Learning how to talk about your family is a core part of early language acquisition.

The Basque word for family is familia.

Describing your relatives in Basque requires learning a few unique vocabulary rules.

For example, the words you use for your siblings actually change depending on your own gender.

This guide will give you the exact words you need to describe your family tree and relationships accurately.

Immediate family members

Talking about your parents and children in Basque is very straightforward.

You’ll use these basic terms to introduce your closest relatives.

Here’s an example of how you might introduce your parents in conversation.

Talking about siblings in Basque requires a bit more attention.

Basque has a highly specific system for sibling vocabulary that depends entirely on the gender of the speaker.

A man and a woman use completely different words to refer to the exact same brother.

Here’s how the sibling terms are divided.

If you’re a man talking about your brother, you use the word anaia.

If you’re a woman talking about your brother, you must use the word neba.

Extended family members

Once you understand the rules for immediate family, learning the extended family is much easier.

These terms don’t change based on the speaker’s gender.

When referring to cousins, lehengusua is often used for a male cousin and lehengusina for a female cousin.

However, in many modern contexts, lehengusu is simply used as a neutral root for both.

Romantic and platonic relationships

You’ll also need vocabulary to describe people you’re connected to outside of your bloodline.

This includes your friends, romantic partners, and spouses.

Notice that the words for boyfriend and girlfriend are literally combinations of “boy” (mutil) and “girl” (neska) with the word for friend (laguna).

Regional variations in family words

The Basque language has several distinct dialects spoken across different regions.

Standard Basque, known as Batua, is what you’ll learn in classrooms and see in the media.

However, local dialects often use different words for extended family members like grandparents.

In Standard Basque and the Gipuzkoa region, grandfather is aitona and grandmother is amona.

If you travel to the Bizkaia region, you’ll often hear aitxitxe for grandfather and amuma for grandmother.

In the northern regions (Iparralde) and parts of Navarre, locals commonly use aitatxi for grandfather and amatxi for grandmother.

Recognizing these regional differences will greatly improve your listening comprehension when speaking with natives across the Basque Country.