#basque:reference

[guillemelgat]

GUILLEMELGAT’S CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD | Euskal Herria (Basque Country)

Vendors at the Santo Tomas Fair in Donostia (source). On December 21, many Basque towns and cities host a winter market, celebrating local farmers. Donostia hosts one of the largest ones, with lots of different vendors selling both raw and prepared products.

A family in traditional Basque clothing at the Santo Tomas Fair in Donostia (source). For the fair, it’s common for people to dress in the traditional Basque clothing: abarka shoes; long skirts and a kerchief over the head for women; and a txapela hat and kerchief around the neck for men.

A plate of txistorra sausage at the Santo Tomas Fair in Irun (source). The most common treat at the Santo Tomas Fair is txistorra, a type of sausage which is often eaten wrapped up in a talo, which is similar to the Central American tortilla.

Two servings of intxaur-saltsa, a typical Basque Christmas dessert (source). Made from walnuts, this sweet has a creamy texture and is traditional on Christmas Eve.

A model Olentzero (source). Olentzero is often called the Basque Santa Claus; however, he is a bit different. Originally said to be one of the giants of the Pyrenees and a frightening figure, over the centuries, Olentzero evolved into a kind and generous gift-giver. His current origin story is as a charcoal-burner and wood-carver who sacrificed his life to save children from a burning house. Because of this deed, he was granted eternal life in order to keep making gifts for children. Olentzero parades through many towns at Christmastime and is a beloved figure for Basque people, having survived and come out strong on the other side of Francoist repression.

Txoronpio collects letters to Olentzero in a town in the Debagoiena region (source). Olentzero has two helpers called Txoronpio and Txoronpia, who walk around with sacks and collect letters from children to deliver to him. They are depicted by people on stilts with painted faces and dressed in traditional clothing.

The creche in the life-sized Nativity scene at Florida Park in Gasteiz (source). Every year in Gasteiz, life-sized statues fill Florida Park, creating a Nativity scene that takes up a section of the park and includes over 200 figures. Nativity scenes on a smaller scale are also common across the Basque Country and surrounding areas.

The Three Kings arrive in Donostia (source). The Spanish tradition is to give gifts on January 6, with the Three Kings leaving them in children’s shoes on the night of January 5. While Olentzero gives gifts on Christmas, children in the southern part of the Basque Country often also participate in Three Kings’ Day and get double the presents! There are also parades for the Three Kings, similar to Olentzero.

A traditional roscón de reyes (source). Another shared tradition with Spain in the southern Basque Country is making roscón de reyes, a sweet cake to be eaten on January 6. The tradition goes that however finds a certain object hidden in the cake gets to wear the crown and be king for the day—similar to other Christmas sweet traditions across Europe, such as English Christmas pudding.

(Thanks to this post for inspiration)

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MONONOKE PRINTZESA: Hiztegiak Euskaraz - 6. Atala

Hey look, several months literally way more than half a year later, I’m finally trying to finish watching Princess Mononoke! I think I have about a quarter of it left, but a fair amount of that might be action which goes by a lot quicker because I don’t need to translate it 😅 And here’s the Quizlet set for those who are interested in studying the vocabulary :’)

arrunt - ordinary, common, run-of-the-mill

hiltzaile - murderer, killer

ergel - stupid, foolish

hedatu - to extend

lotan - sleeping

hilzori - agony, dying

etzan - to rest, to lie

txikitu - to destroy, to cut up

ahul - weak

soil - simple, pure

burugogor - stubborn

alferrik galdu - to waste

gori - red-hot

ehortzi - to bury

amu - hook

lurrazpi - underground

jaurti - to throw

aintzira - lake

tori - take!

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Food Vocabulary in Basque

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

Vocabulary related to food from my Basque class notes! Let me know if there are any mistakes. You can find the Quizlet set here!

