Standard Basque (Euskara Batua)

Level 5

Euskara batua (unified Basque) is the standard that Euskaltzaindia, the Basque Language Academy, began to set in 1968. It is the Basque you learn in class, read in newspapers and hear on the news.

How It Works

1. Why a standard? For centuries, Basque was written in several regional ways, and no single form was shared by everyone. Euskaltzaindia was founded in 1919. At its Arantzazu congress in 1968, it set the first common rules for spelling, word forms and case endings. A proposal for the standard verb forms followed in 1973.

2. What it is built on. Batua takes most of its forms from central Basque (the Gipuzkoan area) and from the classical literary tradition of Lapurdi, with pieces from other dialects. For example:

  • standard dut, duzu, du (Western dot, dozu, dau)
  • standard naiz (Western naz, Souletin niz)
  • standard asko (Northern anitz)

3. The letter h. Batua writes h in words such as hori, hemen and herri. Most southern speakers do not pronounce it, but northern speakers do. This was one of the most debated choices of the standard. See the letters h and j.

4. Where you meet it. Batua is used at every level of education, on Basque television and radio, in newspapers, in official documents and in almost all books. In the cities, many new speakers use mainly batua.

5. Batua and the dialects together. In villages and among older speakers you will hear local forms. They are not mistakes: they are dialect. Learn to recognise them, and use batua when you write. See the Basque dialects.

Examples (5)

  1. Euskara batuaren oinarriak 1968an jarri ziren, Arantzazun.

    The foundations of standard Basque were laid in 1968, at Arantzazu.

  2. Eskolan batua ikasi genuen, baina etxean euskalkian hitz egiten dugu.

    At school we learned standard Basque, but at home we speak in our dialect.

  3. Egunkariak eta telebistako albisteak euskara batuan daude.

    The newspapers and the TV news are in standard Basque.

  4. Batuan, «hori» h letrarekin idazten da.

    In standard Basque, hori is written with the letter h.

  5. Nire aitonak «dot» esaten du, eta nik «dut».

    My grandfather says dot, and I say dut.

    dot is the Western (Bizkaian) form; dut is the standard form. Both mean "I have (it)".

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the h in standard spelling.

    Ori nire etxea da.
    Hori nire etxea da.

    Many speakers do not pronounce h, but batua always writes it in words such as hori, hau, hemen and herri.

How It Connects

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

Standard Basque (Euskara Batua)Level 5

Learn This First

Euskara Batua follows the letters h and j.