Ordinals and Quantities in Basque

Overview

At the A2 level, you expand beyond basic counting to ordinal numbers (first, second, third) and quantity expressions (many, few, enough, too much). These are essential for giving directions, describing sequences, talking about amounts, and expressing degree.

Ordinal numbers in Basque are formed by adding the suffix -garren to the cardinal number: bigarren (second), hirugarren (third). The exception is "first," which has its own word: lehen or lehena. Quantity words like asko (many), gutxi (few), nahikoa (enough), and gehiegi (too much) modify nouns and combine with verbs naturally.

These expressions build on your number knowledge from A1 and integrate with the case system and verb agreement you have been developing.

How It Works

Ordinal numbers:

Cardinal	Ordinal	English
bat (1)	lehena / lehen	first
bi (2)	bigarrena	second
hiru (3)	hirugarrena	third
lau (4)	laugarrena	fourth
bost (5)	bosgarrena	fifth
hamar (10)	hamargarrena	tenth
hogei (20)	hogeigarrena	twentieth

Quantity expressions:

Basque	English	Usage
asko	many, a lot	Jende asko (many people)
gutxi	few, little	Denbora gutxi (little time)
nahikoa	enough	Nahikoa da (It is enough)
gehiegi	too much/many	Lan gehiegi (too much work)
zenbait	some, several	Zenbait lagun (several friends)
guztiak	all	Guztiak etorri dira (All came)
batzuk	some (of them)	Batzuk etorri dira (Some came)
gehiago	more	Gehiago nahi dut (I want more)
gutxiago	less/fewer	Gutxiago jan behar duzu (You should eat less)

Examples in Context

Basque	English	Note
Lehen solairuan bizi naiz.	I live on the first floor.	Ordinal for position
Bigarren aldiz etorri da.	He/She has come for the second time.	Ordinal with aldiz
Nahikoa da!	That's enough!	Quantity exclamation
Liburu gehiegi erosi ditut.	I have bought too many books.	Excess
Jende gutxi dago.	There are few people.	Small quantity
Zenbait gauza esan nahi ditut.	I want to say a few things.	Indefinite quantity
Guztiak prest daude.	Everyone is ready.	Universal quantifier
Gehiago nahi duzu?	Do you want more?	Offering more
Hirugarren etxea da.	It is the third house.	Ordinal identification
Batzuk euskaraz hitz egiten dute.	Some speak Basque.	Partial quantifier

Common Mistakes

Using cardinal numbers where ordinals are needed

• Wrong: Bi aldiz (for "the second time")
• Right: Bigarren aldiz
• Why: "Second" requires the ordinal form bigarren, not the cardinal bi (two). Bi aldiz means "two times" (quantity), not "the second time" (order).

Forgetting the article on ordinals used as nouns

• Wrong: Bigarren da.
• Right: Bigarrena da. (It is the second one.)
• Why: When the ordinal stands alone as a noun, it takes the article suffix: bigarrena, hirugarrena.

Placing quantity words after the noun

• Wrong: Jende gehiegi is actually correct, but inconsistency with other quantifiers
• Right: Most quantifiers follow the noun: jende asko, liburu gutxi, lan gehiegi
• Why: Quantity words in Basque generally follow the noun, unlike numbers which precede it. Consistency matters.

Usage Notes

The ordinal lehen (first) has a special status — it also means "before, previously" as an adverb. Context clarifies: lehen etxea (the first house) vs. lehen (before/previously). The quantifier asko is one of the most common words in Basque and appears in many expressions: eskerrik asko (thank you very much), denbora asko (a long time), jende asko (many people).

Practice Tips

1. Count items in order using ordinals: lehena, bigarrena, hirugarrena... Do this while pointing to objects in a row.
2. Practice quantity expressions in everyday contexts: Kafea gehiegi edan dut (I drank too much coffee), Denbora nahikoa dugu (We have enough time), Lagun gutxi ditut hemen (I have few friends here).

Related Concepts

• Numbers and Counting