Convenience Store

1. Poltsa nahi duzu?

   Pol-tsa na-hi du-zu?

   Do you want a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Carrier bags are charged for across Spain, so even a small Basque denda will ask. Decline with "Ez, eskerrik asko"

   Grammar Note

   Basque expresses desire as noun + "nahi" + auxiliary, with the verb at the end. "Duzu" is an auxiliary encoding both the subject (you) and the object (it) in one word

2. Besterik nahi duzu?

   Bes-te-rik na-hi du-zu?

   Anything else?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Basque town shops are typically counter-service, so this comes just before they total up. Finish with "Ez, besterik ez"

   Grammar Note

   "Beste" (other) takes the partitive ending "-rik". This suffix marks an indefinite quantity in questions and negatives, and does not appear in plain affirmative sentences

3. Txartelarekin ala eskudirutan?

   Txar-te-la-re-kin a-la es-ku-di-ru-tan?

   By card or in cash?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Contactless works almost everywhere in the Basque Country, though village shops may be cash-only or set a card minimum

   Grammar Note

   Basque has two words for "or": "ala" forces a choice between alternatives, "edo" does not. "Eskudiru" is a compound of "esku" (hand) and "diru" (money)

4. Tiketa nahi duzu?

   Ti-ke-ta na-hi du-zu?

   Do you want the receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. A receipt is needed for returns or exchanges, so keep it for clothes or souvenirs; for food it is fine to decline

   Grammar Note

   The final "-a" is the Basque definite article, suffixed straight onto the noun: "tiket" + "-a" = "the receipt". Basque places its article after the noun rather than before it

5. Bezero-txartelik baduzu?

   Be-ze-ro-txar-te-lik ba-du-zu?

   Do you have a loyalty card?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Eroski — the Basque cooperative chain — and most other supermarkets ask about loyalty cards at every checkout. Travellers can simply reply "Ez, ez daukat"

   Grammar Note

   "Baduzu" combines the affirmative prefix "ba-" with "duzu", giving a softer "if you happen to have one" tone. Basque compounds are commonly written with a hyphen

6. Hemen jateko ala eramateko?

   He-men ja-te-ko a-la e-ra-ma-te-ko?

   To eat here or to take away?

   Usage

   Said by staff. You hear it when buying coffee or pintxos at a Basque bakery or bar. Sitting down can cost more in some places, so your answer affects the bill

   Grammar Note

   The verbal noun "jate" (eating) takes "-ko" to mean "for eating". This all-purpose suffix marks purpose or intended use and turns up constantly in everyday speech

7. Mesedez, hau berotu dezakezu?

   Me-se-dez, hau be-ro-tu de-za-ke-zu?

   Could you heat this up, please?

   Usage

   Basque shops have no Japanese-style reheating service. Only bars and delis that already serve hot food will do it; an ordinary denda will say no, so do not press the point

   Grammar Note

   "Dezakezu" is the potential auxiliary and follows the main verb. The adjective "bero" (hot) plus "-tu" yields the verb "berotu" (to heat) — a productive way of deriving verbs from adjectives

8. Non dago estankoa?

   Non da-go es-tan-ko-a?

   Where is the tobacconist?

   Usage

   Tobacco retail is a state monopoly in Spain, sold only at an "estanko" marked by a brown T sign — never in ordinary shops or supermarkets. They also sell stamps, which is handy for travellers

   Grammar Note

   "Dago" is the third-person singular of "egon" (to be located) and is used for position. It contrasts with "da", which states what something is

9. Ur hotzik baduzue?

   Ur ho-tzik ba-du-zu-e?

   Do you have any cold water?

   Usage

   In small shops the chiller is often at the back, leaving only room-temperature stock on view. Basque tap water is good, and you can also refill a bottle at a town "iturri" (public fountain)

   Grammar Note

   A shop is naturally addressed as a group with the second-person plural "-zue". Because this is a question, the adjective also takes the partitive "-ik", giving the sense of "any cold water"

10. Zer ordutan ixten duzue?

    Zer or-du-tan ix-ten du-zu-e?

    What time do you close?

    Usage

    Independent Basque shops shut for two or three hours at midday and close on Sundays, with many locking up around 8pm. Round-the-clock trading barely exists, so plan your first-day shopping carefully

    Grammar Note

    "Ordu" (hour) takes the locative "-tan" to mean "at what hour". Basque marks relations with case endings on the noun rather than prepositions, and has well over a dozen cases

11. Txanponik baduzu?

    Txan-po-nik ba-du-zu?

    Do you have any change?

    Usage

    Heard from staff and used by customers alike. Fifty-euro notes are unwelcome in small shops, so break the large notes an ATM gives you at a supermarket first

    Grammar Note

    The partitive "-ik" expresses an indefinite quantity in questions and negatives. With the definite article, "txanpona" would point to one specific coin instead

12. Komunik baduzue?

    Ko-mu-nik ba-du-zu-e?

    Do you have a toilet?

    Usage

    Small shops almost never have one. In the Basque Country the bar is the de facto public toilet — order a coffee or a glass of sagardo (cider) and you are welcome. Using it without buying is best avoided

    Grammar Note

    "Komuna" comes from Latin and originally meant a communal place. Bar doors are sometimes labelled "gizonezkoak" (men) and "emakumezkoak" (women)

13. Non daude pilak?

    Non dau-de pi-lak?

    Where are the batteries?

    Usage

    Batteries, charging cables and umbrellas usually hang on a rack beside the till rather than sitting on the shelves. Swap in any product name to reuse the sentence

    Grammar Note

    Plural nouns take the plural article "-ak", and the verb shifts from singular "dago" to plural "daude". For one item you would say "Non dago pila?"

14. Mugikorrarekin ordain dezaket?

    Mu-gi-ko-rra-re-kin or-dain de-za-ket?

    Can I pay with my phone?

    Usage

    Phone contactless works widely in the Basque Country, but QR-code payment is not established. Person-to-person transfers go via Bizum, a shared bank system requiring a Spanish account

    Grammar Note

    "Mugikorra" is coined from "mugitu" (to move) — literally "the movable one". Basque tends to build new vocabulary from native roots rather than borrowing outright

15. Bateria kargatzeko lekurik badago?

    Ba-te-ri-a kar-ga-tze-ko le-ku-rik ba-da-go?

    Is there somewhere to charge a battery?

    Usage

    Basque shops do not lend out sockets and will normally say no. Cafés and bars sometimes have outlets near the tables, and ordering a drink may earn you the use of one

    Grammar Note

    The verbal noun "kargatze" plus "-ko" forms a modifier meaning "for charging", which precedes the noun "leku" (place). In Basque, modifiers of this type always come before what they modify

16. Zenbat da guztira?

    Zen-bat da guz-ti-ra?

    How much is it altogether?

    Usage

    Use it to confirm the total after ordering several items over the counter. In small Basque shops the till display often does not face the customer, so totals are frequently given aloud

    Grammar Note

    "Guzti" (all) plus the directional "-ra" gives an adverb meaning "in total". Prices are usually answered with just a numeral and the currency, as in "Hamar euro"

17. Ez, poltsa badaukat.

    Ez, pol-tsa ba-dau-kat.

    No thanks, I have a bag.

    Usage

    How to decline when you have a reusable bag. Carrying a cloth bag is standard practice in the Basque Country, and this line keeps the checkout moving

    Grammar Note

    "Badaukat" is the emphatic prefix "ba-" plus "daukat" (I have), from "eduki" (to possess). Adding "bat" — "poltsa bat badaukat" — sounds even more idiomatic

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