Barazkiak - Vegetables

alberjinia - eggplant

arbi - turnip

aza - cabbage

azalore - cauliflower

azenario - carrot

baba - fava bean

babarrun - bean

baratxuri - garlic

dilista - lentil

erremolatxa - beet

garbantzu, txitxirio - chickpea

ilar - pea

kalabaza - pumpkin

kalabazin, kuiatxo - zucchini

leka - green bean

orburu, alkatxofa, artixot - artichoke

perretxiko - mushroom

perrexil - parsley

piper - pepper

porru - leek

tipula - onion

tomate - tomato

uraza, letxuga - lettuce

zainzuri - asparagus

zerba - Swiss chard

ziazerba - spinach

Frutak - Fruits

ahuakate - avocado

angurri, sandia - watermelon

gerezi - cherry

laranja - orange

limoi - lemon

mahats - grapes

mandarina - mandarin

marrubi - strawberry

meloi - melon

platano - banana

sagar - apple

txirimoia - custard apple

udare, madari - pear

Esnekiak - Dairy

esne - milk

gazta - cheese

gurin - butter

jogurt - yogurt

mami, gatzatu - curd

Haragia - Meat

azpizun - sirloin

hanburgesa - hamburger

odolki - blood pudding

oilasko - chicken

saltxitxa - sausage

solomo - loin

txistor - chistorra, pork sausage

txorizo - chorizo

txuleta - chop

urdaiazpiko - jamón, Spanish ham

xerra - steak

Arrainak - Fish

antxoa - anchovy

atun - tuna

bakailao - cod

berdel - mackerel

itsaski - shellfish

legatz - hake

muskuilu - mussel

muxila, txirla - clam

olagarro - octopus

sardina - sardine

txipiroi - squid

Janari Prestatuak - Prepared Food

albondiga, haragi-bola - meatballs

arroz-esne - rice pudding

eltzeko, erregosi - stew

entsalada - salad

entsaladilla - potato salad

ezti - honey

flan - flan

izozki - ice cream

kroketa - croquettes

natilla - custard

ogitarteko - sandwich

oilasko erre - roast chicken

opil - roll, bun

patata frijitu - french fry

patata-tortilla - potato omelette

salda - broth

tarta - cake

txokolate - chocolate

zopa - soup

Bestelako jakiak - Other Foods

arrautza - egg

arroz - rice

arto - corn

azukre - sugar

fideo - noodle

fruitu lehor - nut, dried fruit

gatz - salt

irin - flour

kafe - coffee

kamamila - chamomile

makarroi - macaroni

ogi - bread

oliba - olive

olio - oil

ozpin - vinegar

piperbeltz - pepper (spice)

te - tea

Edariak - Drinks

ardo - wine

freskagarri - soda

garagardo - beer

patxaran - pacharan (sloe aniseed brandy)

sagardo - cider

txakolin - chacoli (tangy white wine)

ur - water

zuku - juice

Jatorduak - Meals

gosari - breakfast

bazkari - lunch

askari - afternoon snack

afari - dinner

hamarretako, hamaiketako - elevenses, midmorning snack

Aditzak - Verbs

jan - eat

edan - drink

prestatu - prepare, cook

irakin - boil (water)

egosi - boil (food), bake

erosi - buy

eskatu - order

gosaldu - eat breakfast

bazkaldu - eat lunch

afaldu - eat dinner

gose izan - be hungry

egarri izan - be thirsty

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I started watching Princess Mononoke with Basque subtitles (which you can watch here 👀) and I’ve been going through and looking up all the vocabulary that I don’t understand. Here’s the first part (~first 20 minutes of the movie), some of the words have multiple defintions and I’ve only put here the one relevant to the dialogue I was trying to understand:

gizatiar - human

igarle - prophet

madarikazio - curse

uki - touch

zauritu - to injure, to wound

isuri - to pour

makurtu - to bow, to surrender

hilobi - grave

hileta - funeral

izaki - being

higuingarri - disgusting, detestable

neu - myself

albiste - news

basurde - wild boar

amorratu - to infuriate, to irritate

igarri - to predict, to notice

gezi - arrow

jaurti - to throw, to shoot

patu - destiny

lausotu - to cloud over

egotzi - to blame

gizaldi - generation

jadanik - already

debekatu - forbidden, to forbid

ardura - care

aizto - knife

borrokaldi - fighting

muino - hill

agudo - quickly

harrapatu - to catch

orban - stain

txiza - urine

aizun - false

aztertu - to examine, to study

pinporta - grain, lump

inozo - stupid

lekaide - friar

zakukada - full sack

hanka egin - to run away, to escape

segika - following

erakustaldi - exhibition

erraldoi - giant

zehar - through, along

arrasto - trace, mark

zoragarri - wonderful

uholde - flood

inguratu - to surround

izurrite - plague

hilezkor - immortal

trukean - in exchange

katilu - cup, bowl

orein - deer

akabatu - to kill, to die

I made a Quizlet set here, I’ll keep adding stuff to it as I go!

