Language/Basque/Grammar/Interrogative-Words
Basque, like any other language, requires the use of specific query words to form questions. Learning common interrogative words is essential for effective communication in Basque. This lesson will teach you about the most frequently used interrogative words in Basque.
Interrogative Words
Interrogative words or question words are words used to inquire and obtain information about an unknown subject. In Basque, the five most common interrogative words are: nork (who), zer (what), noiz (when), non (where), and zergatik (why).
Who?
The word "nork" is used to question someone's identity or to ask the name of the person. It is important to remember that Basque has two words for "you" - singular and plural. See the table below for examples.
| Basque | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Nork zara? | "Nork" like "nor" with k at the end. "Zara" pronounced like "sara" with z | Who are you? |
| Noren laguna zara? | "Noren" pronounced like "norain" with e, "laguna" pronounced like "laguna" in Spanish. "Zara" pronounced like "sara" with z | Whose friend are you? |
| Nork egun hau ospatuko du? | "Nork" like "nor" with k at the end. "Egun" like "Agen" but with u. "Hau" pronounced like "au" in August. | Who will celebrate this day? |
What?
The word "zer" is used to ask about the identity of an object or to question the reason for something. It can also be used to ask about a thing or an activity.
| Basque | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Zer duzu? | "Zer" like "jar" with "z". "Duzu" pronounced like "du" with z and then "su" | What do you have? |
| Zergatik bazatoz? | "Zer" like "jar" with "z". "Gatik" pronounced like "gatik" in "zergatik". "Bazo" pronounced like "baso" with "z" | Why are you coming? |
When?
The word "noiz" is used to ask about time - it can be specific or general. Basque time expressions are slightly different from English. Noon and midnight are not referred to as "midday" and "midnight". Rather, noon is expressed as "eguerdia" and midnight is expressed as "goizeko ibilbidea".
| Basque | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Noiz etorri zara? | "Noiz" pronounced like "noiz". "Etorri" pronounced like "Aztoria" without "A" | When did you come? |
| Noiz ospatuko dugu? | "Noiz" pronounced like "noiz". "Ospatuko" pronounced like "ospatuko". "Dugu" pronounced like "dugu" in Spanish | When will we celebrate? |
Where?
The word "non" is used to ask about location. It could be about a place, a direction or a general area. When you want to indicate you are at a certain place, you also use the word "nor" for person or "nork" in the same sentence.
| Basque | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Non bizi zara? | "Non" pronounced like "non". "Bizi" pronounced like "bizikleta" but without "kleta". | Where do you live? |
| Nongoak diren gizona? | "Non" pronounced like "non". "Goak" pronounced like "go-ak". "Diren" like "diren". "Gizona" like "thizuna" without a "th" | Where is the man who works here? |
Why?
The word "zergatik" is used to ask about the reason or cause of something. You can also use the word "nola" for questioning about the way or the method of something.
| Basque | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Zergatik etorri zara? | "Zergatik" like "zergatik" with "z". "Etorri" like "Aztoria" without "A" | Why did you come? |
| Zergatik kantatu duzu? | "Zergatik" like "zergatik" with "z". "Kantatu" like "kantatu" in Spanish. "Duzu" like "du" with "z" and "su" | Why did you sing? |
Remember: the word order in Basque sentences follows the structure: "interrogative word + auxiliary verb + subject + main verb + complement".
Conclusion
In this lesson, you have learned about the basic interrogative words in Basque. With these words, you can ask about someone's identity, a thing's identity, time, location, and reason quite easily. By mastering these question words, you will be well on your way to holding basic conversations in Basque. Practice making sentences, and use these words to get context-related information. In the next lesson, we will learn how to form questions in Basque by putting these interrogative words into practice.
Other Lessons
- Imperative Tense
- Comparatives and Superlatives
- Regular Verb Conjugation
- Descriptive Adjectives
- Past Participle in Basque
- Adjectives
- Plurals
- Gender
- Common Prepositions
- Present Tense