Souletin Features

Level 6

Maitia, nun zira? (Darling, where are you?) This line from a Souletin song is Maitea, non zara? in standard Basque. Learners mainly need to recognize Souletin, not produce it.

How It Works

1. The vowel ü. Where other dialects have u, Souletin usually says ü: zu → zü, duzu → düzü, dugu → dügü, ezagun → ezagün. Before r, rd, rth and s, the u stays: urdin (blue), urthe (year), ikhusi (to see). Souletin has six vowels instead of the standard five, and all of them can also be nasal.

2. h and aspirated consonants. Souletin keeps the h better than any other dialect, and it has aspirated p, t and k, written ph, th and kh: bethi (always; beti), ekhi (sun), aiphatü (mentioned; aipatu). It also writes lh, nh and rh: belhar (grass; belar), senhar (husband; senar).

3. Other sound changes. o often becomes u, above all before n and m: non → nun, nola → nula. A single r between vowels often disappears: gure → gue. Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable.

4. Verb forms.

  • izan: niz (naiz), zira (zara)
  • ukan: dü (du), düzü (duzu), dügü (dugu)
  • with a receiver: deit (dit), deiot (diot), deikü (digu)
  • plural marker -(t)z- instead of -zki-: deitzot (dizkiot), zaitzo (zaizkio)
  • the Northern future in -en: joanen niz (joango naiz); see Northern verb forms

Souletin also has allocutive forms for a listener addressed as zu, besides the hi forms of toka and noka: jin da (he or she has come) can become jin düzü, or jin düxü in the affectionate xu form (xuka).

5. Words. Some everyday words differ: haboro (more; gehiago), ediren (to find; aurkitu), bedatse (spring; udaberri), ürhentü (to finish; bukatu).

Tip: To read Souletin, map it back to the standard: ü → u, drop the h after p, t and k, and look for a missing r. See also the Basque dialects.

Examples (4)

  1. Maitia, nun zira?

    Darling, where are you?

    From a traditional Souletin song. Standard: Maitea, non zara?

  2. Nik ez zütüt ikhusten.

    I don't see you.

    The next line of the same song. Standard: Nik ez zaitut ikusten.

  3. Haboro nahi düzü?

    Do you want more?

    Standard: Gehiago nahi duzu?

  4. Joanen niz.

    I will go.

    Standard: Joango naiz.

Common Mistakes

  • Turning every u into ü.

    Nik ez zütüt ikhüsten.
    Nik ez zütüt ikhusten.

    Before s, r, rd and rth the u stays u in Souletin: ikhusi, urthe, urdin.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Souletin FeaturesLevel 6

Learn This First

Souletin follows the dialects and vowels.