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MONONOKE PRINTZESA: Hiztegiak Euskaraz - 5. Atala

More vocab from Mononoke Printzesa, I’ve also added it all to the  Quizlet set so study away!

egotzi - to expel, to throw

maltzur - crafty, wily

hagin - molar, tooth

tximu - monkey

are ...-ago - even more ...

etsi - to consider

axola - care, worry, interest

berritsu - gossipy, slanderous

inork ez bezala - unlike anyone

noranahi - anywhere, wherever

kirastu - to reek

ehiztari - hunter

alegia - legend

lehenagoko - previous

letagin - fang

koldar - coward

honako hau - this (n.)

murtxikatu - to chew

gizakume - man

ezgauza - useless, trifle

botere - power, ability

erregutu - to beg

bular - chest

urde - pig

froga - proof

aurrena - firstly, first of all

burutsu - sensible, reasonable

hara - well now

atzera - once again

ahaltsu - powerful

deuseztatu - to remove, to destory

aurka - against

txilio - scream, shriek

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MONONOKE PRINTZESA: Hiztegiak Euskaraz - 3. Atala

Approximately 10 more minutes of vocab! Quizlet set is here and includes words from all the previous parts, we’ll see how much more I can do before school starts :’)

banatu - to share, to distribute

eragozpen - impediment, obstruction

aizu! - listen!

ukuilu - stable, stall

traba egin - to impede

arreta - interest, attention

zorigaizto - bad luck, misfortune

kutsatu - to contaminate

bizar - beard

agortu - to run out

lehenbizi - firstly

ebaki - to cut

untziratu (ontziratu) - to embark

iritzi - to presume, to appear, to believe

gutiziatu - to desire, to covet

erdibitu - to cut in half

pisutsu - heavy, important

arinki - quickly

babesgarri - protection

lodi - thickness

jokatu - to play, to joke

hilgarri - fatal, lethal

atsekabetu - to inflict, to cause pain

sarraski - killing, massacre

gutxietsi - to underestimate

bezainbeste - as much as

mendeku - revenge

aterpe - refuge

bendatu - to bandage

ereite - seed, sowing

muin - essence

ohiko - normal, typical

bazter - corner, side

elezahar - legend

legendun - leper

agindu - to order, to control

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MONONOKE PRINTZESA: Hiztegiak Euskaraz - 2. Atala

More vocab because I watched 10 more minutes of the movie! Quizlet set is here, with words from the first part and hopefully continued updates ^-^

zenbat eta ...-ago - the more, the ....-er

garraiatu - to transport, to carry

idi - bullock, ox

sutauts - (gun)powder

irismen - reach, range

kume - cub

... besterik - just, only, nothing more than

jainkosa - goddess

askoz gehiago - much more

kalte - harm, damage

arduratu - to care, to worry

erresuma - kingdom

alde! - out!, begone!

okerrera egin - to make worse

nekez - difficultly

milaka - by the thousands

galant - big, beautiful

oinatz - footprint

beharbada - maybe, probably

okertu - to make a mistake

salbu - safe

atseden - rest, break

eutsi - hold on

bat-batean - suddenly

jada - already

hautsi - to break

gotorleku - fortress

meategi - mine

itzain - ox driver

zaindari - guard, warden

mozorro - disguise

tiratzaile - marksman

bizkar - back

biziki - strongly, intensely

igaro - to pass

ederto - well, great

lerdokeria - ridiculousness

puztu - to inflate, to brag

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MONONOKE PRINTZESA: Hiztegiak Euskaraz - 4. Atala

