Where you are from and where you live

This lesson covers two questions that are often confused: where you are from (origin) and where you live (current residence). In Basque they are built with different suffixes.

Origin: Nongoa zara? → …koa naiz

For origin, use Nongoa zara? and answer with the place + the suffix -(e)ko (with the article: -koa):

Place	Origin
Bilbo	Bilbokoa naiz (I’m from Bilbao)
Donostia	Donostiakoa naiz (I’m from Donostia)
Iruñea	Iruñekoa naiz (I’m from Pamplona)
Madril	Madrilgoa naiz
Espainia	Espainiakoa naiz
Argentina	Argentinakoa naiz

After a consonant the suffix adapts orthographically (Madril → Madrilgoa). With practice it comes naturally.

Residence: Non bizi zara? → …n bizi naiz

For where you live now, use Non bizi zara? (“where do you live?”) + the place with the locative -(e)n:

Place	Residence
Bilbo	Bilbon bizi naiz
Donostia	Donostian bizi naiz
Iruñea	Iruñean bizi naiz
Madril	Madrilen bizi naiz

Those ending in an organic -a (Donostia) keep the a. Those ending in a consonant (Madril) insert an -e-.

Both things in one conversation

— Kaixo! Zein da zure izena? — Hello, what’s your name?

— Ni Maialen naiz. Eta zu? — I’m Maialen. And you?

— Egoitz naiz. Nongoa zara? — I’m Egoitz. Where are you from?

— Iruñekoa naiz, baina Bilbon bizi naiz orain. — I’m from Pamplona, but I live in Bilbao now.

Useful vocabulary

• herri — village
• hiri — city
• herrialde — territory / province
• estatu — state / country
• norekin bizi zara? — who do you live with? → Bakarrik bizi naiz (I live alone) / Gurasoekin bizi naiz (I live with my parents)