Vowels and Diphthongs
Basque has five vowels, a e i o u, always said clearly, as in Spanish or Italian. Pairs like ai, au and eu glide together in one syllable.
How It Works
The five vowels
- a as in father: ama (mother)
- e as in bet, never ee: etxe (house)
- i as in machine: ni (I)
- o as in more, without the r: ondo (well)
- u as in rule, never yoo: ur (water)
The six diphthongs
- ai: bai (yes), aita (father)
- ei: sei (six), zein (which)
- oi: oin (foot), goiz (morning)
- ui: muin (core), a rare one
- au: gau (night), gaur (today), hau (this)
- eu: euskara (Basque), euria (the rain)
Two vowels, two syllables. When an ending is added, the vowels usually stay in separate syllables: etxe + -a is e-txe-a, and mendi + -a is men-di-a. In relaxed Southern speech, etxea often sounds like etxia, but in writing and careful speech it is always etxea. See definite article -a.
A silent h also keeps vowels apart: nahi is na-i. See the letters h and j.
Souletin, the easternmost dialect, also has a sixth vowel, ü, which is not part of the standard alphabet. See Souletin features.
Examples (5)
- Bai, sei euro dira.
Yes, it is six euros.
Word by Word: Yes, six euro are.
Ai in bai, ei in sei and eu in euro.
- Gaur euria ari du.
It is raining today.
Word by Word: Today rain-the doing it-has.
Au in gaur and eu in euria.
- Gau on, aita!
Good night, Dad!
Word by Word: Night good, father!
Au in gau and ai in aita.
- Etxea oso handia da.
The house is very big.
Word by Word: House-the very big-the is.
The ea in etxea and the ia in handia are two syllables each, not diphthongs.
- Oinak hotz ditut.
My feet are cold.
Word by Word: Feet-the cold I-have-them.
Oi in oin (foot).
Common Mistakes
Writing the vowel changes of casual speech.
Etxia oso handia da.Etxea oso handia da.Many Southern speakers say etxia, but the standard spelling and careful speech keep etxea.
Spelling the diphthong with y.
Bay, noski.Bai, noski.Basque writes these glides with i: bai, sei, oin. The letter y is only for foreign names.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Vowels and diphthongs follow the alphabet.
Related Patterns
- Word Stress
Explains how evenly the vowels are stressed.
Level 1 - h / jThe Letters H and J
A silent h keeps neighboring vowels in separate syllables.
Level 1 - -aThe Definite Article -a
Adding -a often puts two vowels side by side.
Level 1 - Souletin Features
Covers ü, the extra vowel of the Souletin dialect.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Vowels and Diphthongs in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Basque lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
