The weather is good/fine/bad.

Ze beroa/hotza!

Gosh it's hot/cold!

Zer egingo du bihar?

What will it be like tomorrow?

Hotz/Fresko/Bero egingo du.

It will be cold/cool/hot.

Euria egingo du.

It will rain.

Haizea/Lainoa/Ekaitza dago.

It is windy/misty/stormy

Some weather vocabulary:

eguraldi

weather

bero

hot

hotz

cold

epel

warm

fresko

cool

tenperatura

temperature

euri

rain

elur

snow

zirimiri

drizzle

laino

mist

ilun

dark

kutsadura

pollution

haize

wind

ekaitz

storm

and of related interest:

eguzki

sun

ilargi

moon

izar

star

zeru

sky

hodei

cloud

negu

winter

udaberri

spring

uda

summer

udazken

autumn

Dialogue 2 (Audio 2: 23)

At the restaurant

A waiter helps Naroa find a free table

NAROA:

Ba al dago mahairik libre?

WAITER:

Zenbat zarete?

NAROA:

Zazpi.

WAITER:

Bai. Eseri izkinako mahai hartan, leihoaren ondoan.Karta ekarriko dizuet.

(They look at the menu, then the waiter comes back to take their order).

WAITER:

Zer nahi duzue?

NAROA:

Hasteko entsalada bat denontzat eta pikatzeko atera urdaiazpiko pixka bat, esparrago batzuk eta arrain pastela.

WAITER:

Eta bigarrena?

NAROA:

Bi legatz saltsa berdean, eta bi makailu piperrekin …

WAITER:

Makailua ez zaigu gelditzen baina bixigu errea birentzat daukagu, oso ona.

ELIN:

Nork hartuko du nerekin?

MIKEL:

Nik.

WAITER:

Bixigu bat. Zer gehiago?

NAROA:

Txuleta birentzat.

WAITER:

Txuleta nola?

ITZIAR and JOSEBA:

Gutxi egina.

WAITER:

Eta edateko?

ITZIAR:

Nork nahi du sagardoa?

SEVERAL:

Nik.

NAROA:

Sagardoa eta ura.

WAITER:

Ardorik ez?

NAROA:

Ez.

(Some time later)

IDOIA:

Zer moduz dago legatza?

NAROA:

OSO ona.

ELIN:

Nik Josebaren txuleta probatu dut eta oso goxoa dago.

MIKEL:

Ba bixigu hau primerakoa da.

ANTTON (calling the waiter):

Ogi gehiago ekarriko al duzu,mesedez?

WAITER:

Bai, noski.

NAROA:

Oso ona dago dena.

WAITER:

Eskerrik asko.

JOSEBA:

Zer egingo duzue oporretan, Naroa?

NAROA:

Horretaz hitzegin dugu hondartzan.

ELIN:

Ez dakigu nora joan, Iparraldera ala Bizkaira.

ITZIAR:

Edo joan Iruñera, San Ferminetara.

NAROA:

Ikusiko dugu.

IDOIA:

Kafeak hemen ala beste nonbait hartuko ditugu?

SEVERAL:

Kafetegi batean, ez?

(At the end of the meal)

WAITER:

Kaferik edo koparik hartuko al duzue?

NAROA:

Ez, ez. Ekarri kontua.

IDOIA:

Nora goaz orain?

ITZIAR:

Goazen Kai-Txikira.

Notes

Zenbat zarete? How many are you? Note the turn of phrase. An English-speaking waiter would ask For how many (people)? As usual Basque is more direct.

Eseri izkinako mahai hartan, leihoaren ondoan.Sit at that corner table by the window.

Karta ekarriko dizuet.I'll bring you (pl) the menu.

Hasteko … For starters …, lit. ‘To begin …’

denontzat for all of us, for everybody

pikatzeko lit. ‘to peck’; what this means is that these dishes are to be shared as collective ‘snacks’ or ‘hors d’oeuvres

atera bring out (of the kitchen, to the table), for the specific dishes, see the ‘Talking about… ’ section below.

bigarrena second course

Makailua ez zaigu gelditzen.We have no cod left.

birentzat for two.

Nork hartuko du nerekin? Who will have it with me? Elin is looking for a partner to share this double-portion fish.

Txuleta nola? How do you want the steak?

gutxi egina rare, lit ‘little done’

goxoa tasty, good (particularly of food); not to be confused with gozoa ‘sweet’!

Ez dakigu nora joan.We don't know where to go; take note of this useful construction.

Edo joan Iruñera translatable as Why don't you go to Iruñea … ?

Ikusiko dugu! We'll see! (as in English)

hemen ala beste nonbait? here or somewhere else?

Saying what you mean

Alternatives and choices

Study these sentences:

Kaferik edo koparik hartuko al duzue?

Will you have any coffee or liqueur?

Kafe hutsa ala ebakia?

Black coffee or white?

Look closely at the two questions shown here. An answer to the first could be Bai ‘Yes please’ or Ez ‘No thank you’; whereas the normal replies to the second are Hutsa ‘Black’ or Ebakia ‘White’ (for more information concerning Basque coffee, see Unit 2). The second question asks for a choice to be made between alternatives. In such questions or is often translated ala.In other contexts, including most non-interrogative sentences, the translation for or is edo.

Exercise 5 Choose edo or ala to complete the following:

1   Kafea hemen__________beste nonbait hartuko dugu?

2   Bixigua nahi baduzue, itxoin beharko duzue hamar minutu__________ordu laurden bat.

3   Bizkaira__________Iparraldera joan nahi dugu.

4   Ez dakigu nora joan: Bizkaira__________Iparraldera.

5   Zer dago afaltzeko? – Badago arraina__________txuleta.

‘For’ (Audio 2: 24)

Study these sentences:

Ba al dago mahairik laurentzat?

Is there a table for four?

Bixigua birentzat daukagu.

We have a sea bream for two.

Atera entsalada bat denontzat.

Bring us a salad for everybody.

The above examples illustrate one common way of translating the preposition for into Basque: a suffix which grammars call the ‘bene-factive case’, formed by adding to the forms of the possessive genitive case the syllable -tzat:

Possessive

‘For’

Examples:

Proper names

Ending in a consonant

-en

-entzat

Elinentzat ‘for Elin’

Ending in a vowel

-ren

-rentzat

Josebarentzat

Singular article

-aren

-arentzat

lagunarentzat

Plural article

-en

-entzat

lagunentzat

Nor? ‘who’

noren

norentzat

Special care must be taken with the pronominal forms; it might be a good idea to memorize this little dialogue:

A:  Telefonoa!

Telephone!

B:  Who's it for?

Norentzat da?

A:  Zuretzat!

For you!

Possessive

‘For’

ni ‘I’

nire (nere)

niretzat (neretzat)

zu ‘you’ (sing.)

zure

zuretzat

gu ‘we’

gure

guretzat

zuek ‘you’ (plur.)

zuen

zuentzat

The benefactive case occurs most often with animate noun phrases, i.e. expressing ‘for whom’. However, it is often preferable to use the dative case, which can also express the idea of ‘for’, as in:

Atea irekiko diot Josebari. = Atea irekiko dut Josebarentzat.

I'll open the door for Joseba.

Elini opari bat erosi diot. = Elinentzat opari bat erosi dut.

I've bought Elin a present, or I've bought a present for Elin.

Note that when the dative is used the auxiliary agrees with it (e.g. diot), whereas it does not agree with a benefactive object (thus dut).

To express ‘what for’, another suffix, -rako, is sometimes used; this contains the ‘where to’ suffix -ra:

Tomate hauek hobeak dira entsaladarako.

These tomatoes are better for salad.

Seiluak nahi ditut Europarako.

Seiluak nahi ditut Europarako.

This suffix is not to be used with animates.

If ‘for’ means either ‘on account of, because of, for the sake of or ’in exchange for, in payment for, at the price of, it must be translated in yet another way, using the suffix -gatik or -gaitik.This ending is sometimes added to the possessive forms (like -tzat), but sometimes no possessive ending intervenes:

Supermerkatura joaten naiz prezioengatik.

I go to the supermarket for (= because of) the prices.

Hartu hamar pezeta fotokopiarengatik.

Here's ten pesetas for (= in payment for) the photocopy.

Zergatik ‘why?’ is thus literally ‘because of what?’; this question is differentiated from zertarako ‘what for?’, which asks about purpose rather than reason. The word horregatik, a common linking word, means ‘that's why, for that reason, therefore’:

Gazta garestiegia dago. Horregatik ez dut erosi.

The cheese is too expensive. That's why I didn't buy any.

Another meaning of the suffix -ko besides those we have already seen is ‘per, for each’ as in:

Hamar pezeta kobratuko dizut orrialdeko.

I'll charge you ten pesetas per page.

Note in this connection that ‘per cent’ is ehuneko (literally ‘per hundred’) preceding the percentage, e.g. ehuneko zazpi ‘7 per cent’; for this reason it is often written %7.

Exercise 6 Which of the above will be used to express each of the following? Fill in the blanks:

1   I want some stamps for England. Seiluak nahi ditut__________.

2   The Basque Country doesn't get many tourists owing to its weather. Euskal Herrira ez dira turista asko etortzen__________.

3   Salad for two, please.Entsalada__________, mesedez.

4   This is for my mother. Hau nere __________ da.

5   Ten thousand pesetas is too much for a dictionary. Hamar mila pezeta hiztegi__________gehiegi da.

6   What did you do that for? __________egin duzu hori?

7   Who did you buy that for? __________ erosi duzu hori? or __________erosi diozu hori?

8   How much does the telephone cost per minute? Telefonoak zenbat balio du__________?

9   How much (tip) shall we leave? - Ten per cent. Zenbat utziko dugu?-______ ______.

10   That's too much for me! Hori gehiegi da__________!

Position: being specific (Audio 2: 25)

When a general indication of position is sufficient, the ‘local’ case suffix ending in -n is used, e.g. Euskal Herrian ‘in the Basque Country’, hondartzan ‘on the beach’, etxean ‘at home’, mahaian ‘on the table’ or ‘at the table’, and so on. The following examples contain various adverbs of position, which all have this -n ending themselves:

Ikusten al duzu eliza bat han aurrean?

Do you see a church opposite/straight ahead there?

Ondoan parke eder bat dago.

Next to (it) there's a nice park.

Erdian baserritar bat barazkiak saltzen ari da.

In the middle a farmer is selling vegetables.

Atzean bazaude, egon zure txandaren zain.

If you are behind/at the back, wait your turn.

Komuna aldamenean dago.

The toilet is next to (it, us …)/next door.

Such position-specifying terms may be used together with a noun phrase to give a specific indication of position relative to something. They are placed after the latter, and are therefore called ‘postpositions’. Study these examples:

Ikusten al duzu eliza bat han gure aurrean?

Do you see a church opposite/in front of us?

Elizaren ondoan parke eder bat dago.

Next to the church there's a nice park.

Bidearen erdian baserritar bat barazkiak saltzen ari da.

In the middle of the aisle a farmer is selling vegetables.

Norbaiten atzean bazaude, egon zure txandaren zain.

If you are behind someone (else), wait your turn.

Komuna Gurutze Gorriaren aldamenean dago.

The toilet is next to the Red Cross station.

These postpositions are usually preceded by a noun phrase with the possessive case ending –(r)en, just as in English we say ‘on top of something’, ‘in front of something’ and so on. But some position words, such as kanpoan ‘outside’, are not normally used in this way. The following table shows some of the most common position words used either adverbially (left column) or as postpositions (on the right):

aurrean

in front

(zerbaiten)aurrean

in front of (something)

atzean

behind

(zerbaiten)atzean

behind (something)

gainean

on top

(zerbaiten)gainean

on top of (something)

azpian

underneath

(zerbaiten)azpian

under (something)

goian

above

–

behean

below

–

barman

inside

(zerbaiten)barman

inside (something)

kanpoan

outside

–

ondoan

next to (it)

(zerbaiten)ondoan

next to(something)

inguruan

around

(zerbaiten)inguruan

around (something)

–

(A-ren eta B-ren)

artean

between A and B

Exercise 7 Using words in this table, describe (a) the room you are in, and (b) the town where you live.

The simple present tense

Look at the verb forms (in italics) in these sentences:

Begira, zure trena (ba)dator. Look, your train is coming.

Begira, hantxe datoz. Look, there they come.

Ba al zatoz? Are you coming?

Autobus hau Zarautza doa. This bus is going to Zarautz.

Nora goaz orain? Where are we going now?

Ba al dakizu? - Ez, ez dakif. Do you know? - No, I don't know.

Elinek badaki euskaraz. Elin knows Basque.

These are present-tense forms composed of a single word, without an auxiliary. They contain an indicator of the subject's person or number in the shape of a prefix or suffix: for example, in noa ‘I am going’ the prefix n- stands for ‘I’; in goaz ‘we are going’ the prefix g- stands for ‘we’ (the suffix -z marks it as plural).

The part in the middle, or stem, is -oa- for ‘go’ (also found in the form Joan).The stem for ‘come’ is -tor which irregularly becomes -to-z in the plural. What is the stem for ‘know’?

Simple present forms in Basque are mainly used for actions or states in effect at the time of speaking. Very few verbs indeed possess simple present forms in Basque, so learning these forms is easy. You already know the forms of egon and eduki (as well as those of izan ‘be’ and ‘have’). Here are the forms for etorri ‘come’, joan ‘go’ (both intransitive) and for jakin ‘know’ (a transitive verb):

nator

I am coming

noa

I am going

zatoz

you are coming

zoaz

you are going

dator

she/he/it is coming

doa

she/he/it is going

gatoz

we are coming

goaz

we are going

zatozte

you (pI.) are coming

zoazte

you (pI.) are going

datoz

they are coming

doaz

they are going

dakit

I know

dakizu

you know

daki

she/he/it knows

dakigu

we know

dakizue

you (pI.) know

dakite

they know

Exercise 8 Provide the simple present verb forms that complete these sentences, and translate:

1   Hara ba__________, erosi helatu batzuk.

2   Gauean afaltzera__________.

3   Itziarrek esan dit ez__________ela.

Talking about…

Restaurant food

Typical first courses

urdaiazpiko(a)

cured ham: considered a delicacy, there are several varieties, of which the most commonplace is called serrano and the best (and priciest) is jabugo; it is served very thinly sliced with bread

esparrago(ak)

asparagus: usually served with mayonnaise

arrain pastel(a)

fish paté

entsalada

salad: the standard kinds are (a) plain (nor-mala) consisting of lettuce and tomato, used mostly to accompany a meat dish, and (b) mixta (pronounced ‘mista’), which includes pieces of tuna, olives and other embellishments, and is eaten as a separate course; other, more experimental salads are also becoming fashionable.

piper(rak)

peppers: cooked red peppers, sometimes mildly ‘hot’, and often stuffed (piper beteak) with meat or fish.

arrainzopa

fish soup: varies from place to place but is usually delicious!

Typical main courses

legatz(a)

hake: a very popular fish, served in a varietyof ways

makailu(a)

cod: normally this will be a salted variety,tasty but quite different from fresh cod

bixigu(a)

a pricier fish, ‘butterflied’ and grilled with a vinegary sauce and usually served for two;very nice, despite the uninviting Englishtranslation sea bream

xerra

steak

solomo(a)/solomilo(a)

filet mignon

solomo(a)/Iomo(a)

a lean cut of pork

txuleta

a large steak barbecued on he bone, some- times for more than one person (it's best to ask first!)

eskalope(a)

a breaded steak, usually veal

eskalope(a)

lamb chops

arkume erre(a)

roast lamb

oilasko(a)

chicken

Cooking styles

egosi(a/ak)

boiled

frijitu(a/ak)

fried

erre(a/ak)

roast or grilled

labean

baked, roast (‘in the oven’)

plantxan

barbecued, grilled

saltsan

in sauce or gravy, stewed

bete(a/ak)

stuffed

Accompaniments

patatak

potatoes; chips (also papata frijituak)

piperrak

peppers (red or green, fried)

Typical desserts

fruta

fruit : fresh, unless otherwise stated

f1an(a)

caramel custard

izozki(a)

ice cream (more informally, helatu(a)

gazta

cheese

mami(a), gatzatu(a)

fresh curd cheese

arrozesne(a)

rice pudding

pastel(a/ak)

cake(s)

tarta

cake, gateau

intxaur(rak)

walnuts

A menu

***GAZTELU-BERRI JATETXEA***

HASIERAKOAK

Arrainzopa

Urdaiazpikoa

Entsalada

Legatz pastela

Entsalada mixta

Langostinoak

Entsalada epela (Iegatza eta endibiak)

Piper be teak

Entsalada berezia (garaiko barazkiekin)

Alkatxofak urdaiazpikoarekin Tortila ezberdinak

Esparragoak bi saltsarekin

ARRAINA

Legatza saltsa berdean

Izokina plantxan edo labean

Legatz frijitua

Makailua saltsa berdean

Legatza plantxan

Bixigua (birentzat)

Rapea saltsan edo plantxan

Txipiroiak

HARAGIA

Xerra piperrekin

Arkume txuletak

Eskalopea patata frijituekin

Arkume errea

Txuleta (birentzat)

Untxia saltsan

Solomoa plantxan

Oilasko errea

POSTREAK

Flana

Arrozesnea

Etxeko mamia

Etxeko intxaurtarta

Izozkia

Etxeko sagartarta

Etxeko kopa

Bizkotxoa

Gazta

Language and life

Eating out

As a tourist in search of a quick bite, your needs may often be met in a bar with tables that offers sandwiches (bokadiloak or ogitartekoak) or other food items such as pintxoak (titbits), arrazioak (dishes, cold or hot) or kazuelak (hot dishes). If there isn't a list on the wall, ask the barperson what there is: Zer dago/daukazu jateko? Nolako bokadiloak dauzkazu? and so on.

In the Basque mentality, however, this does not constitute a meal, or at least not a normal one. A bazkari or afari (see page 108) is expected to last at least an hour (sometimes two or more!) to be employed in conversation as much as eating, and consists of distinct courses in generous quantities. Basques usually eat at home, but follow a similar pattern of behaviour when eating out.

The most economical way to obtain a ‘proper’ meal out is what is known as a menu (stressing the u), which the cheaper restaurants generally offer. This is a set-price meal, with a limited number of choices for first course, main course and dessert. Price and quality vary according to the establishment from mediocre to excellent. Bread, and wine or mineral water, are normally included, but not coffee or other beverages. The contents of the menu often vary daily, and may be displayed on a blackboard or not shown at all, in which case you must ask what there is (Zer dago?).First the waiter will list the choices for first course (lehenengoa) and when you have said what you want will go on to tell you what you can have for bigarrena.Finally he will probably ask you Eta edateko? to which you can respond Beltza, Gorria or Ura.He will ask you about dessert (postre) later.

The Basque word for a ‘menu’ in general, listing the dishes that a restaurant offers (not just the ones in the menu), is karta.Fish and meat dishes are often grouped separately, and there may be other groupings too, e.g. one for egg dishes. Vegetables are not normally served with the main course, but eaten separately, if at all, as a starter. Bread is served automatically to accompany all savoury dishes. Beer and soft drinks are not usually drunk with food, but may be asked for. Wine is drunk with – not after – a meal; although (or because!) readily available, overdrinking is frowned upon socially. Sadly, such behaviour on the part of northern Europeans often puts them in a bad light in the eyes of Basques, brought up to view this as childish and uncouth. After a full meal, coffee and liqueurs (kopak)may be offered, and even cigars (puruak) (for more vocabulary, see Unit 2). A tip of around 10 per cent is acceptable, although not obligatory.

Exercise 9 Make up a conversation between yourself and a waitress at the Gaztelu-Berri restaurant in which you order a meal for yourself and a friend.

