Greetings and Courtesy in Basque

In Brief

Use kaixo for “hello,” egun on for “good morning,” arratsalde on for “good afternoon,” gabon for “good night,” and agur for “goodbye.” The essential polite expressions are mesedez (“please”), eskerrik asko (“thank you”), barkatu (“excuse me” or “sorry”), and ez horregatik (“you’re welcome”). Learn these as complete expressions; they do not need to change according to who you are speaking to.

Overview

Greetings are one of the most useful A1 topics. They let you begin an interaction, ask a simple question, make a request less abrupt, thank someone, and end a conversation. The basic Basque expressions are short and can be used even before you have learned how verbs or noun endings work.

English relies heavily on a small set of flexible expressions such as “hello,” “please,” and “sorry.” Basque also has versatile everyday phrases, but the closest equivalent depends on the situation. In particular, barkatu can introduce a question, ask someone to move, or acknowledge a minor mistake. It therefore covers much of the ground of both English “excuse me” and “sorry,” but not every possible apology.

Most items in this lesson are fixed expressions: conventional groups of words learned and used as a unit. You do not need to analyze their grammar to use them correctly. Start with Kaixo, Eskerrik asko, and Barkatu; then add time-based greetings and short conversational replies.

How It Works

Saying hello

The easiest all-purpose opening is kaixo. It is friendly and common, and it does not change for one person or several people.

Basque	English	Note
Kaixo!	Hello! / Hi!	A general friendly greeting
Egun on!	Good morning! / Good day!	Literally built from egun “day” and on “good”
Arratsalde on!	Good afternoon!	Used later in the day
Gabon!	Good night!	Common when parting at night or going to bed

The order in egun on and arratsalde on may look unusual to an English speaker. Basque normally puts an adjective (a describing word such as “good”) after the noun it describes: egun on, literally “day good.” Do not reverse the words to imitate English.

Time boundaries are social conventions rather than exact grammar rules. Egun on is associated especially with the morning, while arratsalde on belongs to the afternoon and later part of the day. If you are unsure or do not want to think about the time, kaixo is a safe choice.

Asking how someone is

After a greeting, Zer moduz? is the standard beginner phrase for “How are you?” or, more broadly, “How is it going?” It can also be used to ask how something went when the context makes the subject clear.

Useful replies include:

Basque	English	Note
Ondo, eskerrik asko.	Fine, thank you.	A simple neutral reply
Oso ondo.	Very well.	More positive
Nahiko ondo.	Quite well.	A moderate answer
Hala-hola.	So-so.	Informal, neither good nor bad
Eta zu?	And you?	Returns the question to one person

A natural first exchange is therefore: Kaixo! Zer moduz? — Ondo, eskerrik asko. Eta zu? You do not need a full sentence equivalent to English “I am fine.” Short replies are normal.

Saying goodbye

Agur is the core word for “goodbye.” It can close a brief shop interaction, a class, a meeting, or a conversation with a friend. Gabon is appropriate when leaving at night or wishing someone a good night.

You may also hear gero arte, literally “until later,” meaning “see you later.” Bihar arte means “see you tomorrow.” These phrases follow a reusable pattern: a time word plus arte (“until”). They are useful extensions, but agur alone is enough at A1.

Please, thank you, and the reply

Mesedez means “please.” It can accompany a request or stand after the item requested. It does not correspond to an English verb and does not change form.

Eskerrik asko is the everyday way to say “thank you” or “thanks very much.” Although English sometimes distinguishes “thanks” from “thank you very much,” eskerrik asko works in both ordinary and warmly grateful situations. Mila esker (“a thousand thanks”) is another common, emphatic expression.

The standard beginner reply is ez horregatik, meaning “you’re welcome” or “don’t mention it.” It is a response to thanks, not a greeting and not an apology.

Basque	English	Note
Kafe bat, mesedez.	A coffee, please.	A polite order
Lagundu, mesedez.	Help, please.	A direct request softened by mesedez
Eskerrik asko.	Thank you very much.	The standard expression of thanks
Mila esker!	Many thanks!	More emphatic or warm
Ez horregatik.	You’re welcome.	A reply to thanks

Excuse me and sorry

Use barkatu to attract attention politely, interrupt, ask for passage, or apologize for a small problem. Its function becomes clear from what follows and from the situation.

• Barkatu, non dago geltokia? — “Excuse me, where is the station?”
• Barkatu! — “Sorry!” or “Excuse me!”
• Barkatu, mesedez. — “Excuse me, please,” for example when asking someone to let you pass.

For a beginner, one useful habit is to place barkatu before a question and separate it with a pause or comma. This sounds more considerate than launching directly into a request to a stranger.

Examples in Context

Basque	English	Note
Kaixo! Zer moduz?	Hello! How are you?	Friendly conversation opener
Egun on, Ane.	Good morning, Ane.	Greeting someone by name
Arratsalde on guztioi.	Good afternoon, everyone.	Greeting a group
Ondo, eskerrik asko. Eta zu?	Fine, thank you. And you?	Natural short exchange
Kafe bat, mesedez.	A coffee, please.	In a café
Ura, mesedez.	Water, please.	A compact request
Eskerrik asko laguntzagatik.	Thank you for the help.	Thanks with a stated reason
Ez horregatik.	You’re welcome.	Response to thanks
Barkatu, non dago geltokia?	Excuse me, where is the station?	Polite question to a stranger
Barkatu, ez dut ulertzen.	Sorry, I don’t understand.	Acknowledging a communication problem
Agur, eta eskerrik asko!	Goodbye, and thank you!	Closing an interaction
Gero arte!	See you later!	Expects a later meeting
Bihar arte!	See you tomorrow!	Specific farewell
Gabon, ondo lo egin.	Good night, sleep well.	A bedtime or late-night farewell

Notice that the Basque phrases often stand without a subject such as “I” or “you.” Do not add extra words merely because the English translation contains them. A formula such as eskerrik asko is already complete.