A bit more than 10 minutes of vocab, I’ll try to catch up now that I’m sort of back in the swing of things but it may be a hot sec before the next one. As always, Quizlet set is here and is cumulative!

nekatu - to tire

txanda - turn, shift

topatu - to find

labe - oven, furnace

hesi - fence, enclosure

galdara - boiler

amarru - trick

isilarazi - to silence

gai izan - to be capable of

haginka egin - to bite

albo - side

zorabiatu - to faint

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Basque City Vocab

Image credit: Cityscape - Bilbao (Tommie Hansen)

Basque vocabulary relating to the city! The Quizlet set of this vocab is here.

hiri - city

herri - town (also country)

auzo - neighborhood

etxe - house

etxebizitza, apartamentu - apartment, flat

etxebizitza-bloke, apartamentu-bloke - apartment building, apartment block

tren geltoki - train station

autobus geltoki - bus stop

metro geltoki - subway station

plaza - square

kale - street

errepide - road, highway

zubi - bridge

portu - port, harbor

alde zahar - old city, historical district

merkatu - market

supermerkatu - supermarket

kafetegi - cafe

jatetxe - restaurant

taberna - bar

hotel - hotel

antzoki - theater

zinema-areto - movie theater

museo - museum

liburutegi - library

eskola - school

unibertsitate - university

ospital - hospital

farmazia, botika - pharmacy

denda - store

banku - bank

lantegi - factory

udaletxe - town/city hall

epaitegi - courthouse

parke - park

zelai - field

estadio - stadium

eliza - church

tenplu - temple

sinagoga - synagogue

meskita - mosque

Let me know if you have any corrections!

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Geography and Climate Vocab in Basque

I’ve apparently had this sitting around from when I made my last Basque vocab list and just never posted it

Here is the Quizlet set!

Directions

norabide - direction

iparralde - north

ipar-ekialde - northeast

ekialde - east

hego-ekialde - southeast

hegoalde - south

hego-mendabalde - southwest

mendabalde - west

ipar-mendabalde - northwest

NORABIDEko - DIRECTIONern, from the DIRECTION

Natural Features

mendi - mountain

mendixka - hill

haran - valley

ibai - river

itsaso - sea

ozeano - ocean

itsasalde, kostalde - coast

hondartza - beach

baso - forest

zelai - field

Weather

zeru - sky

eguzki - sun

ilargi - moon

izar - star

hodei, laino - cloud

hodeitsu, lainotu - cloudy

euri - rain

elur - snow

haize - wind

ekaitz - storm

trumoi - thunder

tximista - lightning

hotz - cold

hozkirri - chilly, fresh

epel - warm

bero - hot

tenperatura - temperature

gradu - degree

negu - winter

udaberri - spring

uda - summer

udazken - fall, autumn

eguzki izan (eguzki da) - to be sunny

euria/elurra ari izan (i.e., euria ari du) - to be raining/snowing (at a specific moment)

euria/elurra egin - to rain/snow (in general or over a period of time)

hotza/beroa egon (i.e., hotza dago), hotz/bero izan (i.e., hotz da) - to be cold/hot (at the present moment)

hotza/beroa egin - to be cold/hot (at another time or in general)

ZENBAKI gradu egon - to be NUMBER degrees

Corrections are always welcome!

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Basque Vocab: Talking about time

I made a Quizlet for this vocab, you can find it here!

Declensions/Suffixes

-ero - every

-(e)an, -etan - on (day), in (morning/night/etc, month), at (time)

-(e)tik, -etatik - from

-(e)ra, -etara - to

Relative Expressions

baino lehen, aurretik - before (with infinitive)

ondoren - after (with infinitive)

arte - until (with infinitive)

bitartean - while (with conjugated verb)