10 Bidaia prestatzen

Travel preparations

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

•more about zait

Saying what you mean

•indirect questions

•′can′ and ′may′

•diminutives

•the past perfect tense

•'still′ and ′yet′

•'something′

Strategies for communication

•invitations

Talking about …

•clothes

Dialogue 1 (Audio 2: 26)

At the tourist information office

Elin enquires about camping sites in the Basque Country

ELIN:

Egun on. Ba al daukazue zerbait Euskal Herriko kanpinei buruz?

ASSISTANT:

Bai, folleto hau daukagu. Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa eta Arabako kanpinen informazioa ematen dizu. Aide honetan daukazu kanpinen zerrenda eta bakoitzaren zerbitzuak, eta hemen atzean mapatxoa. Hor ikus dezakezu non dauden.

ELIN:

Baina Hegoaldekoak bakarrik agertzen dira. Egia esateko, Iparraldea interesatzen zait.

ASSISTANT:

Horretaz ere badaukagu zerbait, (calling another assistant) ezta Manu?

MANU:

Bai. Oraintxe ekarriko dizut. Gidaliburu hau dago, ‘Europako 2000 Akanpaleku’, eta Frantzia begiratuz gero … Noski bakarrik hoberenak agertzen dira hemen. Egon, askoz kanpin gehiago daude.

ELIN:

Nork jakin dezake gehiago haietaz?

MANU:

Ba, ez dakit. Agian Donostian informazio gehiago egon daiteke. Bestela, Iparraldean zaudenean, hango herd guztietan turismo bulego bat dago eta esango dizute. Nahi baduzu fotokopiatu dezaket liburu honetako informazioa.

ELIN:

Bai, mesedez.

MANU:

Itxoin pixka bat. (He starts towards the back room, then, turning back to Elin:) Hamar pezeta kobratu behar dizut orrialdeko.

ELIN:

Bai, bale.

(Later.)

MANU:

Iparraldekoak … bi orrialde hauetan daude. Hortaz hogei pezeta. Beste folletoan bezala, hemen duzu akanpalekuen taula, bakoitzaren ezaugarriekin: non dauden, noiz dauden irekita, telefono zenbakia, zerbitzuen zerrenda, prezioa, eta abar.

ELIN:

A, oso ondo. Eskerrik asko. Hogei pezeta, ezta?

MANU:

Bai. Eraman dezakezu beste folletoa ere, dohainik da.

ELIN:

A, bale. Agur.

MANU:

Bai, gero arte.

Notes

ematen dizu

it gives you

aide honetan

on this side

ikus dezakezu non dauden

you can see where they are

Hegoaldekoak

the ones in the South

egia esateko

to tell the truth, actually

interesatzen zait

I'm interested in (lit. ‘interests Me’)

horretaz

about that

‘Europako 2000 Akanpaleku’

‘2000 European Campsites’

Frantzia begiratuz gero

if you look under France

hoberenak

the best ones

Egon…

In fact … (the basic form of the verb in the main clause preposed)

askoz kanpin gehiago daude

there are many more campsites

Nork jakin dezake gehiago haietaz?

Who may know more about them?

egon daiteke

there may be

Iparraldean zaudenean

when you're in the North

esango dizute

they'll tell you

fotokopia(tu) dezaket

I can photocopy

liburu honetako informazioa

the information in this book

kobratu behar dizut

I have to charge you

bi orrialde hauetan

on these two pages

beste folletoan bezala

as in the other leaflet

non dauden …

where they are …

eraman dezakezu

you may take

Saying what you mean

Indirect questions

Study these sentences:

Hotela non dago 7

Galdetuko diot gizonari hotela non dagoen.

Where is the hotel?

I′ll ask the man where the hotel is.

Noren atzean zaude?

Gogoratu noren atzean zauden.

Who are you behind?

Remember who you are behind (in the queue).

Autobusa noiz dator?

Ez dakit autobusa noiz datorren.

When is the bus coming?

I don't know when the bus is coming

Nor naiz?

Ba al dakizu nor naizen?

Who am I?

Do you know who I am?

The sentences on the left are examples of direct questions; on the right, these questions are subordinated or embedded, becoming what are known as indirect questions. In Unit 6 you learnt that indirect statements in Basque have the suffix -(e)la attached to the verb, e.g.

Itziarrek esan dit Olatz ez datorrela.

Itziar told me that Olatz isn't coming.

In indirect questions the suffix on the verb is -(e)n, not -(e)la, e.g.

Itziarrek ez dit esan Olatz noiz datorren.

Itziar didn't tell me when Olatz is coming.

if or whether introducing an indirect question in English are not translated into Basque:

Ez dakit Olatz etorriko den.

I don't know whether Olatz will come.

The last example shows that when there is an auxiliary, this part of the verb takes the -(e)n suffix.

Exercise 1 Translate into Basque:

1 Do you see where Ondarroa is?

2 I'd like to know where the campsites are and when they are open.

3 If you like, I'll tell you how much it costs.

Grammatical nuts and bolts

More aboutzaitetc. (Audio 2: 27)

Study these sentences:

A:Nolako helatua nahi duzu?

What type of ice cream would you like?

B:Berdin zait.

I don't mind.

A:Zer iruditzen zaizu?

What do you think (of it)?

B:Ondo iruditzen zait.

I think it’s fine.

Iparraldea interesatzen zait.

I'm interested in the North.

Zure zapata berriakgustatzen zaizkit.

I like your new shoes.

Neri bixigua gustatzen zait.

I like sea bream.

You already know the following verb forms:

zait

is to me

zaizkit

are to me

zaizu

is to you

zaizkizu

are to you

zaio

is to her/him/it

zaizkio

are to her/him/it

zaigu

is to us

zaizkigu

are to us

zaizue

is to you (pI.)

zaizkizue

are to you (pI.)

zaie

is to them

zaizkie

are to them

These are forms of the verb izan ‘to be’ used when the subject is third-person singular (zait etc.) or third-person plural (zaizkit etc.) if there is a dative indirect object (but no direct object). The endings agree with the dative object in person and number. This meaning is seen in an expression like Berdin zait ‘It's the same to me’, hence ‘I don't mind’ or ‘I don't care’. With intransitive verbs taking a dative indirect object like gustatu ‘be agreeable to’, iruditu ‘seem’, interesatu ‘be of interest to’ and gelditu ‘remain to’, the above forms function as auxiliaries. The English translation often ‘turns the verb around’, so to speak, which can be confusing. For example, Zure zapatak gustatzen zaizkit is literally ‘Your shoes are agreeable to me’, but in English we say I like your shoes.

Exercise 2 Translate the following, first as literally as possible, then as idiomatically as possible, e.g.

Ardo hau gustatzen zait.

This wine is agreeable to me. 1 like this wine.

1 Berdin zait nora joaten garen.

2 lruditzen zaizu euria egingo duela?

3 Zenbat egun gelditzen zaizkio Elini Euskal Herrian egoteko? Bi aste.

Saying what you mean

′Can ′ and ′may ′ (Audio 2: 28)

Study these sentences:

Mapatxoan ikus dezakezu non dauden akanpalekuak.

You can see where the campsites are on the (little) map.

Eraman dezakezu beste folletoa ere, dohainik da.

You can/may take the other leaflet too, it's free.

Agian Donostian informazio gehiago egon daiteke.

Perhaps there may be more material in Donostia.

The most common way to express the possibility of something, i.e. ‘can’ or ‘may’, is by means of special auxiliary forms with this function. As usual in Basque, there are distinct intransitive and transitive forms, the former agreeing with a subject by means of prefixes and the latter by means of suffixes:

naiteke

I can (intransitive)

dezaket

I can (transitive)

zaitezke

you can

dezakezu

you can

daiteke

she/he/it can

dezake

she/he/it can

gaitezke

we can

dezakegu

we can

zaitezkete

you (pi.) can

dezakezue

you (pi.) can

daitezke

they can

dezakete

they can

These forms can be translated with may as well as can. The transitive forms given are those for a third-person singular direct object. If the object is plural, the forms start with ditza- instead of deza-, e.g.

Folleto hauek eraman ditzakezu.

You can/may take these leaflets.

In formal Basque and some dialects, the main verb form used with these auxiliary forms is a shortened stem without the endings -til, -du, -i, e.g. ikus dezakezu, etor daiteke, fotokopia dezaket etc. (from ikusi, etorri, fotokopiatu), but in many areas the fuller forms are preferred in informal speech, thus fotokopiatu dezaket and so on. Verbs in -n are never shortened: joan zaitezke etc.

For the commonest way to express ‘cannot’, see page 46.

Exercise 3 Imagine a friend from the Basque Country is thinking of visiting your town. Tell her about all the things she can do there.

Diminutives (Audio 2: 29)

Study these words:

denda bat

a shop

dendatxo bat

a little shop

mahai bat

a table

mahaitxo bat

a little table

time bat

a child

umetxo bat

a little child, a baby

mapa bat

a map

mapatxo bat

a little map

kafe bat

a (cup of) coffee

kaf etxo bat

just a quick cup of coffee

Xabier

Xabier

Xabiertxo

(familiar form of name)

The forms on the right are called ‘diminutives’. Sometimes they refer to a small or incomplete specimen of the notion designated by the basic word. A mapatxo, for example, could be either a small map or, say, an informal sketch indicating a location. Diminutives may provide a form of understatement, as when modestly offering a guest kafetxo bat or proposing going for ardotxo bat, or a way of showing familiarity and affection when used with someone's name. Diminutives are formed by adding -txo (or other suffixes, depending largely on the dialect) to the noun stem.

Dialogue 2 (Audio 2: 30)

Packingl A phone call

Elin and Nama are packing

NAROA:

Non sartuko ditugu gauza guztiak? Maleta handi batean?

ELIN:

Robe da bakoitzak bere motxila eramatea, ezta?

NAROA:

Bai, erosoago. Bueno, denda eta 10 egiteko zakuak ganbaratik jaitsiko ditut. Ze arropa eramango duzu?

ELIN:

Ez asko. Kamiseta pilo bat, bakero bat, praka motzak, azpiko arropa, jertse bat eta zira badaezpada, eta zapatilak eta sandaliak. A, eta bainu jantzia eta toaila. Kitto. Esnagailua hartuko al dut?

(The telephone rings.)

NAROA:

Bai?

XABIER:

Elin hor al dago?

(Naroa calls Elin to the phone.)

NAROA:

Elin, zuretzat da. Xabier.

ELIN:

Kaixo Xabier!

XABIER:

Zer moduz Zarautzen?

ELIN:

Oso ondo. Asteburuan hondartzara joan nintzen eta itsasertzetik buelta bat eman nuen. Zoragarria da Zarautz.

XABIER:

Bai, neri ere asko gustatzen zait. Zer gehiago egin duzu?

ELIN:

Gauza handirik ez. Lasai ibili naiz. A, bai. Atzo lagunekin afaltzera joan nintzen jatetxe batera eta ondoren parranda pixka bat egin genuen. Eta zu zer moduz? Oporretan al zaude?

XABIER:

Ez, oraindik ez, azken azterketak egiten ari naiz. Gutxigelditzen dira, eta uste dut azkenak errazagoak izango direla.

ELIN:

Aizu, azterketak bukatu eta gero, gu ikustera etorri behar duzu.

XABIER:

Oso ongi. Deituko dizut.

ELIN:

Bai, deitu baina datorren astean ez naiz hemen egongo.

XABIER:

Zer ba?

ELIN:

Naroak oporrak hartzen ditu eta kanpinean goaz.

XABIER:

Ze ederki! Eta nora zoazte?

ELIN:

Iparraldera. Naroak behin uda batez hango herri batean Ian egin zuen eta jendea ezagutzen duo

XABIER:

Ze enbidia! Bueno ba, ongi pasa eta buelta arte! Deituko dizut.

ELIN:

Bale, hurrengo arte. Ondo segi, eta suertea azterketekin!

(Hangs up.)

NAROA:

Nor da Xabier hori?

ELIN:

Bilbotik Donostiarako autobusean ezagutu nuen. Gero Donostian tren geltokiraino etorri zen nerekin. Oso mutil jatorra da.

NAROA:

Noizbait ezagutzeko aukera izango al dut?

ELIN:

Bai, orain azterketetan dago baina lasai, ezagutuko duzu!

Notes

Hobe da bakoitzak bere motxila eramatea. It's better for each to carry her own backpack.

lo egiteko zaku sleeping bag

kamiseta, bakero etc.: see ‘Talking about… Clothes’ on page 164

joan nintzen I went

buelta bat eman nuen I went for a walk

gauza handirik ez not much (lit. ‘no great thing’)

lasai ibili naiz I've been taking it easy

Gutxi gelditzen dira. There aren't many left, (here) I've nearly finished.

azterketak bukatu eta gero after your exams (are finished) Zer

ba? How come?

kanpinean goaz we're going camping

Ze enbidia! Lucky you! (lit. ‘What envy (I feel)V)

Ongi pasa eta buelta arte! Have a good time and I'll see you when you get back!

Ondo segi! Keep well!

geltokiraino to the station, as far as the station

oso mutil jatorra a very nice fellow

ezagutzeko aukera a chance to meet (him)

Saying what you mean

The past perfect tense (Audio 2: 31)

Study these sentences:

Atzo lagunekin afaltzera joan nintzen.

Last night (yesterday) I went out for dinner with friends.

Xabier geltokiraino etorri zen nerekin.

Xabier accompanied (came with) me as far as the station.

Itsasertzetik buelta bat eman nuen.

I went for a walk along the seafront.

Ondoren parranda pixka bat egin genuen.

Afterwards we did a bit of ′partying′.

You have already learnt the present perfect tense (see Unit 6), which is used in Basque either to say what has happened or what has been happening, e.g.

Zer gehiago egin duzu Zarautzen?

– Gauza handirik ez, lasai ibili naiz.

or else to say what happened at a particular time today, e.g.

Nere lagon galesa, Elin, gaur iritsi da.

Another tense, the past perfect, is used to say what happened at some time earlier than today.

The past perfect is formed with the past auxiliaries, the most important forms of which are shown here. As the glosses show, these also (like their present-tense counterparts) do double duty as the verbs ‘to be’ and ‘to have’ in the past tense.

Intransitive auxiliary

nintzen

I was

zinen

you were

zen

she/he/it was

ginen

we were

zineten

you (pI.) were

ziren

they were

Notice that in the past transitive forms agreement with the subject is marked by prefixes, not suffixes as in the present. Note also that third-person past forms start with z-, not with d- as in the present. Finally, observe that all past-tense forms end in -n.

The final -n of past-tense forms is dropped when adding either the -n of indirect questions (whose form is identical) or the -la of indirect statements:

Badakit Elin etorri zela.

I know that Elin came.

Ez dakit noiz etorri zen.

I don't know when she came.

Exercise 4 Say what you did yesterday (atzo).

'Still ′ and ′yet ′

Exercise 5 Examine these different ways of expressing the time concepts ‘still’ and ‘yet’ in Basque, often by means of a verb rather than with the adverb oraindik:

Xabier ez dago oporretan oraindik.

Xabier isn't on holiday yet.

Elin oraindik txuleta jaten ari da.

Elin is still eating her steak.

Azterketa gutxi gelditzen dira.

Not many exams are left./There aren't many more exams to go.

Xabierri azterketa gutxi gelditzen zaizkio.

Xabier doesn't have many more exams to go.

Azterketa gutxi falta dira bukatzeko.

(similar meaning)

Xabierri azterketa gutxi falta zaizkio bukatzeko.

(similar meaning)

Xabierrek eta Eline khitzegiten jarraitu zuten.

Xabier and Elin went on (continued) talking.

'Something ′

Note the following sets of words:

zer

what?

zerbait

something

nor

who?

norbait

someone, somebody

non

where?

nonbait

somewhere

noiz

when?

noizbait

sometime

nola

how?

nolabait

somehow

Exercise 6 Can you complete these sentences?

Ez badakizu izena, ______ galdetu.

If you don't know the name of something, ask.

Galdetu ______: ‘Zu al zara azkena?’

Ask somebody: ‘Are you the last one (in line)?’

______ irakurri nahi dut Bosniari buruz.

I want to read something about Bosnia.

Goazen ______ hartzera!

Let's go and have a drink.

Kafeak hemen ala beste ______ hartuko ditugu?

Shall we have coffee here or somewhere else (other)?

Ba al daukazue ______ Euskal Herriko kanpiuei buruz?

Have you got anything on camp-sites in the Basque Country?

Uste dut ______ intxaurrak saltzen dituela hemen.

I think someone sells walnuts here.

Gelditu egingo gara ______

We'll arrange to meet sometime.

______ jakin nahi nuke zure bizitzaz Euskal Herrian.

I'd like to know something about your life in the Basque Country.

Strategies for communication

Invitations (Audio 2: 32)

Exercise 7 Study these exchanges, then cover the Basque and translate back from the English:

(a)

A: Gure etxera etorri behar duzu noizbait.

You should come over to our place sometime.

B Ondo.

All right.

A: Zer moduz datorren asteburuan?

How about next weekend?

B: Ez dakit oraindik. Deituko dizut ostiralean.

I don't know yet. I'll give you a call on Friday.

A: Bale. Agur ba. Eta deitu!

Okay. 'Bye now. Remember to call.

B: Bai, bai, lasai. Beno ba, gero arte.

Yes, don't worry. Well, I'll be seeing you then.

(b)

A: Zergatik ez zara etortzen bazkaltzera bihar?

Why don't you come over for lunch tomorrow?

B:Gustora etorriko nintzateke, baina ezin dut bihar. Azterketa bat daukat hurrengo astean eta asko ikasi behar dut.

That would be nice (I'd come gladly), but I can't tomorrow. I have an exam next week and I have a lot of studying to do.

Talking about …

Clothes

The following are names of common articles of clothing and related items of vocabulary:

arropa

clothes

kamiseta

vest, T-shirt

alkondara

shirt

jertse

sweater

praka

(pair of) trousers

bakero

(pair of) jeans

gona

skirt

soineko

suit

azpiko arropa

underwear

kulero

(pair of) knickers

galtzontzilo

(pair of) underpants

galtzerdi

stocking, sock

bularretako

bra

pijama

(pair of) pyjamas

bainu jantzi

swimsuit

txamarra

jacket, coat

beroki

coat

zira

raincoat

jantzi

wear, put on

erantzi/kendu

take off

oinetako

shoe, (item of) footwear

zapata

(leather) shoe

zapatila

slipper, sneaker

sandalia

sandal

espartin

espadrille

bota

boot

zenbaki

size, number

taila

size

kolore

colour

gerriko

belt

txapel

cap

betaurrekoak

glasses

euritako

umbrella

poltsa

bag, handbag

erloju

watch

eraztun

ring

belarritako

earring

zuri

white

beltz

black

gorri

red

laranja

orange

larrosa

pink

berde

green

hori

yellow

urdin

blue

marroi

brown

gris

grey

argi

light

ilun

dark

Those nouns preceded by ‘(pair of)’ in English refer to one pair when in the singular in Basque, e.g. bakero bat ‘a/one pair of jeans’. For ‘Where are my jeans?’, referring to one pair, either Non dago nere bakeroa? or Non daude nere bakeroak is possible.

Reading

Discover the Lea-Artibai region!

Haran berdeak, mendi paketsuak, hondartza atseginak eta kai koloretsuak gustatzen bazaizkizu, hauek guztiak Bizkaiko Lea-Artibai eskualdean topatuko dituzu …

* Barnealdean MARKINA-XEMEIN, inguruko nekazal herrien zerbitzugunea. Igo Oiz mendira edo bisitatu Arretxinagako eliza eta Ubillaga-Urberoagako bainu-etxea.

