Osasuna eta gaixotasunak — health and ailments
A2 opens the door to talking about how you feel physically: when you’re sick, what hurts, and what the doctor has prescribed. The basic structure you already know from A1 (mina daukat) is expanded with specific vocabulary, healthcare professionals, and consultation dialogues.
How to say “I’m sick”
In Basque, you have two common ways:
- Gaixorik nago. — I am sick. (a temporary state, with egon)
- Ez nago ondo. — I’m not well.
- Min hartu dut. — I’ve hurt myself.
- Gaixotu egin naiz. — I’ve gotten sick (intransitive verb, naiz).
Grammar note: gaixorik takes the suffix -rik (state), just like pozik (happy), nekatuta, triste. Remember: state = egon.
Symptoms — the universal formula X daukat
As in A1, symptoms are constructed with eduki (to have):
| English | Basque |
|---|---|
| I have a fever | Sukarra daukat |
| I have a cough | Eztula daukat |
| I have a cold | Katarroa daukat |
| I have the flu | Gripea daukat |
| I’m dizzy | Zorabiatuta nago |
| I’m nauseous | Goragalea daukat |
Pain: mina
Pain is a noun in Basque (mina) and it’s combined with the body part in NONGO (-ko), which acts as a complement specifying “what kind of pain”:
body part + -ko + mina + daukat
| English | Basque |
|---|---|
| I have a headache | Buruko mina daukat |
| I have a sore throat | Eztarriko mina daukat |
| I have a stomach ache | Sabeleko mina daukat |
| I have a toothache | Hortzeko mina daukat |
| I have a backache | Bizkarreko mina daukat |
| My feet hurt | Oinetako mina daukat |
Another very common form, especially when something hurts “right now”:
- Buruak min ematen dit. — My head hurts.
At the doctor’s office
| English | Basque |
|---|---|
| What’s wrong? / What’s the matter? | Zer duzu? / Zer gertatzen zaizu? |
| Since when? | Noiztik? |
| Does it hurt? | Min ematen dizu? |
| Take one pill every eight hours | Hartu pilula bat zortzi orduro |
| Rest | Hartu atseden |
| Come back in a week | Itzuli astebete barru |
Professionals and places
| Place / Person | Basque |
|---|---|
| Health center | anbulatorioa |
| Hospital | ospitalea |
| Emergency room | larrialdiak |
| Family doctor / GP | familia-medikua |
| Nurse | erizaina |
| Pharmacist | botikaria |
| Pharmacy | botika / farmazia |
| Appointment | aurretiazko hitzordua |
Mini-dialogue
— Egun on. Zer duzu?
— Sukarra daukat atzotik, eta buruko mina ere bai.
— Eztulik?
— Bai, baina ez asko.
— Ondo. Hartu pilula hauek zortzi orduro, eta edan ur asko. Hobeto ez bazaude, bihar etorri berriro.
Cultural note: in the Basque Country, the “botikaria” (pharmacist) is still, in many small towns, the first person to consult for minor issues: colds, insect bites, dizziness. The pharmacy acts as a filter before going to the family doctor.
Ejercicios
What does "Sukarra daukat" mean?
At the doctor's office, the doctor says to you, "Zer duzu?". What are they asking you?
I have a headache = Buruko daukat.