Coming to Basque Country? Don’t speak Basque? Makes sense. Let’s start speaking Basque together! In this edition of learning the Basque language we will be focusing on some common social words and phrases. Enjoy!
The Basque language is unique and fascinating. Unlike English which is Germanic or Spanish which is Latin, Basque is a language unto its own. It is the oldest living language in Europe. Spoken by less than a million people.
Although you do not need to be able to communicate in Basque to enjoy yourself in Basque Country, as 98% of people speak either Spanish or French the locals do appreciate you giving it a go. Plus it’s fun!
Speaking Basque Common Words and Phrases
Kaixo – Hello
The K-A-I- is like the name “Kai.” The X-O makes the sounds like the word “show.” The trick is to trail off a little bit with the w. The full word is “kai-show.”
Mesedez – Please
Mesedez is like the car Mercedes-Benz. You just have to drop the R. It’s not “meRcedes” its “mecedes.”
Eskerrik Asko – Thank you
Eskerrik is said faster than the asko. The “es” is like the letter “S.” The “kerr” is like “care.” The “ik” is as if something is gross. Think icky, but you drop the “y” from icky. So you say “S-care-ick”
For “asko” the A-S is said “ass.” The K-O is like you are shortening the word “company” to “co”. Combined asko is “ass-co.”
When you put these two words together it sounds like “S-care-ick Ass-co.”
Aupa – Hi
This hello is less formal than Kaixo. It’s To say “aupa” you say the letter A-U like when you hurt yourself and say “ow.” You say the word “pa” as in dad. It’s “ow-pa.”
Komuna – Bathroom
The K-O sound makes a “co” sound like when you say co-op. The M-U-N is like “moon.” The “A” is said like “a” in a sentence. For example, “give the boy a pear” The full word Komuna is “co-moon-a.”
Zorionak – Congratulations
The Z-O-R-I is as if you have a slight lisp while saying sorry. “Ssorry.” The O-N is like you’re saying “own.” Lastly, the A-K is pronounced as if you were saying the word “act.” However, you never got to the t. The full word is “ssorry-own-ac.”
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Egun on – Good morning
The “E” makes an “a” sound. This time the sound of the “a” is like when the letter is in ABCD. The G-U-N is like “goon.” The full word is “a-goon.” The second word “on” is the same as the english “on.” In full “egun on” is said “a-goon on.”
Gabon – Good night
The G-A sound is like when a baby makes that “goo-goo-ga-ga” sound. That “ga” a baby makes is the same as the G-A in Gabon. The B-O-N is like in French when someone is saying “enjoy your meal” “bon appetit.” Or like in James Bond if you drop the “d” at the end. The full word is “ga-bon.”
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Amatxu – Mom
The A-M is like “am.” For example “I am learning.” and the A-T-X-U makes the sound of describing someone sneezing. “Achoo”. The difference in this achoo is that you don’t draw out the “a” part of the “achoo.” It is said “am-achoo.”
You may also hear people say “Ama” instead of Amatxu. This is the same as shortening mother to mom.
Aita – Dad
The A-I is “eye.” The T-A is said “ta.” Like if you were a magician and just pulled a rabbit out of your hat. You would likely say “ta da.” That is the same “ta” as in Aita. The full work sounds like “eye-ta.”
Basque is a very interesting language that sounds really cool when you hear it. The way that it’s structured and the flow of the sentences are something special. Try out these few words for now and we will add more vocabulary in the next edition of Basque words.