* Itsasaldean ONDARROA, Txomin Agirre idazle ospetsuaren jaioterria eta Bizkaiko arrantza-portu nagusia. Ikusi Andra Mari eliza gotikoa eta Likona dorrea. Ekialdera, Saturraran hondartza; mendebaldera, kostaldeko bide zoragarria Lekeitioraino.

* LEKEITIO, herri arrantzale eta turistikoa. Santa Maria eliza eta Uriarte jauregia. Hondartza, ugarte eta kai ikusgarriak.

* Ez ahaztu BERRIATU, IPAZTER eta AMOROTOko haitzuloak.

Aurten, zatoz Lea-Artibaira!

After trying to understand the above tourist information, check the translation in the key.

11 ‘Hortik zehar’

On the road

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- verbal nouns

- more about diot etc.

- participles

Saying what you mean

- saying which way (1, 2)

- instrumental -z and adjectival -zko Doing

things with words

- ‘let's … ’/plans and proposals

- getting permission, and prohibitions

- expressing uncertainty or opinion Talking

about …

- the car and road travel

- accommodation

Language and life

- dialects and varieties of Basque

Dialogue 1 (Audio 2: 33)

Starting the journey

Elin and Naroa set out

ELIN:

Sartuko al ditut motxilak eta denda kotxearen maleteroan?

NAROA: (In the car.)

Bai. Nik bitartean etxeko ura eta argia kenduko ditut. Ez ahaztu pasaportea. Mugan eskatuko dizkigute.

ELIN:

Dena prest!

NAROA:(At the petrol station.)

Kotxea izan ezik. Abiatu baino lehen gasolindegitik pasa nahi dut gurpilen presioa begiratzera eta gasolina hartzera.

ATTENDANT:

Zenbat nahi duzu?

NAROA:

Depositoa bete … Aizu, gurpilen presioa begiratzeko … ?

ATTENDANT:

Hor daukazu haizea. Nahi al duzu laguntzea?

NAROA:

EZ, ez, moldatuko naiz.

ATTENDANT:

3.500 pezeta.

NAROA:

Tarjetarekin ordainduko dut.

ATTENDANT:

Orduan pasa bulegora. (At the desk.) Sinatu hemen, mesedez. Zure txartela.

NAROA: (On the road.)

Agur.

ELIN:

Nola joango gara? Autopistaz ala errepidetik?

NAROA:

Iruditzen zait orain hobe dela autopista hartzea mugaraino azkarragoa delako, baina gero errepidetik jarraitzea Donibane Lohitzuneraino. Gehiago ikusten da.

ELIN:

Nik mapa helduko dizut.

Notes

sartuko ditut

I' ll put (them) in (but sartuko naiz ‘I'll go in’)

kenduko ditut

(here) I' ll turn (them) off

ez ahaztu

don't forget

eskatuko dizkigute

they' ll ask us for them

Dena prest!

Everything is ready! (‘ is’ understood)

kotxea izan ezik

except for the car

abiatu baino lehen

before setting out

gasolindegitik pasa

go by the petrol station

Hor daukazu haizea

The air pump's over there, lit. ‘There you have the air.’

Nahi al duzu laguntzea?

Do you want me to help? (‘ me’ understood)

Moldatuko naiz.

I' ll manage.

tarjeta or txartela

card (synonyms; tarjeta is less formal)

mugaraino

as far as the border

mapa helduko dizut

I' ll hold the map for you

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Verbal nouns

Study these sentences:

Hobe da autopista hartzea mugaraino, gero errepidetik jarrai tzea.

It is better to take the motorway as far as the border, then to continue by the main road.

IMahi al duzu lagun tzea?

Do you want (me) to help?

You already know that verbs have forms in -t(z)en, -t(z)eko and -t(z)era . These consist of a basic part -t(z)e together with various suffixes. This -t(z)e form has various other uses, and is known as the verbal noun, because it functions as a noun denoting an action. Since it is a noun, it generally takes the singular article and so, when used as a direct object or a subject (of an intransitive verb), appears in the form -t(z)ea . Thus hartzea means ‘the act of taking’, and laguntzea ‘the act of helping’, and edatea ‘the act of drinking’ .

Exercise 1 Choose one of the following to complete each sentence: edatea, egitea, erretzea, ikastea, joatea.

1   Gustatzen zait zinera___.

2   Gehiegi ___txarra da.

3   Autobusetan ___debekatuta dago.

4   Nahi baduzu zerbait ___, esan!

5   Zaila zen euskara___?

More about diot etc

Compare these sentences:

Mugan pasaportea eskatuko dizute.

At the border they' ll ask you

Mugan pasaporteak eskatuko dizkigute.

At the border they' ll ask us for our passports.

The diot- type auxiliary forms are the most complicated because they show agreement with three parts of the sentence: the subject, the direct object and the indirect object. Luckily, their formation is very regular. The direct object must be third-person but may be singular (forms beginning with di- ) or plural (beginning with dizki- ). The person of the subject and of the indirect object is marked by suffixes, with subject markers coming last.

Thus dizute consists of di- (so the direct object is singular, ‘it’) plus -zu-te ‘they … to/for/from/of you’, and eskatuko dizute means ‘they will demand it of you’, i.e. ‘they will ask you for it’ . Dizkigute is dizki- (so ‘them’) plus -gu-te ‘they … to us’: eskatuko dizkigute ‘they will demand them of us’, ‘they will ask us for them’ .

There is no suffix marking a third person singular subject (compare du ‘has’, daki ‘knows’ etc.), so dizu is ‘she/he … it … to you’, dizkit ‘she/he … them … to me’ and so on. But a third-person-singular indirect object is represented by -o, and a third-person-plural one by -e (compare zaio, zaie); thus diozu ‘you … it … to her/him’ etc.

The possible person-marking suffix combinations are as follows (‘he’ standing for ‘she’, ‘he’ or ‘it’, and so on):

-dazu

you … to me

-zut

I… to you

-ot

I… to him

-t

he … to me

-zu

he … to you

-ozu

you… to him

-dazue

you (pi.)… to me

-zugu

we … to you

-o

he … to him

-date

they … to me

-zute

they … to you

-ogu

we … to him

-ozue

you (pi.)… to him

-ote

they… to him

-guzu

you … to us

-zuet

I… to you (pi.)

-et

I… to them

-gu

he … to us

-zue

he … to you (pi.)

-ezu

you … to them

-guzue

you (pi.)… to us

-zuegu

we … to you (pi.)

-e

he… to them

-gute

they … to us

-zuete

they … to you

-egu

we … to them

-ezue

you (pi.)… to them

-ete

they… to them

The present-tense auxiliary forms are obtained by adding one of the above suffix combinations to either di- or, if the direct object is plural, dizki-.

Exercise 2 What do these mean?

1   Liburu bat emango dizut.

2   Zer esan dizu emakume horrek?

3   Sartu etxean, kafe bat egingo dizuet.

4   Lagunei opariak erosi behar dizkiegu.

5   Lagunek hiztegi bat ekarri didate.

6   Nere amak ez dit ezer (anything) eskatu, baina zerbait eramango diot.

Saying what you mean

Saying which way (1)

Study these sentences:

Iparralderantz goaz.

We' re going towards the north.

Autopista hartuko dugu mugaraino, gero errepidea Donibaneraino.

We' ll take the motorway as far as the border, then the main road to Donibane.

Nafarroa aldera/Nafarroarantz joaten bagara … ?

How about if we head towards/for Nafarroa.

Gasolindegitik pasa nahi dut gurpilak begiratzeko.

I want to go by the petrol station to check the tyres.

You already know how to say non ‘where’, nora ‘where to’ and nondik ‘where from’, but it is sometimes useful to talk more specifically about norantz ‘in what direction, towards where’ or noraino ‘how far, as far as where’ . The suffixes -rantz ‘towards’ and -raino ‘as far as, up to’ are the simple ‘to’ suffix -ra with the extra letters -ntz or -ino added on.

For ‘in the general direction of or ‘to the … area’ we can either use -rantz or place aldera after a noun: mendirantz or mendi aldera ‘to(wards) the mountains’ .

Nondik usually means ‘where from’, but sometimes it means ‘which way’ or ‘through where’ . For example:

Trena Zarauztik pasatzen da

The train passes through Zarautz.

But to emphasize the idea of crossing through somewhere, the postposition zehar ‘through, across’ is placed after the noun phrase (usually in the ‘in/at’ case), e.g.

Euskal Herrian zehar ibili ginen.

We travelled/wandered through/across/around the Basque Country.

Hortik zehar

(the title of this unit), literally ‘through there’, is a colloquial expression meaning roughly ‘round and about’ .

Exercise 3 Translate:

1   Xabier geltokiraino etorri zen nerekin.

2   Gaizki goaz (We' re going the wrong way), bide hau ez doa mugarantz.

3   Gazte horiek hurrengo herriraino eramango ditut.

4   Nondik zoazte? Menditik.

Talking about …

The car and road travel

Here is some useful vocabulary:

kotxe/auto

car

bizikleta

bicycle

moto

motorbike

oinez joan

walk

autostop egin

hitch-hike

trafiko

traffic

giltza

key

ispilu

mirror

motore

engine

gurpil

wheel, tyre

zulatuta

punctured

zulo

hole, puncture

gatu

jack

haize

air

presio

(air) pressure

matrikula

licence number

aparkatu

park

aparkaleku

parking place, car park

garaje

garage

gasolindegi

petrol station

gasolina

petrol

gasoil

diesel oil

aberia

breakdown

hondatu/aberiatu

breakdown

konpondu

repair

tailer

garage (for repairs)

ur

water

olio

oil

freno

brake

martxan jarri

start (an engine), turn on (a television etc.)

ibili

run, work (of engines, appliances etc.)

aurreratu

overtake

istripu

accident, crash

anbulantzia

ambulance

ertzain

policeman/policewoman

mapa

map

piano

streetmap, plan

kilometro

kilometre

errepide/karreter

road, highway

autobia

motorway

autopista

motorway (with toll)

peaje

toll, toll station

sarrera

entrance

irteera

exit

seinale

signal, sign

lanak

(road) works

muga

border

aduana(k)

customs, customs post

Dialogue 2 (Audio 2: 35)

Looking for a place to stay

Elin and Naroa stop near Donibane Lohitzune to look for a campsite with vacancies

NAROA:

Non dago hurrengo akanpalekua?

ELIN:

(looking at the leaflet): Donibane Lohitzune pasa eta lau kilo-metro aurrerago iparralderantz. ‘Itsas-Mendi’ du izena.

(They enter the information office to enquire.)

NAROA:

Lekurik ba al dago?

RECEPTIONIST:

EZ, betea da. Uste dut kostan zaila izanen dela deus aurkitzea.

NAROA:

Bai, bideko akanpaleku guztietan galdetu dugu eta berdin esan digute.

RECEPTIONIST:

Zendako ez zarete joaten barnealderat, eta Kanbon eta Baigorrin galdetzen? Aide horretan badira akanpaleku anitz eta biziki politak.

NAROA:

Bai, horixe egin beharko dugu. Eskerrik asko.

(Back in the car.)

NAROA:

Nik uste dut gazte horrek arrazoia daukala.

ELIN:

Bai. Ez da ideia txarra barrualdean hartzea akanpalekua.Handik nahi adina txango egin ditzakegu bai itsasaldera,bai mendialdera.

NAROA:

Orduan joan gaitezen Baigorrira. Han egon nintzen lanean.

ELIN:

(looking at the map): Hori urruti samar gelditzen da eta ia bazkaltzeko ordua da. Harantz abiatu baino lehen toki polit bat bilatu eta bertan bazkaltzea proposatzen dizut.

NAROA:

Nik txoko bat ezagutzen dut Saran.

Notes

Donibane Lohitzune

‘St Jean de Luz’ in French

iparralderantz

northwards, towards the north

beteta or betea

full (bete ‘to fill’)

izanen dela

that it will be (izanen = izango)

deus aurkitzea

to find anything (deus = ezer)

badira there are

(alternative to badaude)

nahi adina txango

as many excursions as we like

joan gaitezen

let's go

urruti samar gelditzen da

is rather a long way off

ia bazkaltzeko ordua

nearly lunch time

harantz abiatu baino lehen

before heading that way

bertan bazkaltzea

have lunch there

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Participles (Audio 2: 36)

Study these sentences:

Kanpina beteta dago.

The campsite is full.

Nekatu ta zaude?

you tired?

Folletoak ez du esaten kanpinak noiz dauden ireki ta.

The leaflet doesn't say when the campsites are open.

Prezioak ez dira merkeak supermerkatuarekin konparatuta.

The prices are not cheap (when) compared to the supermarket.

bixigu errea

roast sea bream

Txuleta gutxi egina nahidut.

I want my txuleta rare (little done).

The basic form of a verb can also serve as a participle, i.e. a kind of adjective; for example, frijitu means ‘to fry’, but patata frijituak are ‘fried potatoes’, i.e. ‘chips’ .

Participles have various uses, but they are often used as predicates of the verb egon, e.g. Nekatua or Nekatuta nago ‘I am tired’ . The article -a/-ak with participles is often replaced by a special suffix -ta (or -da after n or 1). However, the article is also correct here, and -ta/-da must not be used when the participle is attributive, as in bixigu errea (from erre ‘to burn, roast etc.’), not ‘bixigu erreta ’ .

Exercise 4 Add the correct suffix, -ta, da, -a or -ak, to these participles, and translate:

1   Dendak itxi ___ daude.

2   Leku hau bete___dago.

3   Oso nekatu___gaude.

4   Nere aitona hil___dago, (hil=die)

5   Piper bete___asko gustatzen zaizkit.

Saying what you mean

Saying which way (12)

The words ‘here’, ‘there’ and ‘where’ have the following suffixed forms:

Exercise 5 Supply the missing word to complete the translations:

1   Where are you going? Towards the town square. ___ zoaz? Herriko plazarantz.

2   What's there? The market. Zer dago ___? Azoka.

3   Which way are you going? This way. ___ zoaz? ___

4   How far are you going? Only this far. ___ zoaz? ___ bakarrik.

5   Where were you yesterday? Around. ___ egon zinen atzo? ___ Zehar.

Instrumental -z and adjectival -zko

Study these sentences:

Autopistaz joango gara?

Shall we go by motorway?

Nola etorriko zara? – Oinez.

How will you get here? – I' ll walk (on foot).

Elinek euskaraz hitzegiten du.

Elin speaks (in) Basque.

EuskarazJro libururik ba al daukazu?

Have you got any books in Basque?

TxokolatezJro helatu bat nahi dut.

I want a chocolate ice cream.

The suffix -z, known as the instrumental case, has various uses. In Unit 9 we saw that it may be used to express ‘about’, in which case with the singular and plural article it takes the forms -az and -ez respectively, e.g.

Janariaz hitzegin genuen.

We spoke about food.

Without an article, in the form -z (-ez after a consonant), the instrumental can express a number of ideas, including that of means or instrument: oinez ‘on foot’, trenez ‘by train’, telefonoz ‘on the phone’, eskuz ‘by hand’, euskaraz ‘in Basque’, inglesez ‘in English’,zoritxarrez ‘unfortunately’ (lit. ‘by bad luck’), nere iritziz or nere ustez ‘in my opinion’ .

By adding adjectival -ko (see Unit 7) to the instrumental, we get the compound suffix -zko which is found in numerous adjectival expressions, such as euskarazko liburua ‘Basque book’ (lit. ‘book in Basque’), txokolatezko helatua ‘chocolate ice cream’, laranjazko zumoa ‘orange juice’, Bosnian buruzko artikulu bat ‘an article about Bosnia’ (not ‘Bosniazko … ’).

Dialogue 3 (Audio 2: 37)

At the campsite

The friends sign in

NAROA:

Lekurik ba al duzue?

RECEPTIONIST:

Bai. Zenbat zarete?

ELIN:

Bi. Zenbat da gaua?

RECEPTIONIST:

Pertsona bakoitzeko 21 libera eta autoa berdin, hortaz, 63 libera.

NAROA:

Ondo

RECEPTIONIST:

Fitxa hau bete behar da. Nola duzue izena eta nongoak zarete?

ELIN:

Elin Davies …

NAROA:

Eta Naroa Ugartetxea.

RECEPTIONIST:

(puzzled, to Naroa): Zu euskalduna zara, bes-taldekoa, baina (turning to Elin) zu?

ELIN:

Ni Gales Herrikoa naiz.

RECEPTIONIST:

A. Euskaraz mintzatzen zara!

ELIN:

Bai

RECEPTIONIST:

Badakizue zenbat gau geldituko zareten?

NAROA:

Hiru edo lau.

RECEPTIONIST:

Zuen kanpin karnetak edo pasaporte zenbakiak behar ditut. (Takes note) Mila esker. Dutxak eta komunak hor gibelean dira. Bada supermerkatu bat kanpinean.

ELIN:

Bainatu al daiteke lakuan?

RECEPTIONIST:

Bai, bai. Baina ezin da arrantza egin. Kanpineko piano bat emanen dizuet. Gaur bestak dira Bidarrain. Beharbada joan nahi duzue …

NAROA and ELIN: (Outside the office.)

A bai? Beharbada joango gara. Eskerrik asko!

ELIN:

Zer iruditzen zaizu leku hori denda jartzeko?

NAROA:

Ondo. Has gaitezen denda montatzen.

ELIN:

Nik uste dut lakuan bainatu egingo naizela.

NAROA:

Egia esateko, ideia ona da. Zurekin joango naiz eta gerokoak gero.

Notes

bestaldekoa

from the other side (= beste aldekoa; here, from the ‘spanish’ side)

karnet

identification card, membership card (alsodriving licence)

Mila esker!

Thank you! (lit ‘a thousand thanks’)

bainatu al daiteke?

impersonal:can one swim?

has gaitezen

let's start

bainatu egingo naizela

that I’ m going to have a swim (bainatuko naizela is also possible)

Gerokoak gero.

(roughly)We' ll worry about the rest later.

Doing things with words

‘Let's’/plans and proposals

Study these sentences:

Joan gaitezen Baigorrira.

Let's go to Baigorri.

Galdetu dezagun hemen.

Let's ask here.

Goazen beste toki batera.

Let's go somewhere else.

Goazen galdetzera hemen. You can also use the future tense in a question to suggest joint action, e.g.

Let's ask here.

Galdetuko al dugu hemen?

Shall we ask here?

Exercise 6 Can you complete and translate the following sentences, taken from this unit's conversations, which use a variety of patterns to make suggestions and proposals?

1   ___ ___ ___motxilak eta denda kotxearen maleteroan?

2   ___ ___ ___ laguntzea?

3   ___ ___ ___? Autopistaz ala errepidetik?

4   ___ ___ orain hobe dela autopista hartzea.

5   ___ ___ ___ joaten barne alderat.

6   Orduan, ___ ___ Baigorrira.

7   Toki polit bat bilatzea eta bertan bazkaltzea ___ ___

8   Gaur bestak dira Bidarrain. ___ joan ___ ___.

9   Zer ___ ___ leku hori denda jartzeko?

10   ___ ___ ___ lakuan bainatu egingo naizela.

Getting permission, and prohibitions

Study these sentences:

Bainatu al daiteke lakuan?To say ‘Let's (do something)’, we can place gaitezen (with intransitive verbs) or dezagun (with transitives) after the verb as in the first two examples above. There is also a popular simple form for ‘let's go’, goazen, which even tends colloquially to replace gaitezen and dezagun: the main verb follows goazen in the -t(z)era form, e.g.

Can one swim in the lake?

Ba al dago lakuan bainatzerik?

Can one swim in the lake?

Bai, bai.

Yes, of course

Aurrera!

Go ahead!

