Words Ending in -r

Level 2

haur → haurra (the child), txakur → txakurra (the dog), lur → lurra (the earth). But ur → ura (the water), zur → zura (the wood), paper → papera (the paper).

How It Works

Why it happens. Basque keeps the quick tap r and the rolled rr apart only between vowels; see Single r and Double rr. At the end of a word both sound alike and are written with one r. Adding the article or another vowel ending puts the r between vowels, and the hidden difference shows.

Words with rr. These are the majority.

  • haur → haurra (the child)
  • txakur → txakurra (the dog)
  • lur → lurra (the earth, the ground)
  • zahar → zaharra (the old one)
  • bizkar → bizkarra (the back)
  • hamar → hamarra (the ten), hamarrean (on the 10th)

Words with a single r. A small group keeps one r.

  • ur → ura (the water)
  • zur → zura (the wood)
  • paper → papera (the paper)
  • plater → platera (the plate)

Every vowel ending. The choice holds for all endings that start with a vowel or take -e-: haurrak, haurrari, haurrarekin, haurrentzat, lurrean, lurretik; urak, uretan. Place names follow it too: Eibarren, Eibarrera; see Place Names and Case Endings. When you are not sure, look the word up with its article, for example ura or lurra.

Examples (6)

  1. Haurra lotan dago.

    The child is asleep.

  2. Txakurrak hezur bat jan du.

    The dog has eaten a bone.

    txakur + -ak: the r doubles before the vowel.

  3. Lurrean eseri gara.

    We have sat down on the ground.

  4. Ura hotza dago.

    The water is cold.

    ur keeps a single r: ura.

  5. Papera mahai gainean dago.

    The paper is on the table.

  6. Etxe zaharrean bizi dira.

    They live in the old house.

    zahar + -ean: zaharrean.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping a single r where the word has rr.

    Haura parkean dago.
    Haurra parkean dago.

    haur has rr, so before a vowel it is written haurra.

  • Doubling the r of ur.

    Urra hotza dago.
    Ura hotza dago.

    ur (water) keeps a single r: ura. The intended meaning is The water is cold; hurra, with rr, is the hazelnut.

  • Forgetting rr before a longer ending.

    Txakurarekin paseatzen naiz.
    Txakurrarekin paseatzen naiz.

    The rr appears before every vowel ending, not only before the article: txakurra, txakurrarekin.

How It Connects

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

Words Ending in -rLevel 2

Learn This First

Final-r spelling depends on the r sound, the following ending and the word.