tz / ts / tx

The Affricates Tz, Ts and Tx

Level 1

Put a quick t before each s-like sound and you get tz, ts and tx. The sound tx is like the ch in English church.

How It Works

These three sounds match the three sounds in z, s and x:

  • tz: hotz (cold), hitz (word), zortzi (eight), atzo (yesterday), bihotz (heart)
  • ts: hots (sound), otso (wolf), amets (dream), atso (old woman)
  • tx: etxe (house), txakur (dog), txiki (small), Patxi

Like z and s, tz and ts can keep words apart:

  • hotz (cold) and hots (sound)
  • atzo (yesterday) and atso (old woman)
  • etzi (the day after tomorrow) and etsi (to give up)

After l, n and r, Basque normally writes tz or ts rather than z or s: pentsatu (to think), hartz (bear), saltsa (sauce).

The sound tx is also used to make words sound small or sweet. For example, txakur (dog) began as an affectionate form of zakur. See diminutives -txo, -xka.

Examples (5)

  1. Gaur hotz dago.

    It is cold today.

    Word by Word: Today cold is.

    Hotz (cold) ends in tz.

  2. Otsoa basoan bizi da.

    The wolf lives in the forest.

    Word by Word: Wolf-the forest-in living is.

    Otso (wolf) has ts.

  3. Nire txakurra oso txikia da.

    My dog is very small.

    Word by Word: My dog-the very small-the is.

    Txakur and txiki both begin with tx, which sounds like English ch.

  4. Zortzi hitz ikasi ditut.

    I have learned eight words.

    Word by Word: Eight word learned I-have-them.

    Zortzi (eight) and hitz (word) both have tz.

  5. Hots handi bat entzun dut.

    I heard a loud sound.

    Word by Word: Sound big one heard I-have.

    Hots (sound) has ts. With tz, hotz would mean cold.

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing up tz and ts.

    Gaur hots dago.
    Gaur hotz dago.

    Hots means sound. To say it is cold, write and say hotz, with tz.

  • Writing ch for tx.

    Nire chakurra txikia da.
    Nire txakurra txikia da.

    Basque writes the ch sound as tx: txakur, txiki, etxe.

  • Leaving out the t after n.

    Zer pensatzen duzu?
    Zer pentsatzen duzu?

    The Basque verb is pentsatu, with ts after n. Spanish pensar has no t, which is why learners often drop it.

How It Connects

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

tz / ts / txLevel 1The Affricates Tz, Ts and Tx

Learn This First

The affricates only make sense after the three sibilants.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.