hurrengo, datorren - next

pasa den, joan den - last

gaur - today

bihar - tomorrow

atzo - yesterday

aurten - this year

iaz - last year

orain - now

orduan - then

hasieran - at the beginning

erdialdean - in the middle

bukaeran - at the end

Units of Time

goiz - morning

eguerdi - noon

arratsalde - afternoon, evening

gau - night

gauerdi - midnight

minutu - minute

ordu - hour

egun - day

aste - week

asteburu - weekend

hilabete - month

urte - year

Weekdays and Months

astelehen - Monday

astearte - Tuesday

asteazken - Wednesday

ostegun - Thursday

ostiral - Friday

larunbat - Saturday

igande - Sunday

urtarril - January

otsail - Febuary

martxo - March

apiril - April

maiatz - May

ekain - June

uztail - July

abuztu - August

irail - September

urri - October

azaro - November

abendu - December

Adverbs of Frequency

beti - always

askotan - often

maiz - frequently

batzuetan - sometimes

noizean behin - once in a while

gutxitan - hardly ever

inoiz ez - never

inoiz - ever (questions)

Numbers

zero, huts - zero

bat - one

bi - two

hiru - three

lau - four

bost - five

sei - six

zazpi - seven

zortzi - eight

bederatzi - nine

hamar - ten

hamaika - eleven

hamabi - twelve

hamahiru - thirteen

hamalau - fourteen

hamabost - fifteen

hamasei - sixteen

hamazazpi - seventeen

hemezortzi - eighteen

hemeretzi - nineteen

hogei - twenty

hogeita bat - twenty-one

hogeita bi - twenty-two

hogeita hiru - twenty-three

hogeita lau - twenty-four

hogeita bost - twenty-five

hogeita sei - twenty-six

hogeita zazpi - twenty-seven

hogeita zortzi - twenty-eight

hogeita bederatzi - twenty-nine

hogeita hamar - thirty

hogeita hamaika - thirty-one

berrogei - forty

hirurogei - sixty

laurogei - eighty

ehun - one hundred

berrehun - two hundred

hirurehun - three hundred

laurehun - four hundred

bostehun - five hundred

seiehun - six hundred

zazpiehun - seven hundred

zortziehun - eight hundred

bederatziehun - nine hundred

mila - one thousand

bi mila - two thousand

Time and Date

ORDUetan - at HOUR o'clock

EGUNean - on DAY

EGUNetan - on DAYs

URTEko HILABETEaren EGUNa - DAY MONTH YEAR or MONTH DAY, YEAR

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Here’s the penultimate vocab list for Hanukkah, this time in Basque! Corrections always welcome :)

Nouns

tenplu - temple

birsagarapen - rededication

olio - oil

olio-pitxer - jar of oil

mirari - miracle

Makabearrak - the Maccabees

Judas Makabeo - Judas Maccabee

Antioko - Antiochus

matxinada / errebolta - revolt

garaipen - victory

sinagoga - synagogue

Tora - the Torah

menorah - menorah

argizari - candle

gau - night

opari - gift

Verbs

piztu - to light

omendu - to honor/pay tribute to

oroitu - to remember

dantzatu / dantza egin - to dance

jan - to eat

jolastu - to play

ospatu - to celebrate

[ Catalan Hanukkah Vocab | Welsh Hanukkah Vocab ]

EDIT: expanded with translations from the amazing @goazen​! Mila esker <3

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Juntagailuak - Connectors in Basque

Not only did I get some fun connecting phrases in Catalan last week, but I also got some in Basque! (Pure coincidence, or are my professors conspiring?) Anyhow, here you have some fun words, featuring Cinderella because my Basque teacher is going through a Disney phase or something.

ordea/berriz/aldiz/aitzitik - on the contrary

bitartean - while/meanwhile

hala ere - however

beraz/hortaz/hau dela eta - therefore

orduan - then

izan ere - in fact

zeren eta - because (there are other better ways to do this though)

alde batetik...bestalde... - on the one hand...on the other hand...

gainera/halaber - in addition

bestela/osterantzean/gainerakoan - otherwise

Examples:

Errauskine neska polita zen, bere ahizpak, ordea, ez.

Cinderella was a nice girl, her sisters, on the other hand, were not.

Bere aita hil zen eta, gainera, bere amaordea oso maltxurra zen.

Her father had died and, in addition, her stepmother was very evil.

Errauskinek etxea garbitzen zuen eta, bitartean, bere ahizpek telebista ikusten zuten.

