Possessives (nire, zure, bere…)

Possessives in Basque are placed before the noun, just as in English. They do not change form according to the gender of the thing possessed (there is no “his/hers”, only nire).

Complete table

Person	Possessive	Example	English
ni	nire	nire ama	my mother
zu	zure	zure aita	your father
hura	bere	bere arreba	his/her sister (of him/her)
gu	gure	gure etxea	our house
zuek	zuen	zuen lagunak	your friends (plural)
haiek	beren	beren autoa	their car (of them)

Unlike English, the noun keeps the article -a even when it carries a possessive: gure etxea (our house), zuen lagunak (your friends), beren autoa (their car). In words that already end in -a (such as ama or arreba) the article is not noticeable: nire ama.

Family + possessives

Combine what you have learned to describe your family:

• Nire aita Mattin da. — My father is Mattin.
• Zure ama nongoa da? — Where is your mother from?
• Bere arreba Donostiakoa da. — His/her sister is from Donostia.
• Gure aiton-amonak Bilbon bizi dira. — Our grandparents live in Bilbao.