Introducing yourself (Ni X naiz)

To introduce yourself in Basque, you only need a very simple formula: Ni (I) + your name + naiz (am).

The pattern

Basque	English
Ni Egoitz naiz.	I am Egoitz.
Ni Maialen naiz.	I am Maialen.
Ni Hodei naiz.	I am Hodei.

The verb izan (“to be”) changes according to the person. For now, just memorize these three forms:

• Ni + naiz → I am
• Zu + zara → you are
• Hura + da → he/she is

In Basque, there is no grammatical gender in the verb: Hura da works for both “he is” and “she is”. The context or the name makes it clear.

”How are you?”

Once you’ve introduced yourself, it’s natural to ask how the other person is:

• Zer moduz? → How are you?
• Ondo, eskerrik asko. → Fine, thank you.
• Ni ere ondo. → I’m fine too.

With these three phrases, you can manage a complete, polite greeting.