Language/Basque/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation

Basque → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Introduction to Basque Language → Alphabet and Pronunciation

Basque is a unique language spoken by the Basque people in the Basque Country, a region located in the north of Spain and south of France. It is considered one of the oldest languages in the world and has no known relationship with any other European language. In this lesson, you will learn the basics of the Basque alphabet and proper pronunciation of letters and common words.

Basque Alphabet

The Basque alphabet, called "Euskal alfabetoa," is made up of 27 letters. The letters "c," "q," "w," "x," "y," and "z" are not used in traditional Basque words.

The Basque alphabet is made of the following letters: A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, X, Z.

The Basque language makes use of the acute accent (´) and, less frequently, the grave accent (`) to indicate stress on different syllables. The stressed syllable in a word is essential, as changing the stress can change the meaning of the word.

Pronunciation

Basque pronunciation is largely phonetic, which means that once you learn the alphabet and how to pronounce each letter, you should be able to read a word correctly even if you have never seen it before.

Below is a table with the Basque alphabet, pronunciation guide, and English translation:

Basque	Pronunciation	English
A	ah	apple
B	beh	boat
D	deh	day
E	eh	egg
F	eff	flower
G	geh	go
H	hache	house
I	ee	igloo
J	hotz	jump
K	kah	kiss
L	ele	leap
M	eme	moon
N	ene	nest
Ñ	eñe	canyon
O	oh	orange
P	peh	pencil
R	erre	rabbit
S	esse	sun
T	teh	table
U	oo	umbrella
V	beh	valley
X	ekis	sea
Z	zeta	zoo

Note that the Basque pronunciation of the letters "c," "q," "w," "x," "y," and "z" are borrowed from Spanish.

Also note that the letter "tx" represents a unique sound in Basque, similar to the "ch" sound in the English word "cheese." The letter "tz" also has a unique sound, similar to the "zz" sound in the English word "pizza." It may take some time to get used to these sounds, but with practice, you should be able to pronounce them easily.

Common Words

Now that you have learned the Basque alphabet and pronunciation, it's time to practice with some common words. Here is a list of basic Basque words you can use to get started:

• Kaixo - Hello (informal)
• Egun on - Good morning
• Arratsalde on - Good afternoon
• Gabon - Good evening
• Gabon zoriontsua - Good night
• Agur - Goodbye (informal)
• Mesedez - Please
• Eskerrik asko - Thank you
• Barkatu - Sorry
• Bai - Yes
• Ez - No
• Adio - Goodbye

Practice saying these words and phrases out loud, paying close attention to the stress on each syllable.

Congratulations on completing your first lesson in Basque! Keep practicing your alphabet and pronunciation, and you'll be speaking Basque fluently in no time.

Table of Contents - Basque Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Basque Language

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

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Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Nouns and Articles

• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Noun Gender and Number

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Numbers and Counting

• Numbers 1-20
• Ordinal Numbers

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Pronouns and Verb Conjugation

• Subject Pronouns
• Regular Verb Conjugation

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Days, Months, and Seasons

• Days of the Week
• Months and Seasons

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Questions and Negation

• Interrogative Words
• Forming Questions
• Negation

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Descriptive Adjectives
• Comparatives and Superlatives
• Adverbs

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Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating Out

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Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Common Prepositions
• Conjunctions

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Vocabulary

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Basque Culture and Traditions

• History and Geography
• Festivals and Celebrations

Other Lessons

• Adverbs
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Definite Articles in Basque
• Negation
• Give your Opinion
• Conditional Mood
• Conjunctions
• Gender
• Prepositions