Ezin da bainatu lakuan.

You/One can't swim in the lake

Ez dago lakuan bainatzerik.

There's no bathing in the lake.

DEBEKATUTA DAGO BAINATZEA

BATHING IS FORBIDDEN

BAINATZEA DEBEKATUTA!

BATHING FORBIDDEN!

LAKUAN EZ BAINATU

NO BATHING IN THE LAKE

Expressing uncertainty or opinion

Exercise 7 What are the missing words which express uncertainty or opinion on the speaker's part in these sentences?

1   ___ joan nahi duzue …

2   ___ ___ kostan zaila izanen dela deus aurkitzea.

3   ___ ___ ___ lakuan bainatu egingo naizela.

4   ___ ___ orain hobe dela autopista hartzea mugaraino …

Another way to express an uncertain conjecture is by using the future tense: see page 137.

Talking about …

Accommodation

Some useful vocabulary:

ostatu

hotel

hotel

(large) hotel

pentsio

boarding house

aterpetxe

hostel

kanpin/akanpaleku

campground

denda

tent

lo (egiteko)zaku

sleeping bag

gela

room

doble

double

erreserbatu

reserve

bete(t)a

full

hutsik

empty, vacant

gaii

night

ohe

bed

Language and life

Dialects and varieties of Basque

Wherever you go in the Basque Country, you will find that people use some language forms different from those you have learnt. What is more, the person may use different language forms on different occasions. We do the same in English, of course. People will often do their best to talk to you in standard Basque because you are a foreigner, but even so you will notice differences. Since no single form of Basque is the only correct one, you are advised to adapt to and copy whatever you hear. In most cases that will not be difficult if you have learnt Basque well from this book, so don't be discouraged.

There are a few differences of pronunciation between dialects. For example, h is not pronounced in southern dialects (those on the ‘Spanish’ side). In Lapurdi and Low Navarre, n does not sound as h after i, nor does 1 sound as II. The letter j sounds like an h in Gipuzkoa, a y in Navarre, and a j in Bizkaia! There are also some vowel changes, so a word like etxeak ‘houses’ may be pronounced etxeak, etxek, etxiak, etxiek, etxik or etxyak.

You will also encounter differences of vocabulary. Remember that most of the vocabulary you have learnt is either used everywhere or at least used in Gipuzkoa. But as you will have noticed in the dialogues, northerners may say deus for ‘anything’, zendako for ‘why’, anitz for ‘many’, biziki for ‘very’, barnean for ‘inside’, mintzatu for ‘speak’, gibelean for ‘behind’ and bestak for ‘fiestas’ . Bizkaians say emon for ‘give’, larregi for ‘too much/many’ and urten for ‘leave, go out’, as you will see in Unit 12. If you keep your ears open when meeting Basques, you will discover other such differences.

There are also some minor grammatical differences. Did you notice that northern Basques say emanen dut ‘I' ll give’ ? Some auxiliaries also have dialect forms (not shown in the dialogues). Low Navarrese, for example, say niz rather than naiz, zira rather than zara, and ziizte for zarete. Bizkaians, on the other hand, say naz rather than naiz, zarie rather than zarete, dot for dut, dau for du and dabe for dute.

Gipuzkoan Basque is not necessarily more correct than other dialects, and it too differs from standard Basque. Some Gipuzkoans say zergatikan for ‘why’, ailegatu for ‘arrive’, bueltatu for ‘return’, gertu for ‘near’ and so on. Furthermore, not all the words you have learnt in this book are used in most dialects; for example, the word for ‘far’ in both Bizkaian and northern Basque is urrun. As for verb forms, those you have learnt are the standard ones, but Gipuzkoans normally say zera not zara, zerate not zarete, det not dut, and although many Gipuzkoans say dute some use due.

Exercise 8 Can you give either the standard forms or those found in this book that correspond to the forms mentioned in this section? For example:

deus

‘anything’: ezer

zergatikan

‘why’: zergatik etc.

12 Etxerantz

Going home

In this unit we will look at:

Grammatical nuts and bolts

- past-tense auxiliary forms

- personal direct objects

Saying what you mean

- saying which way (3)

- saying when (2)

- relative clauses

- saying why

- ′had to′, ′should have′, ′wanted to′, ′could′ etc.

- the simple past tense

- indirect commands

- ′start doing′, ′try to do′ etc.

- ′anything′ or ′nothing′

Strategies for communication

- writing addresses

Talking about …

- health and the body

- long-distance travel

Language and life

- festivals and fiestas

Dialogue 1 (Audio 2: 38)

A guest pays a visit

The doorbell rings. Naroa opens the door

NAROA:

Pasa aurrera. Xabier zara, ezta?

XABIER:

Eta zu Naroa. Azkenean ezagutu zaitut.

(Elin comes out of the living room.)

ELIN:

Kaixo, Xabier. Zer moduz azterketak?

XABIER:

Oso ongi. Eta Iparraldean?

NAROA:

Berriketan hasi baino lehen, nahi al duzue kafetxo bat prestatzea?

ELIN: and XABIER:

Bai, ongi.

XABIER:

Azterketak bukatu nituenean, Leitzara joan nintzen egun batzuk pasatzera eta aldizkaria egitera.

ELIN:

Aldizkaria?

XABIER:

Bai. Duela bi urte eskualdeko aldizkaritxo bat ateratzen hasi ginen. Begira, hau da udako alea.

(Elin takes a look.)

ELIN:

Gustatzen zait. Artikulu interesgarriak dauzka eta euskara nahiko erraza. Iruditzen zait zuen lehen harpidedun atzerritarra aurkitu duzuela.

XABIER:

Benetan?

ELIN:

Zergatik ez? Ez nuke ikasi dudan euskara galdu nahi.Honela praktikatu egingo nuke.

XABIER:

Saiatuko gara ale interesgarriak ateratzen! Ea ba, ez duzu ezer kontatzeko bidaiaz?

ELIN:

Primeran pasatu dugu. Baigorrin egon ginen kostaldeko kanpinak beteta zeudelako.

NAROA (from the kitchen):

Eta Bidarraiko jaiak harrapatu genituen.

XABIER:

Ze suertea!

NAROA (serving coffee):

Lehenengo gauean Iparraldeko ikastolek antolatutako jaialdi batera joan gin en.

XABIER:

Nork jotzen zuen?

ELIN:

Niko Etxartek. Asko gustatu zitzaidan. laialdian geundenean Baigorriko koadrila bat ezagutu genuen eta haiekin ibili gin en. Txangoak egin, mend ira igo eta hango dantzak ere ikasi genituen!

XABIER:

Ez dago gaizki!

(Later.)

XABIER:

Noiz itzuli behar duzu Londresa? Laister, ezta?

ELIN:

Bai, zoritxarrez. Datorren astelehenean lane an hasi behar dut. (Looks at Naroa.) Ondo al zaude, Naroa?

NAROA:

Egia esanda, ez naiz oso ondo aurkitzen. Eguerdian buruko min pixka bat neukan eta …

XABIER:

Aurpegi txarra duzu. Zer duzu, gripea?

NAROA:

Ez! Zarauzko jaiak dira eta atzo gau pasa egin nuen.

ELIN:

Esan nizun ez egiteko, azken egunetan oso 10 gutxiegiten ari gara eta. Ni ez nintzen atera eta gaur primerannago.

NAROA:

Ba gaur atera nahi baduzue, ni gabe izan beharko du; aspirina bat hartu eta ohera noa.

Notes

Eta zu Naroa. Note the ellipsis of the verb ‘to be’.

berriketan hasi baino lehen before (you) start chatting

Nahi al duzue kafetxo bat prestatezea? Do you want (me) to make a cup of coffee? but translate: Shall I …?

bukatu nituenean when I finished (them)

duela bi urte two years ago

ikasi dudan euskara the Basque (that) I've learnt

Ez nuke … galdu nahi. I wouldn’t want to forget the Basque I've learnt.

praktikatu egingo nuke I'd get some practice

Saiatuko gara… ateratzen. We’ll try to publish …

Ea ba! Well, come on!

Ez duzu ezer kontatzeko … ? Haven’t you got anything to tell … ?

Primeran pasatu dugu. We had a great time.

beteta zeudelako because they were full

Iparraldeko ikastolek antolatutako … …organized by the northern ‘ikastola’ schools

Nork jotzen zuen? Who was playing? (i.e. what musicians?)

gustatu zitzaidan I liked (herlhimJit)

geundenean when we were

haiekin ibili ginen we went around with them

hango dantzak ere ikasi genituen! We even learnt the local dances!

Ondo al zaude? Are you all right?

ez naiz oso ondo aurkitzen I don’t feel very well.

Zer duzu?What’s the matter? What’s wrong with you?

jaiak dira eta what with the fiestas

gau pasa egin nuen I stayed up all night

Esan nizun ez egiteko. I told you not to (do it).

azken egunetan for the last (few) days, of late

oso lo gutxj egiten ari gara eta because we’ve been getting very little sleep

ni gabe izan beharko du it will have to be without me

Aspirina bat hartu eta ohera noa. I'm going to take an aspirin and go to bed.

Saying what you mean

Saying which way (3)

In Unit 9 we saw how postposltlons and adverbs like auuean,kanpoan, goian etc. allow us to be specific about relative position.These postpositions end in -an because they refer to where something or someone is. If we change -an to -ra in these words we obtain adverbs expressing which way something or someone is going:

auuera

forward, ahead

atzera

backwards, back

barrura

in, inside

kanpora

out, outside

gora

up

behera

down

(Note that gora irregularly loses the i that appears in goian.) So for example:

Segi auuera!

Goazen bauura.

Non bizi zara? – Hemendik gora, eta eskubira.

Where do you live? – Up this way, and to the right.

Direction, however, is often expressed not by such adverbs but by the choice of a specific verb of movement. An analogy is found in English where, instead Of go in or come in, we may say enter,or instead of go/come down, descend. The difference is that the Basque verbs corresponding to enter, descend etc. are used more often. Here are some of the most useful:

sartu

enter, go/come in

atera

exit, go/come out, leave, depart

igo

ascend, go/come up (or upstairs)

jaitsi

descend, go/come down (or downstairs)

iritsi

arrive, get (somewhere), reach

itzuli

return, go/come back

buelta eman

turn round

In English we often select a verb that expresses the manner of movement, and combine it with an adverb expressing the direction, e.g. She ran downstairs or He walked back. In Basque it is usual to do the opposite: the verb selected specifies the direction, and an adverb expresses the manner:

Korrika jaitsi zen.

Oinez itzuli zen.

Examples of such manner adverbs are:

oinez ‘on foot’, cf. ‘walk’

kotxez ‘by car’, cf. ‘drive’

hegazkinez ‘by plane’, cf. ‘fly’

korrika ‘running, fast’, cf. ‘run’

These adverbs are not used if irrelevant or superfluous, even when the verbs shown are used in English. Thus ‘He ran down to the shop’ could be Korrika jaitsi zen dendara if you want to emphasize his haste; otherwise simply Dendara jaitsi zen is more likely.

The most common verbs of movement are joan ‘go’ and etorri ‘come’. The simple present of these was given in Unit 9. Another very useful verb is ibiIi, which expresses continual movement with no fixed direction and no specific manner, and so can be variously translated as ‘go about, walk, drive, move, wander etc.’. It has a simple present as follows:

nabil

gabiltza

zabiltza

zabiltzate

dabil

dabiltza

Ibili has numerous idiomatic uses. Colloquially it is often used instead of egon to talk about someone’s health, welfare or business, or the functioning of machines, e.g.

Amona gaizki dabil.

Grandmother isn’t well.

Zer moduz zabiltza?

How’re you doing?

Kotxea ez dabil.

The car doesn’t work.

Exercise 1 Translate into Basque with the help of the accompanying notes, then check the key. (You may prefer to try the translation in reverse first, starting out from the key!)

Early in the morning Elin and Naroa departed on an excursion.They went inland towards the mountains. After a few kilometres,they had to turn round, for they had taken a wrong turning. Further along, they stopped the car and started to walk up a hill. They continued up and up and finally reached the top. Afterwards they went back to the car and drove on. Unfortunately it started raining and so they drove back to a small village and went into the bar.

early in the morning: goizean goiz

departed: abiatu dira (assuming this happened today)

on an excursion: say ‘to make an excursion’

after a few kilometres: ‘after doing a few … ’

a wrong turning: bide okerra

started to walk up: igotzen hasi dira

hill: mendixka

continue up and up: gora eta gora egin

top: tontor

drive back: atzera itzuli

small village: herrixka

went: omit the auxiliary

Saying when (2)

Study these expressions:

(a)

datorren astean

next week

joan den igandean

last Sunday

bost minutu barru

in five minutes ’time

duela bi urte

two years ago

due/a bi urte

two years ago

urtero

every year

egunero

every day

uda batez

for a summer

(b)

iritsi nintzenean

when I arrived

azterketak bukatu nituenean

when I finished (my) exams

denbora aurkitzen dudanean

when I find time

ahal duzunean

when you can

(c)

berriketan hasi baino lehen

before(you/we) start chatting

kafea hoztu baino lehen

before (your) coffee gets cold

azterketak bukatu ondoren/eta gero

after (I/you/ … ) finish (my/… ) exams

Exercise 2 Translate into Basque, then compare with the dialogue.

1   When we were at the festival, we met a ‘koadrila’ from Baigorri.

2   Before you start chatting, shall I make some coffee?

3   Two years ago we started publishing a little magazine.

4   When I had finished my exams, I went back to Leitza.

Relative clauses

Study these sentences:

ikasi dudan euskara

the Basque that I have learnt

ikasto/ek antolatutako jaialdi bat

a festival organized by the 'ikastola' schools

Relative clauses may be finite, like the first example, or built around a participle, as in the second example. In either case, the relative clause precedes the ‘head’ (the word it qualifies) in Basque, whereas in English it follows it.

Note that datorren astean ‘next week’ is literally ‘in the week that is coming’datorren is a relative clause. Likewise, joan den igandean ‘last Sunday’ is literally ‘on the Sunday that has gone’.

To form a finite relative clause, place the verb at the end of the clause and add the same -(e)n suffix used in indirect questions (see Unit 10). So:

Denda honetan erosi duzun liburua interesgarria da.

The book that you have bought in this shop is interesting.

The head noun may be omitted and the article added direct to the end of the relative clause itself, thus:

Denda honetan erosi duzuna interesgarria da.

The one that you have bought in this shop is interesting.

Participial relative clauses are formed by adding -tako or -dako to the participle, that is, the -ta/-da form of the participle seen in Unit 11 plus the adjective-forming -ko. Thus the second example above is literally ‘an ikastolas-organized festival’.

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Past-tense auxiliary forms

Study these sentences:

Hango dantzak ikasi genituen.

We learnt the local dances.

Esan nizun ez egiteko.

I told you not to do (it).

There is a past-tense auxiliary form corresponding to every presenttense form, but don't try to learn them all at once! If you have learnt the most important forms, given in Unit 10, then the others will come easier as these mostly follow similar principles. Here is a selection of some of them:

zitzaidan

was to me

zitzaizun

was to you

zitzaion

was to her/him/it

zitzaien

was to them

zitzaizkion

were to her/him/it

nion

I (it) to her/him

zenion

you (it) to her/him

zion

she/he (it) to her/him

zioten

they (it) to her/him

zenidan

you (it) to me

zidan

she/he (it) to me

zidaten

they (it) to me

nizun

I (it) to you

zizun

she/he (it) to you

zizuten

they (it) to you

nien

I (it) to them

nizkion

I (them) to her/him

zizkidan

they (them) to me

Exercise 3 Can you say which present-tense auxiliary form corresponds to each of the above past-tense forms?

Talking about …

Health and the body

Here is some useful vocabulary; see also pages 109-10 for names of shopping items related to health and personal hygiene.

gorputz

body

buru

head

aurpegi

face

i1e

hair

begi

eye

sudur

nose

belarri

ear

aho

mouth

hortz

tooth

lepo

neck

bizkar

back

bular

breast, chest

beso

arm

esku

hand

behatz

finger, toe

ipurdi

bottom

hanka

leg

oin

foot

azal

skin

hezur

bone

odol

blood

bihotz

heart

birika

lung

garbitu

wash, clean

bainatu

bathe, have a bath

dutxatu

have a shower

gose

hunger

egarri

thirst

nekatuta

tired

eztul

cough

txorkatila hautsi

break an ankle

bihotzeko

heart attack

aspirina

aspirin

botika

medicine

pastila

pill

mediku

doctor

dentista

dentist

hil

die

sendatu

get better, cure

Some phrases: (Audio 2: 39)

Beroa daukat.

I'm hot.

Hotza daukat.

I'm cold.

Gaizki aurkitzen naiz.

I don’t feel well.

Gaisorik nago.

I'm ill.

Mina daukat.

I have an ache/pain.

Sukarra daukat.

I have a temperature.

Gripea daukat.

I have the flu.

Katarroa daukat.

I have a cold.

Bumko mina daukat.

I have a headache.

Eztarriko mina daukat.

I have a sore throat

Haginetako mina dukat.

I have a toothache.

Sabeleko mina daukat.

I have a tummy ache.

Dialogue 2 (Audio 2: 40)

At the airport

Naroa sees Elin off

NAROA:

Trafiko handia zegoen baina garaiz iritsi gara.

ELlN:

Bai. Kezkatuta nengoen.

NAROA:

Goazen kafetxo bat hartzera.

ELlN:

Motxila fakturatu behar da. Hori egingo dut kafea hartu baino lehen. Non utziko nituen pasaportea eta hegazkin txartela?

NAROA:

Tabernan egongo naiz zure zain.

(At the check-in desk.)

CLERK:

Emon pasaportea eta txartela, mesedez. Erretzailea ala ez erretzailea?

ELlN:

Ez erretzailea.

CLERK:

Ipini motxila zintan, mesedez. Zuk zeuk egin duzu motxila?

ELlN:

Bai.

CLERK:

Larregi pisatzen du …

(Three minutes later.)

CLERK:

Zeure hegaldia deitzen dutenean, urten bigarren atetik.

(In the airport coffee lounge.)

NAROA:

Zer, arazorik?

ELlN:

Ordaindu behar izan dut pisu gehiegi neukalako.Hainbeste oparirekin … !

NAROA:

Hartu kafea hoztu baino lehen.

ELlN:

Etorriko zara abenduan Gabonak gurekin pasatzera,ezta?

NAROA:

Ahal badut, bai.

ELlN:

Saiatu zaitez etortzen. Bangorren primeran pasatukondugu.

(After a pause.)

NAROA:

Opari txiki bat daukat zuretzat. Tori.

ELlN:

Ez zenuen ezer egin behar.

NAROA:

Gustatzen al zaizu?

ELlN:

Noski baietz. Esan nizun ez erosteko. Erosi nahi nuen baina garestiegia zen.

LOUDSPEAKER:

Londreserako BA 565 hegaldirako lehenengo deia. Bidaiariak nazioarteko hegaldietako bigarren atera joan zaitezte, mesedez. Primera llamada para el vuelo de British Airways número cinco seis cinco …

ELlN:

Bukatu dira oporrak.

(Kissing at the departure gate.)

NAROA:

Agur. Bidaia on bat izan.

ELlN:

Bai, agur. Gabonak arte.

ELIN (waving):

Agur. Idatzi, e!

NAROA:

Bai! Agur!

Notes

trafiko handia zegoen there was a lot of traffic

kezkatuta nengoen I was worried

Non utziko nituen … ? I wonder where I left … ?

Ipini motxila zintan. Put your bag on the conveyer belt.

zu(k) zeu(k) you yourself

ordaindu behar izan dut I had to pay

neukalako because I had

Hainbeste oparirekin …! All those presents!( lit. ‘With so many presents … !’)

ahal badut if I can, if I'm able

Saiatu zaitez etortzen. Try to come.

