Euskera is one of the official languages of the Spanish region of the Basque Country, the Basque Country, or also known as Euskadi, is a Spanish region located to the north, having the province of Cantabria on the left, and the province of Aragon on the right, to the south the province of La Rioja and to the north France.
Basque is a very peculiar language, unlike the languages spoken on the peninsula, Basque is a language called pre-Romanesque since it is a language of unknown origin that was already spoken before the arrival of the Romans on the peninsula.
Learning Basque is a long and costly process, since it is an unknown language and so different from Spanish, we will have to learn all the grammar and vocabulary again if we want to learn this curious language.
The reason for learning Basque is usually because for work or cultural reasons, you have gone to live in the Basque Country. Although almost everyone knows the Spanish language perfectly and we can get around knowing only Spanish, your chances of finding a job there will increase exponentially if you learn to speak Basque.
For this reason I am going to offer you some advice to make it easier for you to learn this language and I guarantee that if you follow them to the letter in less than a year you will be able to learn it fluently, managing to speak like the ancient natives of the Basque Country.
What do you need to learn Basque?
- A computer.
- Internet connection.
- A notebook of notes.
- Possibility of traveling to the Basque Country.
- One TV
- A smartphone with Android or iOS
- It is advisable to meet a native of Euskera.
Instructions to learn Basque
- Learning the basics: Euskera is a language that is going to shock us a lot, since its vocabulary is totally different from the Spanish vocabulary we know, for this reason, we need to learn the basics. To learn the alphabet, the definite article and the indefinite article, phrases, the use of exclamatory and interrogative phrases, basic vocabulary, basic verbs such as the verb to be (Egon) and a little pronunciation.
- Keep learning: Now that you know the basics it’s time to go one step further. Get a small notebook or notebook to write down in it your doubts and the new vocabulary that you are learning.
- Dictionary: In addition to our notebook, we will also need a Basque-Spanish, Spanish-Basque dictionary to better understand the vocabulary. As carrying around a dictionary is very heavy, we are going to choose to use our Smartphone and download the Euskal Hiztegia application in the Google Play Store. When in doubt, look up the word and write down the meaning in your notebook so that you never forget it. Make sure you are a creative and curious person and look up many words in the dictionary so that learning is faster and more entertaining.
- Private classes: In certain cities and in the Basque Country itself (or Euskadi for you to get used to), there are teachers born in the Basque Country who will give you Basque lessons. I advise you to invest some money in one of these classes, since they will teach you Basque from the beginning and at your own pace. You will also have a person to practice the language when you master it.
- Television and Internet: Although they say that television is a silly box and that nothing can be done with it except waste time, television if used correctly can be a very powerful learning tool. View programs from the Basque channel ETB, in which you have some programs in Euskera and others like Vaya Semanita that, although they are in Spanish, teach a lot of basic vocabulary in Euskera, which you can learn while having fun. You can also use the internet, specifically Youtube, where you can watch videos in Basque, Basque lessons, even some independent film or short film that has been recorded in Basque. Watch the short film first with Spanish subtitles, then with Basque subtitles and finally without no subtitles.
- Official language school: In some cities we have the official language school, which is a good way to learn languages and get a certificate that proves you can find a job. In certain places you have Euskera, which, unlike other languages such as English, has no problems with places since few people come. The language school has several levels at which you can apply by going to face-to-face classes or do it on your own to get the certificate (if you already know enough Basque). The certificate is important since many businessmen are wary of people who claim to know languages and then don’t, and for this reason they often ask for a certificate.
- Go to Euskadi: The best way to learn Euskera well is to go to where it was created, there you can talk to someone who knows Euskera well and who will teach you to speak it correctly, you can learn typical vocabulary from there which varies from Euskera and you can read posters and names of cities in which Euskera appears as a language. Do not be afraid to try to speak it with the people there, always looking for older people since many young people have not learned it correctly by removing some word. Start with simple things like asking the time in Basque, saying good morning, hello or a simple conversation and gradually gain confidence in yourself to say more phrases until you become fluent.
Tips for learning Basque
- I take children with me: A big problem that puts off many people who find work in the Basque Country is that they have school-age children, who have a hard time learning the language. If you are in this case, do not be afraid, have your children also follow these tips and enroll them in the language school there, since the Basque language taught at school is very poor. Talk to them at home since young people are not going to talk about it much among themselves and do not pressure them, that is, adapt to their intelligence and their level of learning.