Basic Adjectives in Basque

Overview

Adjectives in Basque behave differently from English in two important ways. First, adjectives come after the noun, not before it. Second, the definite article suffix attaches to the adjective (the last element of the noun phrase), not to the noun itself. So "the big house" is etxe handia — where etxe (house) has no suffix and handia (big + article) carries the -a.

The great news for A1 learners is that Basque has no grammatical gender, so adjectives never change form to agree with masculine or feminine nouns. You simply learn one form of each adjective and use it with everything. The only variation is singular versus plural: etxe handia (the big house) vs. etxe handiak (the big houses).

Basque adjectives are straightforward to use once you internalize the noun-adjective order and the article placement rule. Common adjectives you will need right away include handia (big), txikia (small), ona (good), txarra (bad), zaharra (old), berria (new), ederra (beautiful), and polita (pretty).

How It Works

Pattern	Structure	Example	Meaning
Definite singular	noun + adjective + -a	etxe handia	the big house
Definite plural	noun + adjective + -ak	etxe handiak	the big houses
Indefinite	noun + adjective + bat	etxe handi bat	a big house
Predicate	noun-a + adjective + da	etxea handia da	the house is big

Common adjectives:

Basque	English	Basque	English
handia	big	txikia	small
ona	good	txarra	bad
zaharra	old	berria	new
ederra	beautiful	itsusia	ugly
luzea	long	laburra	short
gorria	red	zuria	white

Key points:

• No gender agreement — adjectives have one form
• The article (-a/-ak) goes on the last word of the noun phrase
• Multiple adjectives stack after the noun: etxe handi gorria (the big red house)

Examples in Context

Basque	English	Note
etxe handia	the big house	Article on adjective
auto gorria	the red car	Colour as adjective
Sagarra txikia da.	The apple is small.	Predicate adjective
Liburu interesgarria da.	It is an interesting book.	After the noun
Gizon altua ikusi dut.	I have seen the tall man.	In object position
Neska gazteak hemen dira.	The young girls are here.	Plural adjective
Kafe ona nahi dut.	I want a good coffee.	With indefinite meaning
Eguraldia txarra da.	The weather is bad.	Common expression
Irakasle berria da.	He/She is the new teacher.	Predicate use
Film luze bat ikusi dugu.	We have watched a long film.	Indefinite with bat

Common Mistakes

Placing the adjective before the noun

• Wrong: handia etxea
• Right: etxe handia
• Why: In Basque, adjectives always follow the noun. The order is noun + adjective.

Putting the article on the noun instead of the adjective

• Wrong: etxea handi
• Right: etxe handia
• Why: The definite article suffix (-a/-ak) attaches to the last element of the noun phrase, which is the adjective.

Trying to make adjectives agree with gender

• Wrong: Looking for masculine/feminine forms
• Right: Use the same adjective form regardless of the noun
• Why: Basque has no grammatical gender. One adjective form works for everything.

Practice Tips

1. Pick five objects you see daily and describe them with adjectives in Basque. Practice the noun + adjective + article pattern: auto gorria, liburu handia, katu beltza.
2. Practice switching between singular and plural: etxe handia (the big house) → etxe handiak (the big houses). Notice only the article suffix changes.

Related Concepts

• Articles and Determiners
• Colours
• Describing People
• Comparatives and Superlatives