Ez zenuen ezer egin behar. You needn't have done anything.

Noski baietz. Of course I do.

Esan nizun ez erosteko. I told you not to buy it.

Saying what you mean

Saying why

Study these sentences:

Zergatik ikasi duzu euskara?

Why did you learn Basque?

Zergatik ez?!

Why not?!

Interesgarria delako.

Because it's interesting.

Goazen aldatzera, gauean

Let's go and change, since

afaltzera goaz eta.

we’re going out to eat later.

To say ‘because’, the suffix -(e)lako is added to the verb: interesgarria da ‘it is interesting’, interesgarria delako ‘because it is interesting’; etorri naiz ‘I have come’, etorri naizelako ‘because I have come’. This suffix has the same form as the -(e)la used in indirect statements (see Unit 6) plus -ko.

Alternatively, explanatory clauses may be signalled by eta placed at the end of the clause.

Exercise 4 Answer these questions:

1   Zergatik joan zen Xabier Leitzara?

2   Zergatik uste duzu Elini gustatu zaiola Xabierren aldizkaria?

3   Zergatik itzuli behar du Elinek laister Londresa?

4   Zergatik dauka Naroak buruko mina?

5   Zergatik zegoen Elin kezkatuta aireportura iritsi baino lehen?

6   Zergatik ordaindu behar izan du Elinek maleta fakturatze-rakoan?

‘Had to’, ‘should have’, ‘wanted to’, ‘could’ etc.

Study these sentences:

Erosi nahi nuen, bainagarestiegia zen.

I wanted to buy it, but it was too expensive.

Zer egin behar zuen Josuk?

What did Josu have to do?

Ez zenuen ezer erosi behar.

You shouldn't have bought anything.

Ezin nuen aurkitu giltza.

I couldn't find the key.

Ordaindu behar izan dut/nuen.

I had to pay.

Ezin izan ginen kostaldean gelditu.

We weren't able to stay on the coast.

Euskara pixka bat ikasi ahal izan dut.

I have been able to learn a little Basque.

The Basque verbs meaning ‘have to’, ‘want to’, ‘can’ etc. have both simple past tense and perfect tenses. The former are formed by using past-tense auxiliaries instead of presenttense ones: nahi dut ‘I want’, nahi nuen ‘I wanted’, behar duzu ‘you have to’, behar zenuen ‘you had to’ and so on. These can be described as expressing what one was wanting to do, having to do and so on.

The perfect forms come closer to describing something that happened; for example, ordaindu behar izan dut means ‘I had to pay (and so I paid)’, as opposed to ordaindu behar nuen which could mean ‘I had to pay (each time I did that)’ or ‘(if I wanted to do that) I had to pay’, where we are not referring to an actual act of paying that took place. If the act did take place, use the present perfect for today and the past perfect (e.g. ordaindu behar izan nuen) for an earlier time of occurrence.

The simple past tense

Study these sentences:

Trafiko asko zegoen.

There was a lot of traffic.

Kanpinak beteta zeuden.

The campsites were full.

Kezkatuta nengoen.

I was worried.

Pisu gehiegi neukan.

I had too much weight.

A similar distinction is involved in choosing how to translate the past tense of ‘to be’ and ‘to have’. You already know the simple past-tense forms of izan (‘be’ and ‘have’) from Unit 10; these are the same as the past perfect auxiliaries. The simple past of egon and eduki need not be memorized at this point, but for your reference it is as follows:

Egon

nengoen

I was

zeunden

you were

zegoen

she/he/it was

geunden

we were

zeundeten

you (pl.) were

zeuden

they were

But when referring to a single, well-defined occurrence, the present or past perfect tense may be the appropriate one, e.g.

Ideia bat eduki nuen.

I had an idea.

Behin Ameriketan egon nintzen.

I was in America once.

Another verb whose simple past tense you may find useful is jakin ‘know’; it is as follows:

Jakin

nekien

I knew

zenekien

you knew

zekien

she/he knew

genekien

we knew

zenekiten

you (pi.) knew

zekiten

they knew

Indirect commands

Study these sentences:

Esan diot Xabierri bihar etortzeko.

I told Xabier to come tomorrow.

Esan nizun ez erosteko.

I told you not to buy it.

To express indirect commands, use the -t(z)eko form of the verb just as we would use the infinitive with to in English.

Talking about …

Long-distance travel

Some vocabulary concerning local travel was given in Unit 2. The following words are useful for longer journeys:

hegazkin/abioi

plane

aireportu

airport

maletak fakturatu

check luggage in

txartel/bilete

ticket

pasaporte

passport

hegaldi

flight

ate

gate

bidaiari

passenger

turista

tourist

maleta

suitcase

motxila

backpack

poltsa

bag

pisu

weight

erretzaile

smoker

ez erretzaile

non-smoker

eserleku

seat

pasilo

passage

leiho

window

azafata

steward(ess)

atera

leave

iritsi

arrive

bidai agentzia

travel agency

informazio

information

A postcard

Notes

Ez nuen inor espero.

I didn't expect anyone.

Baliteke … Euskal Herrira joatea.

Maybe I'll go to the Basque Country …

Grammatical nuts and bolts

Personal direct objects

Study this sentence:

Azkenean ezagutu zaitut.

At last I've met you.

As you know, a transitive verb agrees in number with its direct object:

Zure lagunak ezagutzen ditut.

I know your friends.

When no object noun phrase is present, we must insert ‘her’, ‘him’, ‘it’ or ‘them’ into the English translation:

Ezagutzen ditut.

I know them.

Such verbs must also agree with their object in person, and since the object pronoun will normally be omitted in Basque, the appropriate one must be inserted in English. Knowledge of the full paradigm will come gradually if you persevere with your Basque; here are some sample forms:

nauzu

you … me

nau

she/he/it… me

naute

they … me

zaitut

I … you

zaitu

she/he/it… you

zaituzte

they … you

gaituzu

you … us

Exercise 5 Which of the sentences on the right do you think means the following?

1 I love you?

( a) ikusi gaituzu

2 you love me?

(b) ezagutzen naute

3 you saw us?

(c) maite zaitut

4 we saw you?

(d) ikusi zaitugu

5 they know me?

( e) ezagutzeu dituzu

6 you know them?

(f) maite nauzu

Saying what you mean

‘Start doing’, ‘try to do’ etc.

Study these sentences:

Planak egiten hasi naiz datorren urterako.

I've started making plans for next year.

Naroa saiatuko da Bangorrera joaten Gabonetan.

Naroa will try to go to Bangor at Christmas.

Note that the main verbs in these sentences take a subordinate verb in the -t(z)en form, i.e. the same form used in the compound present tense. The list of verbs governing -t(z)en includes:

hasi

start to, begin to

jarraitu/segi

Continue

saiatu

try to

jakin

know how to

ikasi

learn to

irakatsi

teach to

lagundu

help to

utzi

Let

The -t(z)en form of verbs also occurs with auxiliaries like ari izan (see Unit 5) and with verbs of perception, e.g.

Elin euskara asko ikasten ari da.

Euskaraz hitzegiten entzun zaitut.

I heard you speaking Basque.

‘Anything’ or ‘nothing’

Study these sentences:

Ez zenuen ezer erosi behar.

You shouldn't have bought anything.

Ez nuen inor espero aireportuan.

I wasn't expecting anyone at the airport.

The words ezer ‘anything’ and inor ‘anyone’ are used in negative sentences like the above, and can also occur in some questions and other sentence types, e.g.

Inor ikusten al duzu?

Can (Do) you see anyone?

Other words used in the same kinds of sentence include inoiz ‘ever’ and noun phrases with the partitive suffix -(r)ik (see Unit 7).

The word batere (which is compounded from bat and ere and which, in colloquial speech, may take the forms bate or bape) has two meanings, ‘any’ and ‘at all’:

Zenbat anai-arreba dituzu? - Batere ez.

How many brothers and sisters have you? - None (not any).

Ez nago batere nekatuta.

I'm not tired at all.

There are no negative words in Basque corresponding to ‘nothing’, ‘nobody’, ‘none’ and so on; instead, words meaning ‘anything’, ‘anybody’, ‘any’ and the like must be placed in a negative context:

Ez daukat dirurik.

I have no money = I haven't any money.

Ideiarik ez.

No idea = Not any idea.

Inor ez zen etorri.

Nobody came = Anybody didn't come

Ezer ez.

Nothing = Not anything.

Strategies for communication

Writing addresses

Look again at the address on Elin's postcard to Naroa. In Spain, hence also in the southern Basque Country, the street name precedes the door number:

Araba kalea 21

Most Basques live in flats, and these are usually identified by a floor number and a flat number or letter (or sometimes ezker ‘left’, eskuin ‘right’); Naroa lives in flat D on the sixth floor. Her address would be read:

Araba kalea hogeita bat, seigarrena de.

The town's name, on the next line, is preceded by a five-digit postal code.

Exercise 6 (review) Translate:

1   We weren't able to speak to anyone.

2   Up on the hill we couldn't see anything, as there was a lot of mist. What should we have done?

3   You see, I was able to come.

4   How much money should I give him next week? - None.

5   You shouldn't have drunk so much.

6   Have you learnt anything with this book?

Language and life

Festivals and fiestas

Basques love social gatherings and excuses to, as they say, kalera atera and kalean ibili. As these terms imply, the streets and plazas of a town, rather than private homes, are considered the best place for socializing, especially when there is giroa (‘atmosphere’). This occurs on Friday and Saturday nights, and especially when there are popular musical events (kontzertuak and kantaldiak), ad hoc festivals or fund-raising events (jaialdiak), or other ‘happenings’. Jaiak (or festak or bestak) usually refer to annual celebrations, mostly traditional. The majority of these are peculiar to a particular village or town; these are the herriko jaiak or (to use the Spanish word) fiestas. They generally commemorate a saint whose name they take, and most of the popular ones take place in the summer months. Their names are plural nouns: San Ferminak, San Juanak, San Martinak etc.

In large towns the jaiak last a full week; in small towns, two to three days. They have an official programme, announced in printed leaflets or on posters placed in bars and public places. There may be a special children's day, a seniors’ day and so on. Programmed events taking place in the streets from dawn to dusk and beyond include traditional sports events – such as handball, chopping logs, weight-lifting and tug-of-war – processions, street bands, bertsolariak, children's games, various types of concerts, contests and so on. There are also religious services. But most important of all is the giroa, the joyful gathering of people of all ages and whole families with all their noise, their gaiety and, they would no doubt feel, their Basqueness (euskalduntasuna).

There is a rich jaiak-related vocabulary, including:

meza

mass

txistulariak

txistu players

dultzaineroak

dultzaina players

trikitilariak

trikitixa players

kalejira

parade

txaranga

brass band

buruhandiak, erraldoiak

‘big-heads’ and ‘giants’

pilota

handball

pilotariak

handball players

haizkolariak

log choppers

harrijasotzaileak

weight lifters

sokatira

tug-of-war

(haur) jolasak

(children's) games

bertsolariak

verse improvisers

suziriak or suak

fireworks

txapelketa

contest, competition

bazkari herrikoi

collective meal

txozna

stall (selling drinks, snacks etc.)

Appendix

A short guide to word order

In Basque sentences it is common for the subject (if mentioned) to come first, and the verb to be placed last:

Hau Donostiako autobusa da.

This is the San Sebastian bus.

Hemen daude.

(They) are here.

However, this is only a tendency, not a hard-and-fast rule; the order of elements in the sentence is more flexible than in English. But word order is not arbitrary. It is often determined by aspects of discourse such as focus, topic or other forms of emphasis, which play only a minor role in English grammar.

There are a few fairly strict rules that you should observe, so let us list them:

Rule 1:

Question words/expressions immediately precede the verb.

Some examples:

Non dago autobusa? or Autobusa non dago?
Where is the bus?

(not, for example, ‘Non autobusa dago?’).

Zenbat etxe desberdinetan bizi izan zara aurten?
How many different houses have you lived in this year?

(zenbat etxe desberdinetan is an interrogative expression and bizi izan zara is the verb).

Rule 2:

A negated verb (i.e. one immediately preceded by ez) generally precedes other sentence elements, particularly objects.

Some examples:

Ez dakit zure izena.
Ez daukate kafe onik tabema honetan.

I don't know your name.
They don't have good coffee in this bar.

However, the subject often comes first, e.g.

Autobusa ez dago hernen.

The bus isn't here.

Rule 2a:

If the verb form is compound, Rule 2 applies to the finite part (the auxiliary), which precedes the rest of the verb. The latter may optionally be placed later in the sentence.

Some examples:

Ez dutzure anaia ikusi or Ez dut ikusi zure anaia.
I haven't seen your brother.

Ez dute bferik ernaten tabema honetan.
They don't serve coffee in this bar.

Nik ez dut hori nahi.
I don't want that.

Autobusa ez da ibiltzen igandeetan.
The bus doesn't run on Sundays.

Never say, for example, ‘ikusi ez dut’.

Rule 2b:

Rules 2 and 2a allow of exceptions in subordinate clauses.

Some examples:

ez badakizu izena or izena ez badakizu
if you don't know the name

ikusi ez dudan anaia
the brother (whom) I haven't seen

But the details of this sub-rule are too complex to cover here.

Rule 3:

A finite verb form (i.e. a simple tense form or an auxiliary form) must not stand at the beginning of a sentence.

Some examples:

Autobusa dator.

The bus is coming.

Kafe ona daukate.

They have good coffee.

(not ‘Dator autobusa’ or ‘Daukate …’). This rule does not apply to compound verb forms, e.g.

Autobusa etorri da or Etorri da autobusa.
The bus has come.

or to negated verb forms (see examples for Rule 2), nor does it apply to verb forms with affirmative ba-, e.g.

Autobusa badator or Badator autobusa.

The bus has come.

Badaukate kafea.

They have got coffee.

Consequently, if you must begin a sentence with a simple affirmative verb form, remember to prefix ba-, e.g.

Badakit!

I know!

(not ‘Dakit!’). This applies also to interrogative sentences, e.g.

Badakizu? or Ba al dakizu?

Do you know?

Rule 3a:

Rule 3 is waived for imperatives, in which the verb typically comes first.

Some examples:

Etorri hona!
Goazen beste tabema batera!

Come here!
Let's go to another bar.

Many word-order choices are not covered by the above rules, and other factors come into play. Two key concepts are important enough to merit mention here: focus and topic.

The focus of a sentence is its main item of information; the most likely focuses of the following English sentences are shown in italics:

I'd like some coffee.

This coffee is good.

Who came? – John came.

Michael comes from Ireland.

He's going home at Easter.

But focus often varies according to discourse context and/or speaker intention; now contrast the following:

Does anyone want coffee? – I'd like some coffee.

What are Michael's plans for Easter? – He's going home at Easter.

Simplified, the Basque focus rule is basically as follows:

Focus rule: The focused element immediately precedes the verb.

Thus:

Kafe hau ona da.

Kafea nahi nuke.

Nor etorri zen? – Jon etorri zen.

Mikel Irlandakoa da.

Aste Santuan joango da etxera.

but also:

Inork nahi du kafea? – Nik nahi dut/nuke kafea.

Zein dira Mikelen asmoak Aste Santurako? – Aste Santuan etxera doa.

Sometimes there is no focused argument and the verb predicate is the most salient (or only) sentence element. In this case, if the verb form is simple and affirmative it is preceded by ‘affirmative ba-’ see also Rule 3 above. Compare:

Mikel Irlandara doa.

Michael's going to Ireland.

Mikel badoa.

Michael's goinglleaving.

The topic of a sentence is whatever (or whoever) we are talking about; it may be almost any part of the sentence. Most often the topic is the subject. Thus (topics in square brackets):

[This coffee] is good.

[Michael] comes from Ireland.

Sometimes, though, another part of the sentence is highlighted as topic, e.g.

[At Easter] Michael is going home.

[Coffee] I don't want.

Topic rule:

In Basque the topic comes first in the sentence.

Some examples:

[Kafe hau] ona da.

[Mikel] Irlandakoa da.

[Aste Santuan] Mikel etxera doa.

[Kaferik] ez dut nahi.

Note that in the last example the Topic rule overrides Rule 2a, according to which the direct object kaferik would follow the negated verb ez dut. This is a marked (emphatic) construction, similar to Coffee I don't want in English.

The case system

The Basque cases (the endings that indicate functions or relationships, often equivalent to English prepositions) are explained in the course of the book, but it may be useful to have a synoptic list of them for general reference.

Case

Common suffix forms

Common translations

Main functions

See Unit

Absolutive

-, -a, -ak

–

citation, subject(of intransitive verbs), direct object

2

Ergative

-k, -ek, -ak

–

subject (of transitive verbs)

2, 7

Dative

-i, -ri, -ari, -ei

‘to’, ‘for’

recipient, indirect object

6

Possessive

-en, -ren,

‘of’, ‘s’

possession,

8,9

genitive

-aren (-re for personal pronouns)

genitive relations, with postpositions

Comitative

-ekin, -rekin, -arekin

‘with’

accompaniment, means

5,6

Benefactive

-entzat, -rentzat, -arentzat (-retzat for personal pronouns)

‘for’

recipient or beneficiary

9

–

-gatik, -agatik, -arengatik, -engatik (-regatik for personal pronouns)

‘for’, ‘because Of’

reason, price etc.

9

Instrumental

-z, -ez, -az,

‘by’, ‘with’,

instrument,

9,11

-taz, -etaz

‘about’

means, subject matter, etc.

Inessive

-n, -en, -an,

‘in’, ‘on’,

place where,

1,2,

-ean, -tan, -etan

‘at’

time when

8, 12

Allative

-a, -ra, -era, -tara, -etara

‘to’

place to which

1,8

–

-antz, -rantz, -erantz, -tarantz, -etarantz

‘towards’

direction

11

–

-aino, -raino,

‘as far as’,

how far

11

-eraino, -taraino, -etaraino

’up to’

–

-ako, -rako, -erako, -tarako, -etarako

’for’

destination, purpose

9

Ablative

-tik, -dik,

’from’,

place from/

1,8,

-etik, -tatik, -etatik

’through’

through which

11

Local

-ko, -go, -eko,

‘of’,

genitive relation,

1,8

genitive

-tako, -etako

’from’

origin

Partitive

-ik, -rik

–

(various functions)

7

See also ‘Singular and plural nouns’ (Unit 4), ‘Adjectival -ko’ (Unit 7), and ‘The infix -ta-’ (Unit 9).

The tense system

Linguists often claim that the system of the Basque verb is highly complex. None the less, if you have worked through this book you have no doubt found that practical mastery of the essential verb forms is within easy reach. Here is a reference list of the forms that have been studied in the units, which are sufficient for the purposes of a beginner (and fewer than the number of verb forms required in a comparable course for many other European languages!).

