Demonstratives in Basque

In Brief

Basque has three degrees of distance: hau / hauek for something near the speaker, hori / horiek for something near the listener, and hura / haiek for something far from both. A demonstrative can stand alone—Hau ona da (“This is good”)—or follow a noun—liburu hau (“this book”).

Overview

Demonstratives are words used to point out particular people, objects, or ideas: English this, that, these, and those. Basque calls them erakusleak. They are introduced at A1 because they are useful immediately when choosing food, identifying people, asking about an unfamiliar object, or distinguishing one item from another.

The main difference from English is that Basque makes a three-way distance distinction. English normally contrasts “this” with “that”; Basque distinguishes what is close to the speaker, what is close to the listener, and what is distant from both. The middle form therefore does more than English “that”: it can point specifically to something in the other person’s space.

Another important difference is word order. English puts a demonstrative before a noun: “this book.” Basque puts it after the noun: liburu hau. A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea; here liburu is the noun. The demonstrative acts as the determiner—the element that identifies which particular book is meant.

How It Works

The six core forms

Distance	Singular	Plural	Typical English meaning
Near the speaker	hau	hauek	this / these
Near the listener	hori	horiek	that / those by you
Far from both	hura	haiek	that / those over there

The singular and plural forms should be learned as pairs. The plural is not made by simply adding one ending to the singular: hau → hauek, hori → horiek, and hura → haiek.

Choosing the distance

Use hau / hauek for something in your own immediate area, something you are holding, or something you present as mentally “here”:

• kafe hau — this coffee
• argazki hauek — these photos

Use hori / horiek for something by the person you are speaking to, something they are holding, or something associated with what they have just said:

• poltsa hori — that bag by you
• paper horiek — those papers by you

Use hura / haiek for something away from both speaker and listener, often something visible “over there” or someone previously mentioned:

• mendi hura — that mountain over there
• etxe haiek — those houses over there

Real conversations do not measure distance with a ruler. Speakers choose a form according to how they frame the situation. The physical contrast above is the safest beginner rule; discourse and stylistic uses come later.

Position after the noun

In a noun phrase (a noun together with the words that describe or identify it), the demonstrative comes at the end:

English pattern	Basque pattern	Example
this + noun	noun + hau	liburu hau — this book
that + noun	noun + hori	aulki hori — that chair
those + noun	noun + haiek	mendi haiek — those mountains

If an adjective is present, it also follows the noun, but the demonstrative remains last:

• liburu interesgarri hau — this interesting book
• etxe handi horiek — those big houses by you
• mendi altu haiek — those high mountains over there

Do not add the ordinary definite article -a / -ak as well. The demonstrative already determines the noun phrase:

• liburu hau — this book
• not liburua hau

This point matters because the standalone dictionary-like form liburua means “the book,” but the stem liburu is used before hau.

Demonstratives used as pronouns

A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase. All six forms can stand alone:

• Hau nire liburua da. — This is my book.
• Hori zer da? — What is that?
• Haiek nire lagunak dira. — Those are my friends.

Number affects the verb. With the copular verb izan (“to be”), use singular da with hau, hori, and hura, but plural dira with hauek, horiek, and haiek:

Singular	Plural
Hau berria da. — This is new.	Hauek berriak dira. — These are new.
Hori polita da. — That is pretty.	Horiek politak dira. — Those are pretty.
Hura merkea da. — That over there is cheap.	Haiek merkeak dira. — Those over there are cheap.

Notice that predicate adjectives (descriptions linked by “be”) also show singular or plural here: berria versus berriak.

Demonstratives and Basque cases

Basque adds endings to a noun phrase to show its role or relationship in the sentence. This is called case. English often uses separate words such as “to,” “from,” or “in”; Basque commonly changes the last element of the noun phrase. Because the demonstrative comes last, it carries the case form.

You only need the six basic forms at first. The following common singular forms are useful to recognise later:

Function	Near speaker	Near listener	Far from both	Approximate meaning
Basic form	hau	hori	hura	this / that
Ergative	honek	horrek	hark	this/that one as doer of a transitive action
Dative	honi	horri	hari	to this/that one
Possessive/genitive	honen	horren	haren	of this/that one; this/that one’s
In/at/on	honetan	horretan	hartan	in/at this/that one
From	honetatik	horretatik	hartatik	from this/that one

The forms are not built by attaching an ending mechanically to hau, hori, or hura. Their stems change: hon-, horr-, and har-. Learn each case when you study that case system rather than trying to master the whole paradigm now.

With a noun, the same principle applies: etxe honetan means “in this house,” and liburu horren azala means “the cover of that book.” The case marking appears at the end of the whole phrase.

