What is Basque?
Basque Country: An Autonomous Community of Spain
El País Vasco or Euskadi(the Basque Country) extends over parts of Spain and France. In spite of its geographical location, the Basque language isn’t related to Spanish or French, as it is not a Latin-based language. Euskera is a language isolate spoken by less than a third of the population of the Basque Country.
The differences between the Basque Country and the rest of Spain go beyond the language. The Basque Country has a strong, distinctive culture that stems from being situated in the Pyrenees and isolated from the rest of Europe.
Do I Need to Know Euskera in el País Vasco?
Depending on where you go in the Basque Country, you may or may not hear euskera. In big cities like Bilbao and San Sebastián, you can get by just knowing Spanish. However, you will likely hear euskera if you visit more rural areas.
Let’s learn a few words in Basque just in case you ever find yourself in a small town in the Basque Country!
| Basque | English |
|---|---|
| kaixo | hello |
| agur | bye |
| eskerrik asko | thank you |
| bai | yes |
| ez | no |
In Basque, the letter x sounds like the English sh, as in ship. So hello is pronounced "kai-sho."
Now that you've learned a bit of Basque, why not take a look at these fascinating articles?
