No Grammatical Gender
Basque nouns have no gender. Hura means he, she or it, and an adjective keeps the same form for anyone: mutil altua (the tall boy), neska altua (the tall girl).
How It Works
One form for everyone
- Hura irakaslea da. He is a teacher. / She is a teacher.
- Mutila altua da. Neska altua da. The boy is tall. The girl is tall.
- Nire laguna medikua da. My friend is a doctor. Lagun and mediku can be a man or a woman.
The pronoun list has no separate words for he and she: see Personal Pronouns.
Where does the -a come from?
Many words end in -a because of the definite article -a: mutil becomes mutila (the boy), and altu becomes altua. The word neska (girl) simply ends in -a; that ending has nothing to do with being female.
When sex matters
Basque usually uses different words, not different endings: aita / ama (father / mother), seme / alaba (son / daughter), mutil / neska (boy / girl).
One later exception
In the very familiar hi style, some verb forms change depending on whether you speak to a man or to a woman. You will learn to recognise these much later. Everyday Standard Basque with zu has no such forms.
Examples (6)
- Hura irakaslea da.
He is a teacher. / She is a teacher.
Word by Word: That-one teacher-the is.
Only the context tells you whether hura is a man or a woman.
- Mutila altua da.
The boy is tall.
Word by Word: Boy-the tall-the is.
- Neska altua da.
The girl is tall.
Word by Word: Girl-the tall-the is.
The adjective has exactly the same form as for the boy.
- Nire laguna medikua da.
My friend is a doctor.
Word by Word: My friend-the doctor-the is.
Neither laguna nor medikua says whether the friend is a man or a woman.
- Aita eta ama etxean daude.
Dad and Mum are at home.
Word by Word: Father and mother house-the-in are.
Sex is shown by the meaning of the words, not by an ending.
- Katua zuria da.
The cat is white.
Word by Word: Cat-the white-the is.
Common Mistakes
Treating the -a of an adjective as a feminine ending and changing it for a male.
Mutila altuo da.Mutila altua da.Altua is altu plus the article -a. Basque adjectives have no masculine form, so it stays altua for a boy, a girl or a thing.
Related Patterns
- ni / zu / hura / gu / zuek / haiekPersonal Pronouns
The pronoun hura covers he, she and it, because Basque has no gender.
Level 1 - -aThe Definite Article -a
Explains the -a that learners often mistake for a feminine ending.
Level 1 - Adjective + -a + izanDescribing with Izan
Adjectives after izan agree in number, never in gender.
Level 1 - Noun + Adjective + -aAdjective, Then Article
Adjectives inside a noun phrase also keep one form for every noun.
Level 1 - hi (hitanoa)Familiar Hi (Hitanoa)
The familiar hi style is the one place where verb forms show the listener's sex.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice No Grammatical Gender in Bubblegum
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