Quantities and measures (neurriak)

Knowing how to ask for specific quantities is the difference between “an apple” and “a kilo of apples”. The pattern in Basque is very regular and always the same.

The basic pattern

QUANTITY + PRODUCT (without an article)

Euskera	English
kilo bat sagar	a kilo of apples
bi kilo tomate	two kilos of tomato
kilo erdi piper	half a kilo of peppers
200 g txorizo	200 grams of chorizo
litro bat ur	a litre of water
litro erdi esne	half a litre of milk
dozena bat arrautza	a dozen eggs
pakete bat makarroi	a packet of macaroni
botila bat ardo	a bottle of wine
lata bat tomate	a can of tomato

Note: the product goes without an article (sagar, not sagarra). This differs from Spanish and is learnt with practice.

The number first, the product after

The order matters:

• Bi kilo sagar — two kilos of apples (CORRECT)
• Sagar bi kilo — you don’t say it this way

Approximate quantities

Euskera	English
gehiago	more
gutxiago	less
pixka bat	a little
asko	a lot
gutxi	little
nahikoa	enough

Typical examples at the greengrocer’s:

• Gehiago, mesedez. — A little more, please.
• Hori da, nahikoa da. — That’s it, that’s enough.
• Gutxiago, mesedez. — Less, please.

Set phrases

• Eman kilo bat sagar eta dozena bat arrautza, mesedez. — Give me a kilo of apples and a dozen eggs, please.
• Litro bat esne hartuko dut. — I’ll take a litre of milk.
• Bi botila ur, mesedez. — Two bottles of water, please.

Cultural note: in markets (azoka) and traditional squares everything is still weighed “by eye”: you ask for kilo bat sagar and the seller adjusts until reaching the exact weight. It’s common to hear pixka bat gehiago, mesedez as the scale goes up.