bat ... hamar

Numbers One to Ten

Level 1

One to ten: bat, bi, hiru, lau, bost, sei, zazpi, zortzi, bederatzi, hamar. Say etxe bat (one house) but hiru etxe (three houses).

How It Works

Here are the numbers from zero to ten:

  • 0 zero
  • 1 bat, 2 bi, 3 hiru, 4 lau, 5 bost
  • 6 sei, 7 zazpi, 8 zortzi, 9 bederatzi, 10 hamar

Where the number goes. bat comes after the noun, in the same place as the article: etxe bat (a house, one house), kafe bat (a coffee). See bat and batzuk. The numbers from three to ten come before the noun: hiru etxe, bost euro, hamar minutu. bi usually comes first too (bi etxe), but many speakers in the west say etxe bi, and standard Basque accepts both orders.

No article after a number. The noun stays bare: hiru lagun (three friends), not hiru lagunak. See number + noun without article.

The verb agrees. With bat the verb is singular. With any higher number it is plural: Ogi bat erosi dut (I have bought a loaf of bread), Bi ogi erosi ditut (I have bought two loaves). See ukan plural object: ditut, dituzu, ditu.

Numbers on their own. When you count, or answer Zenbat? (How many?), the bare number is enough: Zenbat anai-arreba dituzu? — Hiru. See zenbat. When a number takes the article, hiru and lau add an r: hirurak (the three of them), laurak. You will meet these forms again with clock times: Laurak dira (It is four o'clock). See zer ordu da?.

Examples (5)

  1. Kafe bat, mesedez.

    A coffee, please.

    bat comes after the noun.

  2. Bi ogi erosi ditut.

    I have bought two loaves of bread.

    With bi the noun stays bare and the verb is plural: ditut.

  3. Zazpi egun daude astean.

    There are seven days in a week.

    Word by Word: Seven day there-are week-in.

  4. Hamar euro behar ditut.

    I need ten euros.

    hamar euro is the object, so the verb is plural: ditut.

  5. Lau gara.

    There are four of us.

    Word by Word: Four we-are.

    A number can stand alone when the noun is clear.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting bat before the noun, as in English.

    Bat kafe, mesedez.
    Kafe bat, mesedez.

    bat always follows the noun, like the article -a.

  • Putting other numbers after the noun, like bat.

    Lagun hiru ditut.
    Hiru lagun ditut.

    Only bat, and in the west bi, can follow the noun. Three to ten go before it.

  • Using a singular verb after a number above one.

    Bi ogi erosi dut.
    Bi ogi erosi ditut.

    The noun has no plural ending, but the verb is plural whenever the number is two or more.

How It Connects

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bat ... hamarLevel 1Numbers One to Ten

Learn This First

Numbers start from bat.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

batbihirulaubostseizortzibederatzihamar