How To Count In Basque: Numbers And Time
Author
Counting is one of the very first skills you’ll need when learning a new language.
Basque numbers follow a fascinating system that’s quite different from English or Spanish.
The language uses a base-20 system, which means we count in blocks of twenty.
This mathematical structure is incredibly logical once you learn the basic building blocks.
I’ll show you exactly how to count to one hundred and how to use these numbers to tell the time.
Table of Contents:
Numbers from 1 to 10
The first step is memorizing the numbers from one to ten.
You’ll use these fundamental numbers every single day in the Basque Country.
Pay special attention to the number one (bat), as it’s also used as the indefinite article (“a” or “an”) in Basque grammar.
| English | Basque |
|---|---|
| One | Bat |
| Two | Bi |
| Three | Hiru |
| Four | Lau |
| Five | Bost |
| Six | Sei |
| Seven | Zazpi |
| Eight | Zortzi |
| Nine | Bederatzi |
| Ten | Hamar |
Numbers from 11 to 20
Next, you need to learn the numbers leading up to twenty.
These numbers build upon the root words you just learned.
The number twenty (hogei) is the most important milestone in Basque counting.
| English | Basque |
|---|---|
| Eleven | Hamaika |
| Twelve | Hamabi |
| Thirteen | Hamahiru |
| Fourteen | Hamalau |
| Fifteen | Hamabost |
| Sixteen | Hamasei |
| Seventeen | Hamazazpi |
| Eighteen | Hamazortzi |
| Nineteen | Hemeretzi |
| Twenty | Hogei |
Counting to 100 (the base-20 system)
Basque uses a vigesimal system, meaning it counts in multiples of twenty.
If you speak French, you’ll recognize this concept from the word quatre-vingts (four-twenties, meaning eighty).
To say forty in Basque, you say berrogei (two-twenties).
Sixty is hirurogei (three-twenties) and eighty is laurogei (four-twenties).
The “in-between” tens are formed by adding ten (hamar) to these multiples.
| English | Basque | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ten | Hamar | 10 |
| Twenty | Hogei | 20 |
| Thirty | Hogeita hamar | 20 and 10 |
| Forty | Berrogei | 2 x 20 |
| Fifty | Berrogeita hamar | (2 x 20) and 10 |
| Sixty | Hirurogei | 3 x 20 |
| Seventy | Hirurogeita hamar | (3 x 20) and 10 |
| Eighty | Laurogei | 4 x 20 |
| Ninety | Laurogeita hamar | (4 x 20) and 10 |
| One Hundred | Ehun | 100 |
To combine numbers, you simply add eta (and), which usually shortens to ta.
For example, twenty-one is hogeita bat (twenty and one).
Forty-five is berrogeita bost (forty and five).
How to tell time in Basque
Now that you know the numbers, telling time is straightforward.
To ask for the time in standard Basque (Batua), you use this simple phrase.
Zer ordu da?
The most important rule to remember is that one o’clock is singular, while all other hours are plural.
Because one is singular, you use the verb da (is).
Ordu bata da.
For hours two through twelve, you use the plural verb dira (are) and add the plural ending -ak to the number.
Biak dira.
Hirurak dira.
When expressing minutes past the hour, use the word eta (and).
For fractions of an hour, Basque uses laurden (quarter) and erdi (half).
Laurak eta laurden dira.
Bostak eta erdi dira.
When counting minutes toward the next hour, standard Basque uses the word gutxiago (less).
To say “quarter to”, you state the upcoming hour followed by laurden gutxiago.
Seiak laurden gutxiago dira.
Zortziak hamar gutxiago dira.
While some regional dialects like Bizkaian might use slightly different phrasing for time fractions, these standard forms are universally understood throughout the Basque Country.
