Introducing yourself (Ni X naiz)

To introduce yourself in Basque, a very simple formula is enough: 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 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 the same for “he is” or “she is”. The context or the name makes it clear.

”How are you?”

Once you have introduced yourself, the natural thing is to ask how the other person is doing:

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

With those three phrases you can already keep up a complete, polite greeting.