Simple tenses and auxiliaries

Present of izan ‘be’: naiz, zara, da (Unit 1), gara (Unit 3), zarete, dira (Unit 4)

with indirect objects: zait, zaizu, zaio, zaigu, zaizue, zaie (Units 5, 10)

with indirect objects and plural subject: zaizkit, zaizkizu, zaizkio, zaizkigu, zaizkizue, zaizkie (Units 5, 7, 10)

Present of egon: nago, zaude, dago (Unit 2), gaude (Unit 3),zaudete, daude (Unit 4)

Present of izan ‘have’: dut, duzu, du (Unit 2), dugu (Unit 3), duzue, dute (Unit 4)

with plural objects: ditut, dituzu, ditu (Unit 4), ditugu, dituzue, dituzte (Unit 5; also Unit 7)

with third-person-singular indirect objects: diot, diozu, dio, diogu, diozue, diote (Unit 5)

with third-person-plural indirect objects: diet, diezu, die, diegu, diezue, diete (Units 5, 7)

with indirect objects and plural direct objects: dizkiot etc. (Unit 11)

with non-third-person indirect objects: didazu, dizut etc. (Unit 11)

with non-third-person direct objects: nauzu, zaitut etc. (Unit 12)

Present of eduki: daukat, daukazu, dauka, daukagu, daukazue, daukate (Unit 5)

with plural objects: dauzkat, dauzkazu, dauzka, dauzkagu, dauzkazue, dauzkate (Units 5, 7)

Present simple of etorri: nator, zatoz, dator, gatoz, zatozte, datoz (Unit 9)

Present simple of joan: noa, zoaz, doa, goaz, zoazte, doaz (Unit 9) Present simple of jakin: dakit, dakizu, daki, dakigu, dakizue, dakite (Unit 9)

Present potential auxiliary (intransitive): naiteke, zaitezke, daiteke, gaitezke, zaitezkete, daitezke (Unit 10)

Present potential auxiliary (transitive): dezaket, dezakezu, dezake, dezakegu, dezakezue, dezakete (Unit 10)

with plural objects: ditzaket etc. (Unit 10)

Past of izan ‘be’: nintzen, zinen, zen, ginen, zineten, ziren (Unit 10)

with indirect objects: zitzaidan, zitzaizun, zitzaion, zitzaigun, zitzaizuen, zitzaien (Unit 12)

Past of izan ‘have’: mien, zenuen, zuen, genuen, zenuten, zuten (Unit 10)

with plural objects: nituen, zenituen, zituen, genituen, zeni-tuzten, zituzten (Unit 10)

with indirect objects: nion, zidan etc. (Unit 12)

Conditional of izan ‘have’: nuke, zenuke, hike, genuke, zenukete, lukete (Unit 5)

First-person-plural imperative auxiliaries: gaitezen, dezagun (Unit 11)

First-person-plural imperative of joan: goazen (Unit 11)

Past of egon: nengoen, zeunden, zegoen, geunden, zeundeten, zeuden (Unit 12)

Past of eduki: neukan, zeneukan, zeukan, geneukan, zeneukaten,zeukaten, neuzkan etc. (Unit 12)

Compound tenses and non-finite forms

Future: joango naiz, egingo dut (Unit 2)

Present: joaten naiz, egiten dut (Unit 4), gustatzen zait/zaizkit(Unit 5)

Present continuous: egiten ari naiz (Unit 5)

(Present) perfect: joan naiz, egin dut (Unit 6)

Past perfect: joan nintzen, egin nuen (Unit 10)

Imperative (first-person plural): joan gaitezen, egin dezagun(Unit 11)

Basic non-finite verb forms: joan, joango, joaten (Unit 3)

Other non-finite forms: -tzeko (Units 4, 9), -tzera (Unit 9), -tzea(Unit 11), -tzen (Unit 12)

Key to exercises

Unit 1

Exercise 2

Hau da Donostiako autobusa? or Donostiako autobusa hau da?

Exercise 3

This is the bus. This is it. or This is. or It is this (one).

Exercise 4

1 Autobusa da. 2 Zer da? 3 Non dago? 4 Han(txe) dago. 5 Badakizu? 6 Bai. 7 Donostiako autobusa da? 8 Ez. 9 A!

Exercise 14

Nafarroan / itsasaldean / autobusean / Donostiara / Zarautza / Donostiatik / etxean / Zarautzen / trenean / Bilbotik / etxera / lanera / Donostian / Euskal Herrian / Zarautzen

Exercise 15

1 Nongoa da Elin? or Elin nongoa da? 2 Bangorkoa da. 3 Bangor? Non dago Bangor? Ameriketan? 4 Ez, ez. Bangor Gales Herrian dago. 5 Bangorren bizi (al) da orain? 6 Ez, orain Inglaterran bizi da. Londresen. 7 Eta non dago orain? 8 Bilbotik Donostiara doa.

Unit 2

Exercise 3

1 Zurito bat (nahi du). 2 Telebistan (Ian egin nahi du). 3 Kafesne bat (nahi du). 4 Zarautza (joan nahi du).

Exercise 4

Zuk, Nik, Ni

Exercise 7

1 agur 2 ikusi arte 3 ongi pasa 4 ikusi arte

Exercise 10

1 Bilbora trenean joango naiz. 2 Elin Donostiatik Zarautza trenean joango da. 3 Euskaraz hitzegingo dut. 4 Ikusiko dugu. 5 Euskara ikasiko al duzu?

Exercise 12

1 Oporretan (al) zaude? 2 Ni ere pozik nago. 3 Naroa etxean dago orain. 4 Oso nekatuta nago.

Exercise 13

7, 3, 11, 6, 10, 4, 8, 1, 5, 9, 2

Unit 3

Exercise 2

1 Hartu nere telefonoa. 2 Erantzun laister! 3 Pasatu ikastola eta hartu lehenengo kalean eskubitara. 4 Deitu! 5 Hartu (zure) txartela.

Exercise 5

lb, 2a, 3c

Exercise 6

1 Ez naiz amerikanoa. 2 Ez dut Irlandara joan nahi. 3 Ez naiz Zarautzen bizi. 4 Ez duzu ikastolara etorri behar.

Exercise 7

1 Ezin naiz kalera atera. 2 Ezin naiz Donostiara joan. 3 Ezin dut Ian egin bihar. 4 Ezin dut hitzegin orain.

Exercise 9

You:

Barkatu/hemen al dago

SECRETARY:

Nor zara

You:

(your name)

SECRETARY:

Itxoin

You:

Bale/Ongi/Bai

Exercise 10

lb/c, 2d, 3a

Exercise 12

1 Nekatuta gaude. 2 Laister iritsiko gara. 3 Primeran pasatuko dugu.

Exercise 13

abenduaren 24a

Exercise 14

joango, joaten; egingo, egiten; hitzegingo, hitzegiten; ikusiko, ikusten; deituko, deitzen; bazkalduko, bazkaltzen

Exercise 15

A: egingo; B: joaten, joango; A: egingo; B: hitzegingo, ikusiko

Unit 4

Exercise 1

geltokia, herria, kalea, trena, hegazkina, txartela, telefonoa, lana hondartza, bidaia, problema, telebista, ama, aita semaforoak, autobusak, musuak, lagunak dendak, etxeak, besarkadak, pezetak

Exercise 2

Bilbo, Londres, Inglaterra, Gipuzkoa, Leitza

Xabier, Naroa, Elin

bi kafe, hiru ardo, cocacola bat, lau garagardo/zerbeza/kafia

bost etxe, etxe bat, denda bat, hamar taberna, zenbat eliza?

Exercise 3

A: Zein hondartza da hau?

B: Hondartza hau Ondarreta da, Donostian.

A: Urruti al dago hori?

B: Ez, hori ez dago oso urruti. Hamar kilometro.

Exercise 8

1 Ekarri zure txanpon zaharrak. 2 Libra irlandesak aldatu nahi ditut. 3 Parke ederrak dira.

Exercise 11

aparkaleku, enplegu, informazio, museo, parrokia, pasagune, posta, pribatu, publiko, turismo

Exercise 12

aparkaleku, igerileku, larrialdi, udaletxe

Exercise 14

ibilgailu ‘device for moving about’ i.e. ‘vehicle’; kiroldegi ‘place for sports’, i.e. ‘sports centre’

Unit 5

Exercise 5

1 Hondartzara joan nahi al duzu orain? 2 Etxea ikusi nahi al duzu? 3 Dutxatu nahi al duzu? 4 Lo pixka bat egin nahi al duzu?

Exercise 6

1 Euskal Herrian bizi nahi al zenuke datorren urtean? 2 Euskara gehiago ikasi nahi al zenuke? 3 Zerbait egin nahi al zenuke bihar?

Exercise 9

1 Oso pozik nago kotxearekin, noski. 2 Trena elkarrekin hartuko dugu.

Exercise 10

1 Telebista ikusten (ari da). 2 Lo egiten (ari da).

Exercise 11

This is your office. Here you have the bathroom. Drat! It's going to rain on Saturday. The weather is very nice today. I've got good wine at home. What a bad programme!

Unit 6

Exercise 1

You:

hor/etxean al dago?

SOMEONE:

jarriko da

You:

deituko

NAROA:

Bai? (Nor da?)

IDOIA:

arte

NAROA:

gero arte

Exercise 5

1 Itziarri (esan dio). 2 Mikeli (emango diote). 3 Elini (gustatzen zaio).

Exercise 6

1 gustatzen zaiola. 2 Eskozian egon dela. 3 polita (omen) dela. 4 han bizi dela. 5 oso polita dela.

Unit 7

Exercise 1

1 dituzu. 2 Nahiago ditut. 3 libra aldatuko ditugu. 4 gorriak / ditugu. 5 Zarautzek taberna / dauzka. 6 gustatzen al zaizkizu. 7 Dendariak lagunduko die.

Exercise 2

1 Zenbat letxuga behar … 2 … ardo nahiago dituzu? 3 Hauek … 4 Mutil horiek politak dira. 5 Zein dira mendi horiek?

Exercise 5

1 esnerik. 2 kaferik. 3 gatzik. 4 seilurik. 5 ardorik. 6 ardo beltzik.

7 tomaterik.

Exercise 7

2Bai, baina beste hiztegi hori txikiagoa da. 3 Bai, baina beste

patata horiek merkeagoak dira. 4 Bai, baina beste bideo zinta

horiek hobeak dira.

Exercise 9

1 Euskarazko hiztegiak (balio du 3.000 pezeta). 2 Oskorrik (kantatzen du zintan). 3 Elinek (nahi du Oskorriren zinta berria).

Exercise 10

1 Eguzkitako krema. 2 Eguzkitako betaurrekoak. 3 Hortzetako pasta eta hortzetako zepiloa. 4 (Idazteko) papera eta boligrafoa.

Exercise 12

arraindegia, haragitegia, gozotegia, tabakoak, farmazia, liburu-denda, burdindegia, aroztegia, zapategia, ileapaindegia, taberna, kafetegia, jatetxea, ho tela

Exercise 13

izozkitegian; ardotegian; auto osagarrietan; ‘sukaldeak’ dendan

Unit 8

Translation of the reading:

If you go shopping in the Basque Country, you have three choices when shopping for food and so on: the small shops, the big supermarket, and the market. Each has its advantages and disadvantages.

For minor everyday shopping, it is no doubt easiest to run down to the fruit shop, butcher's and other little shops. These are found in every town and neighbourhood. In a town like Zarautz, you will find Basque-speaking shopkeepers; thus you will have good opportunities to hear and use Basque. But that is not all. If you want to enquire about food, the weather, the neighbourhood or anything else, or simply have a chat, go straight ahead! But careful! The shopkeeper will probably want to know something about your life too!

Excellent fruit and vegetables are sold in many small shops, particularly when these come direct from the owner's garden. However, prices will not be the lowest, at least compared to some supermarkets. Apart from that, if you are looking for specific brands or types of food, a broader choice will probably be offered in a large supermarket. There is furthermore the convenience of buying meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, bread and other articles in the same place.

You should go at least once to the market, even if just for a look. It is best to visit it in the morning, if you want to see it with all its colour and noise, full of housewives and sellers. Don't miss that interesting experience. Besides, it is another opportunity to hear some Basque.

A wide variety of things are sold at the market. Some stands are practically small shops. In the middle of the aisle, or on a small table, some farmers have their own vegetables for sale: lettuces, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes and the fresh vegetables of the season. Nearby someone is selling fine local cheese(s); (s)he has walnuts too, if you want any. Over there opposite, there's fish that's really fresh. And just look at those flowers!

All the same, things at the market are not always cheaper than in the shops; it depends (lit there's a bit of everything). So it's best to ask the price. Besides, that way you'll be talking Basque. If you don't know what something is called, ask!

If there are people waiting to buy, ask: ‘Who's the last one?’ ‘I am’, somebody will answer. Then remember when it's your turn (lit. who you are behind) and respect it.

Basques don't usually haggle (argue) over the price. If they don't agree, they will look for a cheaper one. On the other hand, they demand quality in their food. If you don't like that tomato, don't hesitate to tell the seller: ‘This one is too unripe for my liking’ or ‘Haven’t you got a riper one?’. If you do this, you will win his/her respect.

Exercise 1

1 -ren. 2 -en. 3 -ena. 4 -ena. 5 -renak. 6 -ren. 7 -en. 8 -ren. 9 -ren. 10 -ren / -en.

Exercise 2

la: characteristic (also possible – lb: place). 2b place. 3b place. 4a animate. 5b place. 6b place. 7b place. 8a animate. 9b place. 10b time.

Unit 9

Exercise 1

1 baino: Hotels are more expensive than campgrounds. 2 -ik: This is the most expensive hotel in Zarautz. 3 baino: Zarautz is much closer to Donostia than to Bilbao. 4 baino: Elin prefers chocolate ice-cream to vanilla.

Exercise 2

1 bainatzera. 2 joateko. 3 edateko. 4 joan. 5 egitera. 6 ikasteko. 7 erosteko. 8 edateko. 9 ikustera. 10 entzun.

Exercise 4

1 Eguraldiaz. or Eguraldiari buruz. 2 Bosniari buruz. 3 Oporrei buruz. or Oporretaz. 4 Kanpinez. or Kanpinei buruz.

Exercise 5

1 ala. 2 edo. 3 edo. 4 ala. 5 edo.

Exercise 6

1 Inglaterrarako. 2 eguraldiagatik. 3 birentzat. 4 amarentzat. 5 bate-gatik. 6 Zertarako. 7 Norentzat / Nori. 8 minutuko. 9 Ehuneko hamarra. 10 neretzat.

Exercise 8

1 zoaz. 2 goaz. 3 daki/datorr-.

Unit 10

Exercise 1

1 Ikusten al duzu non dagoen Ondarroa? 2 Jakin nahi nuke non dauden kanpinak eta noiz dauden irekita. 3 Nahi baduzu, esango dizut zenbat balio duen.

Exercise 2

1   It's the same to me where we go. I don't mind where we go.

2   Does it seem to you that it will rain? Do you think it will rain?

3   How many days remain to Elin to stay in the Basque Country?

Two weeks. How much longer has Elin got … ?

Exercise 6

zerbaiten, norbaiti, Zerbait, zerbait, nonbait, zerbait, norbaitek, noizbait, Zerbait

Translation of the reading

If you like green valleys, peaceful mountains, pleasant beaches and colourful wharfs, you'll find all these in Bizkaia's Lea-Artibai region …

*   Inland, MARKINA-XEMEIN, servicing the surrounding rural villages. Climb Mt. Oiz or visit Arretxinaga Church and the Ubillaga-Urberoaga Baths.

*   On the coast, ONDARROA, birthplace of the famous writer Txomin Agirre and Bizkaia's principal fishing port. See the gothic-style Lady Mary Church and Likona Fort. To the east, Saturraran Beach; to the west, the breath-taking coast road to Lekeitio.

*   LEKEITIO, fishing town and tourist resort. Saint Mary Church and Uriarte Palace. Quaint beach, island and wharf.

*   Don’t forget the caves of BERRIATU, IPAZTER and AMOROTO.

This year, come to Lea-Artibai.

Unit 11

Exercise 1

1 joatea. 2 edatea. 3 erretzea. 4 egitea. 5 ikastea.

Exercise 2

1 I'll give you a book. 2 What has that woman told you? 3 Come in, I'll make you some coffee. 4 We have to buy some presents for our friends. 5 My friends brought me a dictionary. 6 My mother didn't ask me for anything but I'll take her something.

Exercise 3

1 Xabier came with me as far as the station. (Xabier accompanied me to the station.) 2 We're going the wrong way, this road doesn't lead to (go towards) the border. 3 I'll take those youngsters to (as far as) the next village. 4 Which way are you going? Over the mountain.

Exercise 4

1 -ta or -ak. 2 -ta or -a. 3 -ta or -ak. 4 -da or -a. 5 -ak.

Exercise 5

1 Nora or Norantz. 2 hor. 3 Nondik / Hemendik. 4 Noraino / Honaino. 5 Non / Hortik.

Exercise 6

1 Sartuko al ditut … 2 Nahi al duzu … 3 Nola joango gara?

4 Iruditzen zait … 5 Zendako ez zarete … 6 … joan gaitezen

… 7 … proposatzen dizut. 8 Beharbada … nahi duzue. 9 …

iruditzen zaizu … 10 Nik uste dut …

Exercise 7

1 Beharbada. 2 Uste dut. 3 Nik uste dut. 4 Iruditzen zait.

Unit 12

Exercise 1

Goizean goiz Elin eta Naroa txango bat egitera abiatu dira. Barnealdera joan dira, mendietarantz. Kilometro batzuk egin ondoren, buelta eman behar izan dute bide okerra hartu dutelako. Aurrerago kotxea gelditu dute eta mendixka bat igotzen hasi dira. Gora eta gora egin dute eta azkenean tontorrera iritsi dira. Ondoren kotxera itzuli dira eta aurrera jarraitu dute. Zoritxarrez euria egiten hasi da eta orduan, atzera itzuli dira herrixka batera eta tabernan sartu.

Exercise 3

zait, zaizu, zaio, zaie, zaizkio; diot, diozu, dio, diote, didazu, dit, didate, dizut, dizu, dizute, diet, dizkiot, dizkit

Exercise 4

1 Egun batzu pasatu nahi zituelako eta aldizkaria egin behar zuelako. 2 Artikulu interesgarriak dituelako eta euskara erraza (duelako). 3 Astelehenean lanean hasten delako/hasi behar duelako. 4 Gau pasa egin duelako (bart parrandan ibili zelako)

5 Trafiko handia zegoelako. 6 Pisu larregi (gehiegi) zeukalako.

Exercise 5

lc 2f 3a 4d 5b 6e

Exercise 6

1 Ezin izan dugu/genuen inorekin hitzegin. 2 Ezin genuen ezer ikusi mendi tontorrean, laino handia zegoen eta. Zer egin behar genuen? 3 Ikusten (duzu), etorri ahal izan naiz. 4 Zenbat dim eman beharko nioke datorren astean?–Batere ez. 5 Ez zenuen hainbeste edan behar. 6 Ikasi al duzu ezer liburu honekin?

Basque–English vocabulary

The following vocabulary contains all words occurring in the dialogues and reading texts, including key inflected forms (e.g. naiz ‘I am’) that might cause beginners difficulty. For items that recur in more than one text, a reference to the Unit number is provided, normally indicating the first occurrence only.

Items presented in the book (in explanatory sections, topical word lists etc.) but not occurring in the dialogues or readings are not repeated here. To locate such items, refer to the subject index.

a

ah, oh (1)

aldatu

change,

abar: see eta abar

exchange (4)

abendu(-a)

December

aide

side, part

abiatu

set out (11)

aide zahar(-ra)

the old part of

adina

as many/much as

town

ados

in agreement,

aldegin

go away (3)

agreed (3)

aldera(t)

in the direction

afaldu

have supper (9)

aldizkari

magazine

agertu

appear

ale

issue

agian

perhaps

alkatxofa

artichoke

agur

goodbye

alokairu

rent

ahal dut

I am able (12)

altu

high

ahaztu

forget (10)

ama

mother (1)

ai ene

oh dear

anaia

brother (1)

aita

father (1)

andre or andra

lady

aizu

hey, I say (1)

anitz

many, much

akanpaleku

campsite (10)

antolatu

organize (6)

al

question particle

Antton

Anthony, man's

(3)

name

ala

or (4)

aparte

apart

aldamenean

next to, next

Araba

a province

door (7)

arazo

problem

ardo

wine

atzo

yesterday (10)

argi

light

aukera

chance, choice

argitsu

bright

aupa

hi, hey

ari naiz

I'm … -ing

aurkitu

find (7), be found

aritu

be … -ing

(8), feel (12)

arkume

lamb

aurpegi

face

arkume txuleta

lamb chop

aurrean

in front

arrain

fish (8)

aurrera

ahead, forward

arrainzopa

fish soup

(3)

arrantza

fishing

aurrerago

further on

arrantza egin

fish, go fishing

aurten

this year (9)

arrantzale

fisherman (4),

auskalo

who knows?!

devoted to

auto

car

fishing (10)

autobus

bus

arratsalde

afternoon

autopista

motorway

Arratsalde on!