Examples in Context

Basque	English	Note
Hau nire liburua da.	This is my book.	Hau stands alone, near the speaker.
Hori zer da?	What is that?	The object is in the listener’s area.
Hura gure hotela da.	That over there is our hotel.	Singular and far from both people.
Liburu hauek interesgarriak dira.	These books are interesting.	The demonstrative follows the noun.
Zureak al dira giltza horiek?	Are those keys yours?	Horiek points to keys near the listener.
Haiek nire lagunak dira.	Those are my friends.	Standalone far plural.
Etxe handi hura salgai dago.	That big house over there is for sale.	Noun + adjective + demonstrative.
Kafe hau nahi dut, mesedez.	I would like this coffee, please.	A practical choice at a café.
Ez dut kolore hori gustuko.	I do not like that colour.	The demonstrative identifies a specific colour.
Nor da gizon hura?	Who is that man over there?	Used for a distant person.
Honek ondo funtzionatzen du.	This one works well.	Ergative honek marks the doer in a transitive construction.
Eman liburua hari, mesedez.	Give the book to that person over there, please.	Dative hari means “to that one.”
Etxe honetan bizi gara.	We live in this house.	Locative honetan means “in this.”
Horren prezioa altuegia da.	The price of that one is too high.	Genitive horren links the item to its price.

Common Mistakes

Using English word order

• Wrong: hau liburu
• Right: liburu hau
• Why: Basque puts the demonstrative after the noun, not before it.

Keeping the definite article before a demonstrative

• Wrong: liburua hau
• Right: liburu hau
• Why: Hau already identifies the noun. Use the noun stem rather than adding the definite ending -a as well.

Reducing the system to only “this” and “that”

• Less precise: Hura zer da? for an object the listener is holding
• Better: Hori zer da?
• Why: Hori normally points into the listener’s space; hura points away from both speaker and listener.

Guessing the plural forms

• Wrong: hauak, horiak, hurak
• Right: hauek, horiek, haiek
• Why: The three plurals are established forms and should be memorised as complete words.

Mixing singular demonstratives with plural agreement

• Wrong: Hauek berria da.
• Right: Hauek berriak dira.
• Why: Hauek is plural, so both the description and the form of “be” must be plural in this pattern.

Adding case endings directly to the basic form

• Wrong: hauetan when you mean singular “in this one”
• Right: honetan
• Why: Oblique case forms use changing stems. Hauetan is a plural form meaning “in these,” whereas singular “in this” is honetan.

Usage Notes

Demonstratives often accompany pointing, gaze, or shared knowledge. In a shop, hau naturally selects an item near you, while hori can select one held up by the assistant. Hura directs attention farther away. Context can make the English translation “this” or “that” vary, so learn the Basque spatial relationship rather than matching each form to one fixed English word.

The distant forms can also refer to people. Tone and context matter, just as English “that person” can sound neutral, identifying, or distancing. When a person’s name or a more direct expression is natural, use it rather than repeatedly pointing with a demonstrative.

In connected speech and writing, the demonstratives do not always refer to a physically visible object. They can point back to something already mentioned or treat an idea as close to the current discussion. This is one reason translations do not always preserve the same “this/that” choice.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master this section at A1, but you will encounter these patterns as your knowledge of Basque cases grows.

The three-way contrast continues through the case system. Common plural forms include hauei / horiei / haiei (“to these/those”), hauen / horien / haien (“of these/those”), and hauetan / horietan / haietan (“in these/those”). Notice especially the far-plural stem hai-. Case and number are expressed together in the final demonstrative form.

Basque also uses demonstrative-based adverbs and discourse expressions. For example, hemen means “here” near the speaker, hor means “there” near the listener, and han means “over there.” They parallel the same three spatial zones, although they are place adverbs rather than noun demonstratives. Learning the sets together can make the distance system easier to remember:

Zone	Demonstrative	Place word
Near speaker	hau	hemen — here
Near listener	hori	hor — there by you
Far from both	hura	han — over there

In discourse, forms related to hau tend to present something as current or immediate, while forms related to hori or hura may point back to another person’s statement or to an earlier referent. These choices depend on viewpoint, genre, and context. At beginner level, accurate physical pointing and correct noun placement are much more important than trying to imitate every textual nuance.

Practice Tips

1. Build three physical zones. Put one object beside you, one beside a study partner or an imagined listener, and one across the room. Name each with hau, hori, or hura, then repeat with several objects using the plural forms.
2. Practise complete noun phrases. Take five nouns and make three versions: liburu hau, liburu hori, liburu hura. Add an adjective while keeping the demonstrative last: liburu berri hau.
3. Learn case forms in small families. Once the basic six are automatic, group hau, honi, honen, honetan together rather than memorising a large mixed table. Say a short sentence with each form.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Articles and Determiners — explains Basque determination and why the ordinary article is not added before a demonstrative.