Possessives (nire, zure, bere…)

Possessives in Basque are placed before the noun, just like in English. They don’t change form based on the gender of the possessed object (there is no masculine/feminine version, just 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
gu	gure	gure etxea	our house
zuek	zuen	zuen lagunak	your friends
haiek	beren	beren autoa	their car

Unlike in English, the noun keeps the article -a even with a possessive: gure etxea (our house), zuen lagunak (your friends), beren autoa (their car). In words that already end in -a (like ama or arreba), the article isn’t noticeable: nire ama.

Family + possessives

Combine what you’ve 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.