Language/Basque/Grammar/Give-your-Opinion

Basque Grammar - Give your Opinion

Hi Basque learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on giving your opinion in Basque! Expressing your thoughts and feelings is crucial when learning a new language, and Basque is no exception. You'll see that this grammar topic is not too complicated but could make a difference in your conversations.

Giving Opinions

To give an opinion in Basque, we use the following structure:

Subject + verb + izan + adverb + noun/verb

Here, izan means to be and can be conjugated according to the subject. The key is to add an adverb that indicates your level of certainty. Let's see some examples:

Basque	Pronunciation	English
Nire ustez...	neer-eh oo-steth...	In my opinion...
Seguru nintzen horri buruz...	seh-goo-roo neen-tzen hoh-ree boo-rooth...	I was sure about that...
Bai, sinetsi dut hala egin dela...	buy, see-neh-tsee doot hah-lah eh-gin deh-lah...	Yes, I believe it was done that way...
Ez nintzen dudarik egon...	eth neen-tzen doo-dah-reek eh-gon...	I had no doubt...

Note that we added the word dela in the last example. This particle is used to indicate that an action has been done.

Let's see these structures in context:

• Person 1: Nire ustez, gaztelania irakurtzea oso arazo handia da. (In my opinion, reading Spanish is a big problem.)
• Person 2: Bai, nik ere hala uste dut. (Yes, I think the same.)

• Person 1: Seguru nintzen horri buruz, eta zure iritzia? (I was sure about that, and your opinion?)
• Person 2: Guztiz zure iritzia partekatzen dut. (I completely share your opinion.)

• Person 1: Bai, sinetsi dut hala egin dela, hala ere, horrelako gauza ezin daiteke zahartu datozela. (Yes, I believe it was done that way, however, we cannot avoid that things like that get old.)
• Person 2: Ez dut zure posizioari inoiz inoiz ere kontra egiten. (I never disagree with your position.)

• Person 1: Ez nintzen dudarik egon, baina klasea ia bukatzen ari da eta orain ez dakit zer egingo nuen... (I had no doubt, but the class is almost over, and now I don't know what to do...)
• Person 2: Ez arduratu, garrantzitsuena ere bete dugu. (Don't worry, we've already done the most important thing.)

Using Adjectives

When you want to express a preference or describe how you feel about something, you use adjectives. The word order in Basque is Subject-Object-Verb like in Japanese, which may make it a bit tricky for English speakers. Let's see some examples:

Basque	Pronunciation	English
Hain maite dut...	hain my-teh doot...	I love it so much...
Hobe da...	hoh-beh dah...	It's better...
Kexu egiten dit...	keh-shoo eh-gi-ten deet...	It makes me angry...
Pozten nau...	poth-then now...	I'm happy...

Now let's combine this with the previous structure:

Subject + verb + izan + adverb + adjective + noun

Here, the adverb has the same function as before. The adjective must agree with the gender and number of the noun it describes. Let's see how to conjugate some common adjectives:

Basque	Pronunciation	English
Bero	beh-ro	Hot (for weather or food, always invariable)
Argi	ar-gee	Clear, bright
Iluna	ee-loo-nah	Dark
Beltza	bell-tzah	Black
Gorria	go-rr-ree-ah	Red
Horia	hoh-ree-ah	Yellow
Berdea	beh-rr-theh-ah	Green
Urdina	oor-thee-nah	Blue

Let's see these structures in context:

• Person 1: Hain maite dut eta zu? (I love it so much, what about you?)
• Person 2: Gustoko dut, baina... (I like it but...)

• Person 1: Hobe da hau baino... (It's better than this...)
• Person 2: Benetan? Asmatu dut nire aukera! (Really? I think my choice was perfect!)

• Person 1: Kexu egiten dit eta... (It makes me angry, and...)
• Person 2: Ez da hori garrantzitsua, baina bizi deneko egoeraren ondorioak dira hainbat. (That's not important, but there are several consequences of the current situation.)

• Person 1: Pozten nau zurekin bizi izan bazinateke... (I would have been happy if I had lived with you...)
• Person 2: Ez da posible, baina bakea da ea uste dezakegun bezala bizitzeko. (It is not possible, but peace is whether we can live as we want.)

Using Idioms

Idioms are a great way to sound more natural and use your creativity. Basque has dozens of idioms, and here we'll see some popular ones that can help you give your opinion:

Basque	Pronunciation	English
Balkoi	bahl-ko-ee	To be crazy
Argizaiola jantzita egon	ar-gee-zyay-ola han-tzee-tah eh-gon	To be alert, attentive
Gillipollas	ghill-ee-pohl-las	Idiot, stupid
Gana irauteko	gah-nah eer-ah-oo-teh-ko	To be willing to do something
Kojon gorabehera	koh-hon gor-ra-beh-hair-ah	Completely overwhelmed
Odola hotz egiten	oh-doh-lah hohtz eh-gi-ten	To chill the blood, to be scared
Urre egiten	ooh-rreh eh-gi-ten	To hesitate

To use these idioms, you can add them at the end of a sentence or as a subject:

• Person 1: Era berean platinoa ekarri. (Bring the platinum in the same way.)
• Person 2: Balkoi zara beti! (You're always crazy!)

• Person 1: Zuk antolatuko zenuen eginahal guztia! (You could have organized everything!)
• Person 2: Pozik nengoen eta argizaiola jantzita egon naiz orain. (I was happy and now I am alert.)

• Person 1: Hau erraza da, gillipollas gara! (This is easy, we are idiots!)
• Person 2: Ez da hain erraza, baina gana irauteko! (It's not that easy, but we are willing to do it!)

• Person 1: Negar egin egin dudan hiru urte hain zuzen... (The last three years have been exactly what I wanted...)
• Person 2: Hobe hortik alde egin ala kojon gorabehera geratzea... (It's better to move on or be completely overwhelmed...)

• Person 1: Zergatik odola hotz egiten dizun? (Why are you scared?)
• Person 2: Uh-oh, oso negar bizi izan naiz eta orain urre egiten ari naiz! (Uh-oh, I have been living exactly what I wanted and now I'm hesitating!)

Conclusion

In conclusion, giving your opinion in Basque is a simple but effective way to express yourself. We've seen how to use structures, adjectives, and idioms to communicate your thoughts and feelings. To improve your Basque Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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