Good afternoon!

auzo

neighbourhood

arrazoia daukat

I am right (6)

axola du

it matters

arreba

sister (of man)

azenario

carrot

arropa

clothes

azkar

quick

arrozesne

rice pudding

azken

last (8), recent

arte

until (2)

azkenean

at last (3), in the

artean

between, among

end

artikulu

article

azoka

market (4)

asko

many, much

azpian

under (9)

askoz

much with

azpiko arropa

underwear

comparatives

azterketa

exam (6)

asmatu

get it right,

ba

then, well (2)

guess

ba-

affirmative

asmo

intention

particle (1),

aspirina

aspirin

if (5, 8)

aste

week (7)

ba al

introduces

Aste Santu(-a)

Easter

questions: see

asteburu

weekend

ba- and al (7)

astelehen(-a)

Monday

bada

there is, if … is

ate

door, gate

badaezpada

just in case (5)

atera

go out (2), bring

badago

there is (4), if

out (9)

… is (5)

aterki

umbrella

badakizu

see ba- and

atsegin

pleasant (9)

dakizu (1)

atzean

behind (8)

bai

yes (1), see ere

atzerri(-an)

abroad

bai

atzerritar

foreign

bai… bai

both … and

baietz

affirmative

beharbada

perhaps (9)

adverb

beharko dut

I'll have to (3),

Baigorri

a town (11)

I'll need

baina(n)

but (1)

beharko nuke

I ought to

bainatu

bathe, (go for a)

behera

down

swim (9)

behin

once (8)

baino

than (8)

behintzat

certainly, at least

baino lehen

before (11)

beldur

fear

bainu

swim, dip

beltz

black, red (wine)

bainu-etxe

baths

benetan

really

bainu jantzi

swimsuit

bera

he/she/it, see

bainugela

bathroom

horixe

bakarrik

only

berandu

late

bakero

jeans

beranduago

later

bakoitz(-a)

each (8)

beraz

so, therefore (3)

baldin

if

berde

green (10),

bale

okay (7)

unripe (7), see

balio du

costs

saltsa berde

baliteke

maybe (9)

berdin

same, similar

banizkio

auxiliary form: if

(11)

I were to …

berdin zait

I don't mind (4)

them to it

berdura

green vegetable

baratz

vegetable garden

bere

his, her, its (1)

barazki

vegetable (8)

berean

in the same

barkatu

excuse me (1)

beren

their

barnealde

interior, inland

berezi

special (8)

(10)

bero

hot (5)

barru

in … time

berrehun

two hundred

barruan

inside

berri

new (7)

barrualde

interior, inland

berriak

news

baserritar

farmer, baserri

berriketan

chatting (8)

dweller

berriro

again (7)

bat

one, a (2)

berrogei

forty

batean

in a (8)

berrogeita

forty- …

batera

to a (10)

berrogeita hamar

fifty

batez ere

especially

bertako

local

batzu(-k)

some (8)

bertan

right there, see

bazkaldu

have lunch

oraintxe

bederatzi

nine

bertsolariak

verse improviser

begira(-tu)

look (2, 9)

besarkada

hug

behar dut

I must (3), I

besta

fiesta

need (7)

bestalde(-a)

the other side

beste

other (6, 7)

bukatu

finish, end (3)

beste bat

another (7)

bulego

office (9)

bestela

otherwise (9)

buruko min

headache

bestelako

another kind of

buruz

about (9)

besterik

anything else

besterik gabe

just, simply

da

is(l)

bete

fill (11)

dago

is(l)

bete(-a, -ta)

full (8), see

dagokionez

as for, as far as …

piper beteak

is concerned

beti

always (5)

daiteke

can, may (10)

bezala

like

dakigu

we know

bezalako

like

dakit

I know (3)

bi

two

dakizu(-e)

you know (1)

biak

both

dantza

dance

bidaia

journey (3)

dator

is coming

bidaiari

passenger

datorren

next (7)

bidali

send

datoz

are coming

Bidarrai

a village (11)

daude

are (4)

bide

path, road (10),

dauka

has (1)

way (8)

daukagu

we have (5)

bigarren

second (9)

daukat

I have (5)

bihar

tomorrow

daukate

they have

bilatu

look for (7)

daukazu(-e)

you have (5)

Bilbo

a city (2)

dauzka

has them (8)

bilete

ticket

dauzkazu

you have them

birentzat

for two (9)

debekatu

forbid

bisitatu

visit (8)

dei

call

bitartean

meanwhile (5)

deitu

call, phone (2)

bixigu

a fish, sea bream

den(-a)

all, everything

(9)

dena dela

anyway

bizi naiz

I live (1)

den(-ak)

all, everyone

biziki

very

denbora

time

bizitza

life

denda

shop (4), tent

Bizkaia

a province (9)

(10)

bizkar

back

dendari

shopkeeper

bizkotxoa

sponge (cake)

denetatik

all sorts

bost

five

denontzat

for all of us

buelta bat eman

go for a walk/

deposito

(petrol) tank

ride (6)

desberdin

different

buelta arte

until (my/your)

deus

anything

return

dezake

can

bueno

okay, right, well

dezaket

I can

dezakezu

you can

duzu(-e)

you have (2)

diet

I … to them (5)

e

hey (2)

diezu

you … to them

ea

come on

digute

they … to us

ebaki

cut, kind of

diet

I … to him/

coffee

her/it

edan

drink

diozu

you … to him/

edari

drink, beverage

her/it

eder

beautiful, fine

dira

are (5)

(4)

dit

… to me

Ederki!

Fine! Great!

ditu

has them (8)

Okay! (5)

ditugu

we have them

edo

or (7)

(9)

edozertaz

about anything

ditut

I have them (4)

eduki

have (7)

dituzte

they have them

egia

true (5), truth

dituzu

you have them

(10)

(4)

egin

make, do (2), be

ditzakegu

we can … them

of weather (5),

dizkigute

they … them to

emphasis

us

marker (9)

dizu

… to you (8)

egin(-a)

done

dizuet

I … to you pl.

egon

be (5)

(9)

eguerdi(-a)

midday, lunch

dizut

I … to you (10)

time

dizute

they … to you

egun

day

doa

is going

Egun on!

Good morning!

dohainik

free

(7)

Donibane

a town (11)

eguneroko

everyday

Lohitzune

egunkari

newspaper

Donostia

a town (1)

eguraldi

weather (5)

dorre

tower, fort,

eguzki

sun

mansion

eguzkia egiten

it is sunny

du

has (3)

du

du izena

is called

eguzkia hartu

sunbathe

dudan

that I have

eguzkitako

suntan lotion

dudarik gabe

without a doubt

krema

duela

ago

ehun

hundred, one

dugu

we have (2)

hundred

dut

I have (2)

ehuneko

per cent

dute

they have (5)

ekain(a)

June

dutxa

shower

ekarri

bring (4)

dutxatu

have a shower (3)

ekialde

east

eliza

church (4)

esker: see mila

elkarrekin

together

esker

emaidazu

give me

eskerrik asko

thank you (1)

eman

give (5)

Eskozia

Scotland (1)

emon

give

eskualde

area, region (10)

enbidia

envy

eskubi

right

endibia

endive

eskubitara

on/to the right

ene: see ai ene

esnagailu

alarm clock

enparantza

square

esne

milk

entsalada

salad (5)

esparrago(-ak)

asparagus

entsalada mixta

'mixed salad'

esperientzia

experience

entzun

hear, listen

espero dut

I hope, I expect

epa

hi (3)

estalita

covered,

epel

warm (9)

overcast

erabili

use

esterlinak

(pounds) Stirling

erakutsi

show

eta

and (1), as, since

eraman

take, carry (10)

(6)

erantzun

answer

Eta … ?

What about… ?

erdian

in the middle

(6)

ere

too, also (1)

eta abar

etcetera (8)

ere bai

also (5)

eta gero

after (3)

erloju

watch, clock

etorri

come (3)

erosi

buy, shop (8)

etxe

house, home (1)

erosketak egin

go shopping, do

etxeko

home-made,

the shopping

house (wine

eroso

comfortable,

etc.)

convenient

etxeko kopa

a dessert with ice

erraz

easy (8)

cream, fruit etc.

erraztasun

ease,

etxekoandre

housewife

convenience

euri

rain

erre

burn, get burnt,

euria egin

rain (5)

smoke

Europa

Europe

erre(-a)

roast

Euskal Herri(-a)

the Basque

errepide

road, highway

Country

errespetatu

respect

euskaldun

Basque, Basque

errespetu

respect

speaker

erretzaile

smoker

euskara

Basque language

esan

say, tell (6)

euskaraz

in Basque

eseri

sit

euskaraz egin

speak Basque

eskaini

offer

ez

no (1), not (1, 3),

eskalope

breaded steak

don't (8)

eskatu

ask for, demand

ezagun

well known

ezagutu

know (6), meet

ganbara

attic

(6), get to

gara

we are (3)

know (6)

garaiko

of the season (8)

ezaugarri

characteristic,

garaiz

in time, on time

feature

garbi

clean

ezberdin

different

garesti

expensive (7)

ezer

anything (12)

gasolina

petrol

ezik: see izan ezik

gasolindegitik

petrol station

ezin

cannot (3)

gau

night, evening

ezker

left

(5)

ezkerretara

on/to the left

gau pasa egin

stay up all night

ezta

right? isn't it?

gaur

today (2)

etc. (5)

gaur gauean

this evening

eztabaidatu

discuss, argue

gauza

thing (7)

fakturatu

check in

gazta

cheese (7)

falta da

is missing

gazte

young, young

familia

family, relations

person

fitxa

card, form, fiche

gaztelu

castle

flan

caramel custard

gehiago

more (5, 6, 7)

folleto

leaflet

gehiegi

too much/many

fotokopia

photocopy

gela

room

fotokopiatu

(make a)

gelditu

stay (9), be left

photocopy

(7), be located

Frantzia

France

(11), arrange

fresko

cool (5), fresh

to meet (5)

(8)

gelditzen zait

I have left (7)

frijitu(-a)

fried

geltoki

station (3)

fruta

fruit

genituen

we had them

gabe

without

genuen

we had (10)

Gabon!

Good night!

Gernika

a town

Gabon(-ak)

Christmas (12)

gero

then, afterwards

gainean

on top (of)

(1), see eta

gainera

moreover,

gero and

furthermore

-z gero

(5)

gero arte

until later, see

gaitezen

let's (11)

you later (2)

gaizki

bad(ly)

gerorako

for later

galdetu

ask (8)

gertu

near

galdu

lose (12), miss

Getaria

a village

(8)

geunden

we were

gales

Welsh

gibelean

behind

Gales (Herria)

Wales

gidaliburu

guide(book)

ginen

we were

hamalau

fourteen

Gipuzkoa

a province

hamar

ten

goaz

we are going (9)

hamazazpi

seventeen

goazen

let's go, let's (6)

han

there (3)

gogoa daukat

I want to, I feel

handi

big (2), much

like … -ing

(12)

gogoratu

remember

handik

from/through

goian

above

there

goiz

morning

hango

of/from there

gora

up

(10)

goraintziak

(best) regards

hantxe

there (1)

gorri

red, ripe (7)

hara

(to) there

gose(-a daukat)

(I'm) hungry

haragi

meat

gotiko

gothic-style

haran

valley

goxo

delicious, nice

harantz

towards there

gripe

flu

harategi

butcher's

gu

we, us

haren

his, her, its, of

guraso(-ak)

parents

that

gure

our

harpidedun

subscriber

gurekin

with us (6)

harrapatu

catch

gurpil

wheel, tyre

harrera

reception

Gurutze

the Red Cross

hartan

in/on/at that

Gorri(-a)

hartatik

from/through

gustatu

like (8)

that

gustatzen zait

I like (5)

hartu

take (2), have

gustora

happily

(5, 6), get (11)

gutun

letter

has: see hasi

gutxi

few, little, not

hasi

start (9)

many/much (9)

hasierako

starter, first

gutxienez

at least

course

guzti(-a, -ak)

all (8)

hasteko

to begin with

guztira

altogether

hau

this (1)

haiekin

with them/those

hauek

these (7)

haietaz

about them/

hauetan

in/on/at these

those

haiindi: variant

hainbeste

so much/many

of handi

haitzulo

cave

hauxe

this

haize

wind, air

hegaldia

flight

hala ere

however

hegazkin

plane (2)

hamabi

twelve

hego

wing

hamabost

fifteen

hego(alde)

south

hamaika

eleven

helatu

ice cream

heldu

hold, arrive

ideia

idea (5)

hemen

here

Idoia

woman's name

hemengo

of/from here

igande(-a)

Sunday

herri

village, town (1),

igo

go up, climb (10)

country (1)

igual

perhaps (5)

hiru

three

ikasi

learn, study (2)

hirurehun

three hundred

ikasle

student, pupil

hitz

word

ikastola

(Basque-medium)

hitzegin

speak, talk (2)

school (3)

hiztegi

dictionary

ikus: see ikusi

hobe

better (7)

ikusgarri

scenic,

hoberen(-a)

best (8)

spectacular

hobeto

better

ikusi

see (2, 3)

hogei

twenty

ilun

dark

hogeita

twenty- …

informazio

information

hondartza

beach (1)

Inglaterra

England

honek

this

ingles

English (1)

honela

thus, like this (6)

inguruan

around

honetako

of/from this

inor

anyone

honetan

in/on/at this

interesatzen zait

I'm interested in

hor

there (4)

interesgarri

interesting (8)

hori

that (1)

intxaur

walnut

Hon da!

That's right!

intxaurtarta

walnut cake

horiek

those (7)

Ipar(ralde)

north (9)

horixe (bera)

just that (5)

ipini

put

horrek

that (7)

irakasle

teacher,

horrela

like that

professor (1)

horrelako

like that, that

irakurri

read

kind of

irekita

open

horretan

in/on/at that

iritsi

arrive (2)

horretaz

about that (9)

iritzi

opinion

hortaz

so (10)

irteera

exit

hotel

hotel

iruditzen zait

it seems to me,

hotz

cold

I think (5)

hoztu

get cold

Iruñea

a town

hurrengo

next (10)

itsas

sea-

ia(-ia)

almost (8)

itsasalde

coast (1)

iaz

last year (7)

itsasertz

seafront

ibili

go about (12),

itsaso

sea

be (10)

itxoin

wait (3)

idatzi

write (12)

Itziar

woman's name

idazle

writer

itzuli

return

izan

be (5), have (10)

kafesne

coffee with milk

izan ezik

except for

kafetegi

Café

izen

name (2), see du

kai

wharf

izena and

kaixo

hello

Nola duzu

kaka

shit

izena?

Kaka zaharra!

Drat it!

izkina

corner

kale

street

izokin

salmon

kalitate

quality

izozki

ice cream

kamiseta

T-shirt, vest

jabe

owner

kanbio

exchange rate

jai

fiesta (6),

Kanbo

a town

holiday, party

kanpin

campsite (9)

jaialdi

festival, concert

kanpoan

outside

jaio nintzen

I was born

kanpora

out

jaioterri

birthplace

kanta

song

jaitsi

go down, descend

kaña

beer (glass of)

(8), bring

karnet

identity card,

down (10)

driving (etc.)

jakin

know (8)

licence

jan

eat (3)

karta

menu

janari

food

kazetaritza

journalism

jangela

dining room

kendu

take away, turn

jantzi: see bainu

off (light)

jantzi

kezkatuta

worried

jarraitu

continue

kilometro

kilometre

jarri

put, come to the

kitto

that's all (5)

phone (6), set

koadrila

group of friends

up (11)

(12)

jatetxe

restaurant (9)

kobratu

charge

jator

nice (of a

kolore

colour

person) (10)

koloretsu

colourful

jauregi

palace

komisio

commission

jende

people (8)

komun

toilet (9)

jertse

sweater

konparatuta

compared

jo

play

konpetitibo

competitive

(instruments)

kontatu

count, tell

joan

go(l)

(about)

Joseba

Joseph, man's

kontu

bill

name (6)

Kontuz!

Careful!

Josu

Jesus, man's

kopa

glass, drink of

name

liqueur, see

kafe

coffee (9)

etxeko kopa

kosta

coast

lore

flower

kostalde

coast (10)

lortu

achieve, obtain

kotxe

car

luze

long

krema

cream

mahai

table (8)

kutxa

bank

maiatz(-a)

May

labean

in the oven,

maite dut

I love

roast

makailu

cod (9)

lagun

friend (1)

maleta

suitcase

lagundu

help

maletero

boot

laister

soon

mami

curds (a dessert)

laku

lake

Manu

a man's name

lan

work

mapa

map (10)

lan egin

work (2)

marka

brand

lanean

at work (11)

Markina-Xemein

a town

lanera

to work (1)

mendebalde

west

langostino

prawn

mendi

mountain, hill

larregi

too much/many

(10)

larunbat(-a)

Saturday (5)

mendialde

hill area

lasai

quiet, calm

menestra

mixed vegetables,

Lasai!

Don't worry!

stew

lasai ibili

take it easy

merke

cheap (7)

lau

four

mesedez

please (1)

lanrogei

eighty

Mikel

Michael, a man's

laurogeita

eighty- …

name

legatz

hake (9)

mila

thousand, one

lehen

first (12), see

thousand

baino lehen

mila esker

thank you (4)

lehenengo

first (3)

milako

thousand-peseta

leiho

window

note

Leitza

a town

min

pain, ache

Lekeitio

a town

mineral

mineral, see ur

leku

place (8), room

mintzatu

speak, talk

(11)

minutu

minute

letxuga

lettuce (7)

mixta: see

libera

franc, unit of

entsalada

currency

moduz: see

libra

pound

Zer moduz?

libre

free

moldatu

manage

liburu

book

montatu

set up, pitch (a

lo egin

sleep (5)

tent)

logela

bedroom

mota

kind, type

Londres

London (1)

motxila

backpack (10)

motz

short

noiz

when (2)

muga

border,

noizbait

some time

boundary

nola

how (2)

musika

music

Nola duzu

What is your

musu

kiss (3)

izena?

name?

mutil

boy, fellow, chap

nolako

what kind

Nafarroa

a province (1)

non

where (1)

nago

I am (2)

nonbait

somewhere

nagusi

principal, main

nongo

where from

(4)

nor

who (3)

nahi adina

as much/many as

nora

where to (1)

I/you/we …

norbait

someone (8)

like

noren

whose, of whom

nahi baduzu

if you like (8)

nork

who (9)

nahi dut

I want (2)

normalean

normally, usually

nahi nuen

I wanted (7)

noski

of course (5)

nahi nuke

I'd like (5)

nuen

I had

nahiago dut

I prefer

nuke

I would

nahiko(a)

enough (7),

ogi

bread (7)

quite (3)

ogitarteko

sandwich

nahiko dut

I'll want (8)

ohe

bed (3)

naiz

I am (1)

oilasko

chicken

Naroa

woman's name

Olatz

woman's name

(1)

omen

I have heard that

nazioarteko

international

on

good (5)

nekatuta

tired (2)

Ondarroa

a town

nekazal

agricultural

ondo or ongi

well

nengoen

I was

Ondo!