Common Mistakes

Reversing egun on to match English

• Wrong: On egun.
• Right: Egun on.
• Why: In this greeting, Basque places on (“good”) after egun (“day”). Learn the two words in their fixed order.

Using mesedez as a reply to thanks

• Wrong: Eskerrik asko. — Mesedez.
• Right: Eskerrik asko. — Ez horregatik.
• Why: Mesedez introduces or softens a request. Ez horregatik is the conventional reply to thanks.

Translating every English “sorry” as if the situation were identical

• Wrong approach: memorizing barkatu as only “sorry.”
• Right: use barkatu for “excuse me,” a polite interruption, or a minor apology, and pay attention to the context.
• Why: English uses “sorry” in several ways, while Basque chooses expressions according to what the speaker is doing. Barkatu is broad, but serious apologies may require a fuller sentence.

Treating gabon as an all-purpose evening hello

• Less natural: Gabon! as a daytime greeting.
• Right: Arratsalde on! later in the day, and Gabon! when saying good night or greeting at night.
• Why: Gabon is linked to night. Kaixo remains the safest time-neutral greeting.

Building an unnecessarily complete answer to Zer moduz?

• Awkward beginner habit: trying to reproduce every word of “I am very well, thank you.”
• Natural: Oso ondo, eskerrik asko.
• Why: Basque commonly uses a short answer here. The understood subject does not need to be stated.

Confusing agur and eskerrik asko

• Wrong: Agur when someone gives you something, if you intend to say “thank you.”
• Right: Eskerrik asko for thanks; agur when taking leave.
• Why: These expressions perform different social actions even though they may occur together at the end of an interaction.

Usage Notes

Friendly does not automatically mean rude

English learners sometimes look for a strict split between an informal “hi” and a formal “hello.” Kaixo is friendly and broadly useful; politeness comes from the whole interaction, including your tone, request, thanks, and form of address. In a more ceremonious setting, a time-based greeting such as egun on may feel more suitable than a casual opening.

Basque does distinguish forms of “you,” but you do not need that system to use the greetings in this article. Zu is the normal singular form for most everyday relationships. The intimate hi belongs to a special familiar speech system and should not be chosen simply because you would say English “you” to a friend.

Punctuation and intonation

Written dialogues often use an exclamation mark with greetings: Kaixo!, Egun on!, Agur! This conveys the energy of the spoken greeting; it does not mean the speaker is shouting. In speech, a warm intonation matters more than punctuation.

Barkatu before a question normally has a short pause after it: Barkatu, non dago komuna? The pause shows that it is an attention-getter rather than part of the question itself.

Variation

Basque is spoken across different regions, and everyday formulas can vary. You may encounter alternatives to the expressions taught here, particularly for greetings and thanks. The forms in this article are widely recognizable standard choices. As a beginner, consistency is more useful than trying to reproduce every regional option at once.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these details at A1, but they explain forms that you will hear later.

Agur has a broader historical and stylistic range than a simple one-to-one translation suggests, and it can appear in openings as well as farewells in some contexts. For dependable everyday beginner use, treat it primarily as “goodbye” and use kaixo or a time-based phrase when arriving.

Thanks can be expanded by giving a reason. In Eskerrik asko laguntzagatik, the ending -gatik expresses “because of” or “for,” so the phrase means “thank you for the help.” This ending belongs to the larger Basque case system—a system of endings that shows a noun’s role or relationship in the sentence. You can memorize the whole sentence now and study the ending later.

Likewise, gero arte and bihar arte reveal a productive pattern rather than isolated farewells. Once you know more time expressions, arte lets you frame leave-taking around the next expected meeting. These farewells carry more information than agur: use them only when “later” or “tomorrow” is genuinely appropriate.

For a stronger apology, speakers can go beyond a bare barkatu and explain what happened or explicitly ask forgiveness. The exact wording depends on grammar and vocabulary outside this A1 topic. The practical distinction is simple: barkatu is excellent for routine courtesy, but a serious mistake deserves more than a single formula.

Practice Tips

1. Rehearse three mini-dialogues. Practice arriving in the morning, ordering a drink, and leaving at night. Each dialogue should include an opening, mesedez or barkatu, eskerrik asko, and a farewell.
2. Match phrases to situations, not just translations. Put “entering a shop,” “asking directions,” “receiving help,” and “going to bed” on cards, then recall the appropriate Basque expression. This prevents confusion between mesedez, barkatu, and ez horregatik.
3. Listen for whole chunks. When you hear Basque, notice zer moduz, eskerrik asko, and gero arte as single rhythmic units. Repeat the complete phrase aloud rather than assembling it word by word.

Related Concepts

• Learning path: This concept has no linked prerequisite or follow-up concept in the current grammar map. It is designed as a self-contained starting point for everyday Basque interaction.