Basque Verbs

Welcome to the 10th lesson about verbs in Basque. We will first learn about the present tense, followed by the past tense, and future tense. We will also analyze some grammar rules, and finally practice how to ask for direction in Basque.

Verbs are used to express an action (I swim) or a state of being (I am). The present tense in Basque conveys a situation or event in the present time. Here are some examples:

Present Tense - Basque
I speak English ingelesez hitz egiten dut
you speak French frantsesez hitz egiten duzu
he speaks German alemanez hitz egiten du
she speaks Italian italieraz hitz egiten du
we speak Arabic arabieraz hitz egiten dugu
they speak Chinese txineraz hitz egiten dute

The past tense in Basque conveys a situation or event in the past time. Here are some examples:

Past Tense - Basque
I visited France frantzia bisitatu nuen
you visited Italy italia bisitatu zenuen
he visited Morocco maroko bisitatu zuen
she visited China txina bisitatu zuen
we visited Mexico mexiko bisitatu genuen
they visited Kenya kenya bisitatu zuten

The future tense in Basque conveys a situation or event which is anticipated to happen in the future. Here are some examples:

Future Tense - Basque
I will drink milk esnea edango dut
you will drink coffee kafea edango duzu
he will drink tea tea edango du
she will drink water ura edango du
we will drink apple juice sagar zukua edango dugu
they will drink tea tea edango dute

Now let's take a break and refresh our vocabulary by learning the body parts.

ear belarria

eye begia

mouth ahoa

nose sudurra

hair ilea

face aurpegia

head burua

heart bihotza

hand eskua

fingers hatzamarrak

leg hanka

feet oinak

Travel Phrases in Basque

Imagine yourself in some Basque speaking country. The following travel phrases are highly important and can help you avoid misunderstanding. Try to memorize them and practice!

English - Basque
Can you help me? lagundu al diezadakezu?
Can I help you? lagundu al diezazuket?
Where is the airport? non dago aireportua?
Go straight joan zaitez zuzenean
Then gero
Turn left ezkerrera biratu
Turn right eskuinera biratu

I hope this lesson about the verbs in Basque was not hard for you. Please check out our main menu here for more lessons: homepage. To see the full menu, you can also click on the "Menu" icon on the left side.