Numbers and Nouns

Level 1

After a number, the noun stays bare: bi kafe (two coffees), hiru lagun (three friends). Add -ak only when you mean the: hiru lagunak (the three friends).

How It Works

Basque nouns have no plural ending of their own. Number is shown by the article -ak or by a number word. See plural article -ak. After a number, the noun stays bare:

  • bi kafe two coffees
  • hiru lagun three friends
  • bost euro five euros
  • hamar minutu ten minutes

Adding the article means "the". Put -ak on the last word of the phrase to point to a group you already know about: hiru lagunak (the three friends), bi etxeak (the two houses). So Hiru lagun etorri dira means that three friends have come, while Hiru lagunak etorri dira means that the three friends we know about have come.

Adjectives stay inside the phrase. An adjective follows the noun, and the article, if there is one, goes at the very end: bi etxe handi (two big houses), bi etxe handiak (the two big houses). See adjective after the noun.

The verb is still plural. With or without the article, a number above one makes the verb plural: Hiru lagun etorri dira, Bi kafe edan ditut.

The same rule for zenbat. The question word zenbat (how many) also takes a bare noun: Zenbat lagun etorri dira? See zenbat. So do quantity words such as asko (a lot): lagun asko. See asko, gutxi, batzuk, zenbait.

Later: endings after numbers. When a number phrase needs a case ending, such as in, the bare noun takes its own set of endings: hiru herritan (in three towns). These come in indefinite case forms (mugagabea).

Examples (5)

  1. Bi kafe, mesedez.

    Two coffees, please.

    Word by Word: Two coffee, please.

    kafe has no plural ending after bi.

  2. Hiru lagun etorri dira.

    Three friends have come.

  3. Hiru lagunak etorri dira.

    The three friends have come.

    With -ak, these are three friends we already know about.

  4. Etxeak lau gela ditu.

    The house has four rooms.

    Word by Word: House-the-erg four room it-has-them.

  5. Bost lagun gara.

    There are five of us.

    Word by Word: Five friend we-are.

    Often said when asking for a table.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -ak to show the plural after a number.

    Bi kafeak, mesedez.
    Bi kafe, mesedez.

    Bi kafeak means the two coffees, a pair already known. To order two coffees, leave kafe bare.

  • Using a singular verb because the noun looks singular.

    Hiru lagun etorri da.
    Hiru lagun etorri dira.

    The noun stays bare, but the number makes the subject plural, so the verb is plural.

How It Connects

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Numbers and NounsLevel 1

Learn This First

Numbers with nouns need numbers and the article.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

bihiru