Cinderella was cleaning the house and, meanwhile, her sisters were watching television.

Errauskine oso triste zegoen; beraz, etxetik ihes egin nahi zuen.

Cinderella was very sad; therefore, she wanted to run away from home.

Zapata Errauskinerena zen; orduan, printzea berarekin ezkondu zen.

The shoe was Cinderella’s; then, the prince married her.

Errauskinek printzearekin ezkontzea erabaki zuen; bestela, triste egongo zen betirako.

Cinderella decided to marry the prince; otherwise, she would be sad forever.

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I’m doing the thing I should have done a while ago which is actually learning the past tense of Basque auxiliary verbs instead of just looking them up every time I need them. Here are the charts for IZAN/NOR and UKAN/NOR-NORK.

Before we begin, ALL BASQUE PAST-TENSE VERBS END WITH “-N” which will make your life easier I promise.

Basically, IZAN is used like “to be” in English in a lot of contexts, but it is also used as the auxiliary verb in sentences with intransitive verbs. So I could say “Ikasle zen” (She was a student) where “zen” translates as “was,” but I could also say “Iritsi zen” (She arrived), where “zen” is an auxiliary verb that signifies the person, number, and part of the tense of the verb (mostly just that it’s past, not present), and “iritsi” carries the actual action of the verb, “to arrive,” as well as part of the tense because the ending shows that this was an action that only happened once in the past and had a concrete beginning and end. If the sentence was “Iristen zen” (She used to arrive), “zen” wouldn’t change, and the only change in the tense of the verb would come from “iritsi” changing to “iristen.” 

UKAN is used as the auxiliary verb in sentences with transitive verbs, so for example you could say “Liburua idatzi nuen” (I wrote the book), where “nuen” shows that the subject is first person singular and the object is third person singular. The same idea applies with “idatzi” being able to take on different endings to form the more specific tense, but I won’t get into that now. For UKAN I’ve broken everything down vaguely into the subject and the object so that you can see patterns. The pronouns going up and down along the side are the object, and ones along the top are the subject. In forming the auxiliary verb, the object part comes first, then the subject part comes second. For NI/NIK, ZU/ZUK, GU/GUK, and ZUEK, this is fairly regular. When any two of these are combined with each other, NI is represented by “nindu,” ZU is represented by “zintu,” GU is represented by “gintu,” and ZUEK is represented by “zintuzte”; as subjects, similar to the present tense, NIK is “da,” ZUK is “zu,” GUK is “gu,” and ZUEK is “zue.” For most of Basque, ZU/ZURI/ZUK will be similar to GU/GURI/GUK, which is helpful to keep in mind, which I think is due to the fact that ZU used to be plural “you” and HI was previously singular “you” (and if you’re learning HI/HIRI/HIK, that will mirror NI/NIRI/NIK). Knowing this, learning the auxiliary conjugations involving HURA/HARK and HAIEK becomes a bit easier. “Zenuen” and “genuen” are almost the same, following the typical rule of G for GU/GURI/GUK and Z for ZU/ZURI/ZUK. “Nuen” and “zuen” also mirror each other, since both are singular (though this isn’t really a pattern anywhere else). The forms for ZUEK and HAIEK both have a “-te-” inserted into the singular form to make the plural form, so as long as you know the singular, you can get to the plural. Any forms with HARK are the easiest (as usual, since HARK doesn’t really have any marker), and just add an “-e-” at the end after the usual object conjugation. Most of the forms for HAIEK as the subject use the normal object conjugation at the beginning, then add “-te-” at the end for singular (not including ZU but including ZUEK) and “-zte-” for plurals (including ZU but not ZUEK). For HAIEK as an object, the forms are basically the same as the forms for HARK, but add an “-it-” before the “u” (very similar to the present tense), and sometimes an extra “-z-” somewhere in the mix for ZUEK and HAIEK.

I’m sorry this ended up being so long, and I’ll try to finish the past tense and maybe do some other stuff too (???) in the coming week if I have time. ALSO IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I am not a Basque native speaker and I don’t know how language works so if there are any edits on both the Basque and the linguistics terminology they will be welcomed and quickly corrected.