Okay! Right!

nere

my(l)

(4), Great!

nere iritziz

in my opinion

ondo nago

I am well

nerea

mine (6)

Ondo pasa!

Have a good

nerekin

with me

time! (2)

neretzat

for me

Ondo segi!

Keep well!

neri

to me

ondoan

next to (9),

neukan

I had (12)

nearby (4)

ni

I, me (1)

ondoren

after, afterwards

nik

I(2)

ongi

well (2): uses as

nintzen

I was (6, 10)

for ondo

nituen

I had them (12)

Ongi etorri!

Welcome!

nizun

I … to you past

opari

present

(12)

oporr(-ak)

holidays (1, 10)

noa

I am going

orain

now (1)

Orain arte!

See you in a

currency

moment!

pikatu

snack on, eat as

oraindik

still

an appetizer

oraindik ez

not yet

pilo bat

a lot, lots

oraintxe (bertan)

right now,

piper

pepper (9)

straight away

piper beteak

stuffed peppers

(3), just now

pisatu

weigh

ordaindu

pay (5)

pisu

weight (12), flat

ordea

on the contrary,

pixka bat

a little (3, 7)

but

plan

plan

ordu

hour, time, see

piano

street map

Ze ordu da?

plantxan

grilled

ordua da

it's time

plaza

plaza, square

orduan

then (5)

poliki

slowly

orrialde

page

polit

pretty, nice (1)

oso

very (1), whole

portu

port, harbour

(5)

postal

postcard

Oso ondo!

Very good!

postre

dessert

Great! Fine!

postu

stall, stand

ospetsu

famous,

pozik

happy (1)

renowned

praka(-k)

trousers

paketsu

peaceful

praka motz(-ak)

shorts

pare bat

a couple (of)

praktikatu

practise

parean

opposite

presio

(air) pressure

parke

park

prest

ready

parranda egin

go out and have

prestatu

prepare (5),

fun

make (food etc.)

pasa or pasatu

pass (3), come

prezio

price (8)

(11), spend

primerako

excellent (8)

(12), have a

primeran

very well (12)

… time (3),

Primeran!

Great! Super!

see gau pasa

(3)

and Ondo

primeran pasa

have a great

pasa!

(tu)

time (3)

pasaporte

passport (4)

probatu

try, taste

pasatu: see pasa

problema

problem

pastel

cake, fish paste

proposatu

propose, suggest

(9)

rape

a kind of fish

patata

potato

sagardo

cider

patata frijitu(-ak)

chips

sagartarta

apple cake

pertsona

person

saiatu

try (12)

pezeta

peseta, unit of

saldu

sell

salgai

for sale

toki

place

saltsa

sauce (9)

tomate

tomato (7)

saltsa berde

a kind of sauce

topatu

come across,

saltsan

cooked in sauce

encounter

saltzaile

salesperson,

Tori!

Here you are!

seller

(9)

samar

rather

tortila

omelette

San

Saint (Spanish)

trafiko

traffic

San Ferminak

a fiesta

tren

train (1)

sandalia

sandal

tnrismo

tourism

Santa

Saint (Spanish)

tnrismo bulego

tourist office (9)

Santu: see Aste

turistiko

touristy, for

Santua

tourists

Sara

a village

txakolin

a kind of wine

sarrera

entrance

txango

excursion (11)

sartu

go in (4), put in

txar

bad (7)

(10)

txartel

card (11), ticket

segi

continue, carry

(2)

on (3), see

txiki

small (4)

Ondo segi!

txipiroi

cuttlefish

seguraski

probably (2)

txoko

corner, nook

seilu

stamp

txokolate

chocolate

seirehun

six hundred

txori

bird

semaforo

traffic light(s)

txozna

stand

sinatu

sign (4)

txukun

neat, tidy

solomo

filet mignon,

txuleta

bone steak (9),

pork cut

see arkume

suerte

(good) luck

txuleta

sukalde

kitchen

uda

summer (10)

supermerkatu

supermarket (8)

ugarte

island

taberna

bar (4)

ulertu

understand

tarjeta

card

untxi

rabbit

tarteka

intermittently

ur(-a)

water (6)

taula

table, chart

ur mineral

bottled water

telebista

television (2)

urdaiazpiko

ham (9)

telefono

telephone,

urruti

far (3)

telephone

urte

year (12)

number (2)

urten

go out

tenperatura

temperature

urtero

every year

t'erdiak

half past

uste dut

I think, I believe

terraza

balcony, terrace

(10)

toaila

towel

utzi

leave, let

uztail(-a)

July (2)

zenbat

how much, how

Xabier

Xavier, man's

many (2)

name (1)

zendako

why

xerra

slice, steak

zenuen

you had (7)

-z gero

if (you/one)

zenuke

you would (5)

zabal

wide

zer

what (1)

zahar

old (4)

Zer moduz?

How are you? (2)

zaigu

is to us

zerbait

something (3),

zail

difficult

anything (7)

zain nago

I am waiting (8)

zerbitzu

service

zait

is to me (4)

zerbitzugune

service centre

zaitez(te)

imperative

zergatik

why

auxiliary

zerrenda

list

zaitut

I have you

zeru

sky

zaizkizu

are to you

zeu(k): see zu zeu

zaizu

is to you (8)

zeuden

were

zaku

bag, sack

zeure

your

zapatila

slipper, sneaker

zinta

tape, conveyer

zara

you are (1)

belt

zarata

noise

zira

raincoat

Zarautz

a town

zitzaidan

was to me

zarauztar

native of

zoaz(-te)

you are going

Zarautz

zoragarri

fantastic,

zarete

you pl. are (9)

fabulous

zatoz

you are coming,

zoritxarrez

unfortunately (3)

come!

zortzi

eight

zaude

you are (2)

zu

you

zazpi

seven

zu zeu

you yourself

ze

what, which (6),

(12)

what (a) … !

zuen

your pl. (11),

(3)

had (6, 10)

Ze ederki!

Great!

zuk

you (2)

Ze enbidia!

Lucky you!

zure

your

Ze ondo!

Great!

zurea

yours (5)

Ze ordu da?

What time is it?

zurekin

with you

zegoen

was (12)

zuretzat

for you (10)

zein

which (4, 7),

zuri

to you; white

what (4), how

zurito

short glass of

… ! (5)

beer

zen

was (6, 7)

zuzenean

straight (8)

zenbaki

number (10)

Basque–English vocabulary

English-Basque vocabulary

Only some of the most common and useful words are given.

a

bat

at last

azkenean

a little

pixka bat

bad

txar

a lot

asko, pilo bat

badly

gaizki

about

-i buruz

bank

kutxa

above

goian

bar

taberna

abroad

atzerri(-an)

Basque Country

Euskal Herri(-a)

afraid (I'm …)

beldurra

Basque language

euskara

(daukat)

Basque speaker

euskaldun

after

ondoren, eta

be

izan, egon

gero

beach

hondartza

afternoon

arratsalde

beautiful

eder

afterwards

gero, ondoren

bed

ohe

again

berriro

before

baino lehen

ago

duela

behind

atzean

all

gnzti(-a, -ak),

best

hoberen(-a)

den(-a, -ak)

better

hobe, hobeto

almost

ia

big

handi

also

ere (bai)

bill

kontu

always

beti

bird

txori

and

eta

black

beltz

another

beste (…) bat

book

liburu

answer

erantzun

border

muga

anyone

inor

both

biak

anything

ezer

boy

mutil

appear

agertu

bread

ogi

around

inguruan

bring

ekarri

arrive

iritsi

bring out

atera

ask

galdetu

burn

erre

ask for

eskatu

bus

autobus

but

baina

door

ate

buy

erosi

down

behera

café

kafetegi

drink

v. edan, n. edari

call

deitu

each

bakoitz(-a)

cannot

ezin

east

ekialde

car

kotxe

Easter

Aste Santu(-a)

card

txartel

easy

erraz

Careful!

Kontuz!

eat

jan

carry

eraman

England

Inglaterra

catch

harrapatu

English

ingles

change

aldatu

enough

nahiko(a)

charge

kobratu

especially

batez ere

cheap

merke

etcetera

eta abar

cheese

gazta

Europe

Europa

chicken

oilasko

evening

gaii

chocolate

txokolate

every day

egunero

Christmas

Gabon(-ak)

every year

urtero

church

eliza

everyone

denak

clean

garbi

everything

dena

climb

igo

exam

azterketa

clothes

arropa

exchange

aldatu

coast

itsasalde, kosta

exchange rate

kanbio

coffee

kafe

excursion

txango

coffee with milk

kafesne

excuse me

barkatu

cold

hotz

expensive

garesti

colour

kolore

face

aurpegi

come

etorri

family

familia

continue

jarraitu, segi

famous

ospetsu

cool

fresko

far

urruti

corner

izkina

father

aita

cost(s)

balio (du)

few

gutxi

country

herd

fiesta

jai

dance

dantza

fill

bete

dark

ilun

find

aurkitu

day

egun

finish

bukatu

delicious

goxo

first

lehenengo

dessert

postre

fish

arrain

dictionary

hiztegi

flower

lore

different

desberdin

food

janari

difficult

zail

foreign

atzerritar

dining room

jangela

forget

ahaztu

don't

ez

forward

aurrera

franc

libera

house

etxe

France

Frantzia

how

nola

free

dohainik, libre

How are you?

Zer moduz?

fresh

fresko

how much/many

zenbat

friend

lagun

hungry (I'm … )

gosea (daukat)

fruit

fnita

I

ni

full

beteta

I am

naiz, nago

give

eman

I am able

anal dut

give me

emaidazu

I can't

ezin dut

go

Joan

I don't know

ez dakit

go about

ibili

I don't mind

berdin zait

go down

jaitsi

I have

(ba-)daukat

go for a walk/

buelta bat eman

I know

(ba-)dakit

ride

I like

gustatzen zait

go in

sartu

I must

behar dut

go out

atera

I need

behar dut

go out and

parranda egin

I prefer

nahiago dut

have fun

I think

uste dut

go shopping

erosketak egin

I want

nahi dut

go up

igo

I was born

jaio nintzen

good

on

I'd like

nahi nuke

Good afternoon!

Arratsalde on!

I'm … -ing

ari naiz

Good morning!

Egun on!

I'm interested (in)

interesatzen zait

Good night!

Gabon!

ice cream

helatu, izozki

goodbye

agur

if

ba-

green

berde

if you like

nahi baduzu

happy

pozik

in Basque

euskaraz

harbour

porta, kai

in front

aurrean

have

eduki, izan

in the middle

erdian

headache

buruko min

information

informazio

hear

entzun

inside

barman

hello

kalxo

interesting

interesgarri

help

lagundu

international

nazioarteko

her

bere

is

da, dago

here

hemen

is called

du izena, deitzen

Here you are!

Tori!

da

high

altu

know

jakin, ezagutu

his

bere

lady

andre or andra

holidays

oporr(-ak)

last

azken

hot

bero

late

berandu

hotel

hotel, ostatu

later

beranduago,

hour

ordu

gero

learn

ikasi

now

orain

left

ezker

number

zenbaki

life

bizitza

of course

noski

light

argi

offer

eskaini

like

prep, bezala(ko),

office

bulego

v. gustatu

okay

bale, ondo, bai

like that

horrela(ko)

old

zahar

listen

entzun

on top (of)

gainean

live (I … )

bizi (naiz)

once

behin

long

luze

one

bat

look

begiratu

only

bakarrik

Look!

Begira!

open

irekita

look for

bilatu

or

edo, ala

lose

galdu

organize

antolatu

make

egin

other

beste

many

asko

our

gure

map

mapa

out

kanpora

me

ni

outside

kanpoan

meat

haragi

owner

jabe

menu

karta

pain

min

milk

esne

park

parke

minute

minutu

pay

ordaindu

more

gehiago

people

jende

morning

goiz

perhaps

beharbada

mother

ama

person

pertsona

mountain

mendi

peseta

pezeta

much

asko

petrol

gasolina

my

nere

place

toki, leku

name

izen

plane

hegazkin

near

gertu, hurbil

plaza

plaza

new

berri

please

mesedez

news

berriak

postcard

postal

newspaper

egunkari

potato

patata

next

hurrengo,

pound

libra

datorren

prepare

prestatu

next to

ondoan

present

opari

nice (of a

jator

pretty

polit

person)

price

prezio

night

gaii

probably

seguraski

no

ez

problem

problema

north

iparralde

put

ipini, jarri

not

ez

put in

sartu

quick

azkar

stay

gelditu

quiet

lasai

still

oraindik

rain

n. euri, v. euri

street

kale

egin

student

ikasle

read

irakurri

suitcase

maleta

ready

prest

summer

uda

really

benetan

sun

eguzki

red

gorri

supermarket

supermerkatu

region

eskualde

table

mahai

remember

gogoratu

take

hartu, eraman

restaurant

jatetxe

take away

kendu

return

itzuli

talk

hitzegin

road

karretera, bide

teacher

irakasle

room

gela

telephone

n. telefono, v.

same

berdin

deitu

say

esan

television

telebista

sea

itsaso

tell

esan

second

bigarren

temperature

tenperatura

see

ikusi

than

baino

sell

saldu

thank you

eskerrik asko

send

bidali

that

hori, hura

shop

denda

their

beren

short

motz

then

orduan, gero

show

erakutsi

there

hor, ban

side

aide

there is

(ba-)dago

similar

berdin

these

hauek

sit

eseri

thing

gauza

sky

zeru

this

ban

sleep

lo egin

those

horiek, haiek

small

txiki

ticket

txartel, bilete

some

batzu(-k)

time

denbora

someone

norbait

tired

nekatuta

something

zerbait

today

gaur

sometime

noizbait

together

elkarrekin

somewhere

nonbait

toilet

komun

song

kanta, abesti

tomorrow

bihar

soon

laister

too much/many

gehiegi

south

hegoalde

town

herri

speak

hitzegin

train

tren

speak Basque

euskaraz egin

true

egia

special

berezi

try

saiatu

start

hasi

under

azpian

understand

ulertu

where to

nora

until

arte

which

zein

up

gora

who

nor

us

gw

whose

noren

use

erabili

why

zergatik

very

oso

wide

zabal

village

herri

wind

haize

wait

itxoin

window

leiho

watch

erloju

wine

ardo

water

ur(-a)

without

gabe

way

modu, bide

word

hitz

we

gu

work

n. Ian, v. Ian

weather

eguraldi

egin

week

aste

write

idatzi

weekend

asteburu

year

urte

well

ondo or ongi

yes

bai

west

mendebalde

yesterday

atzo

what

zer

yet

oraindik

what kind

nolako

you

zu, zuek

when

noiz

young

gazte

where

non

your

znre, zuen

where from

nongo

Subject index

-a 1,4

‘about’ 9

accommodation 11

addresses 12

adjectival: -ko 7

-zko 11

adjectives 4

agreeing 4

-ak 4

al

‘all’ 7

alphabet 3

‘also’ 8

alternatives 9

‘another’ 7

any 7

‘anything’ 12

-ar 1

ari 5

articles: -a 1, 4

indefinite 2

‘at’ 1, 8, 9

auxiliaries 5, see App.

ba-: affirmative 5, App: meaning

‘if’ 8

banks 4

bars 2

basic verb forms 3

bat 2

‘be’ 1,2, 8, see App.

beste 7

body 12

books 7

buruz 9

buying tickets 2

‘can’ 10

‘can’t’ 3

car 11

cases see App.

choices 9

clothes 10

colours 10

commands 3

comparison 7, 9

compound tenses see App.

compound words 4, 7

conjunctions 8, 9

continuous tense 5

‘could’ 12

countries 1

dates 3

dative 6, App.

days of the week 5

demonstratives 4, 7

describing 4

dialects Introd., 11

diminutives 10

diot etc. 11

direct object see object

directions 3

drinks 2

eating out 9

-ela 6

emphasizing: and linking 8

qualities 5;

word order App.

-en see possessive, indirect

questions

ere 8

ergative 7, App.

excessive 7

existence 4

festivals and fiestas 12

focus App.

food: restaurant 9

shopping 7

‘for’ 9

‘from’ 1,8

future 2, 9

genitive 8

geography Introd., 1

goazen 11

‘goodbye’ 2

‘had to’ 12

‘have’ 5, 8, see App.

‘have to’ 3

health 12

home 5

‘how’ 2, 8

‘how much/many’ 7

-i 6

identification 3

‘if 8

-ik 7, 9

impersonal 8

‘in’ 1,8,9

indirect: commands 12

questions 10

statements 6

instrumental -z 9, 11

instructions 3

intentions 5

introductions 6

invitations 10

-k 2, 7

kind 8

-ko: adjectival 7

genitive 1, 8

meaning ‘per’ 9

-Ia: indirect statements 6; manner

adverbs 8

-Iako: adjectivals of kind 8

reason 12

landmarks 3

‘let’s’ 11

letters 2, 3, 12

‘like’ 5

linking 8

local cases 1, 8, 9

manner 8

‘may’10

meals 7

media 5

menu 9

money 4

months 3

movement 3, 11, 12

music 6, 7

-n see in/on/at, indirect questions

relative clauses

-nean 12

negation 3, 12, App.

none 7

‘nothing’ 12

numbers 2, 4

object: personal 12

plural 5, 7

omen 6

‘on’ 1,8,9

opinion 11

‘or’ 9

ordering in bars 2

‘other’ 7

palatalization 6

participles 11

partitive 7, 9

passive 8

past: auxiliaries 12

modals 12

perfect 10

simple 12

paying in bars 2

people 6

‘per cent’ 9

perfect: past 10

present 6

permission 11

personal information 3

personal pronouns: possessive 1, 8

singular 1

‘we’ 3

place adverbs 1, 11

plans 11

plural: determiners 7

nouns 4

objects 5, 12

qualified nouns 4

verbs 4

politeness 1

position 9

possessive 8

postcard 12

postpositions 9

preference 7

present: compound 4

continuous 5

perfect 6

simple 12

professions 2

prohibitions 11

pronunciation 1, 2

proper names 1,3, 4

proposals 11

purpose 9

quantifiers 7

questions 1, 2, App.

-ra 1

relative clauses 12

reported speech see indirect etc.

restaurants 9

-ri 6

-rik 7,9

shopping 7

‘should have’ 12

signs 4,7

simple tenses: past 12

present 9

singular nouns 4

‘something’ 10

speaking Basque 1

‘start doing’ 12

‘still’ 10

subject, omission of 1

superlative 7

surprise 5

-ta 11

-ta- 9

-tako: genitive 8, 9

relative 12

-tar 1

telephone 6

tenses App.

‘than’ 9

‘there is’ 4

-tik 1

time expressions 2, 12

time of day 6

‘to’ 1,6,8

topic App.

tourist information 10

towns 1,4

transport 2; see travel

travel: long distance 12

road 11

‘try to do’ 12

-txo 10

uncertainty 11

understand (making sure you) 3

varieties of Basque Introd., 11

verb forms see App.

verbal nouns 11

‘want’ 2

‘wanted’ 12

weather 5, 9

‘what about’ 9

‘what happened’ 10

‘what kind’ 8

‘what you do’ 2

‘when’ 2, 12

‘where something is’ 1

‘where you are’ 2

‘where you are from’ 1

‘where you live’ 1

‘which’ 1,4

‘which way’ 11, 12

‘whose’ 8

‘why’ 12

wishes 5

‘with’ 5, 6

word formation 4

word order 1, App.

‘would like’ 5

-xe 1

‘yet’ 10

-z 9, 11

zait etc. 10

zein 7

zergatik and zertarako 9

-zko 11