This is such a good question. Usually numbers make the noun they are with turn into an indefinite noun, so neither singular nor plural in form. So 'bost txakur' is simply "five dogs", referring to any five dogs. However, saying "bost txakurrak" would make it definite, meaning a specific group of five dogs, so it would translate more like "*the* five dogs" - that -ak at the end of 'txakur' is like "the". I hope this makes sense! 😊
Great video as always! Just one tiny thing, I found your pronunciation of the word "mahats" a bit odd, as you seemed to pronounce just a single short "a" (mats). In my experience as a speaker, the "h" would be silent but still two "a" would remain (ma'ats). As always, perhaps it's just a dialectal thing and it is in fact pronounced "mats" in certain euskalkis, idk
Oh thanks! Yeah it's definitely hard for us non-natives to hear the double vowel separation, since you guys speed through your words so much. 😋 I just now looked it up on the dialect atlas (www.euskaltzaindia.eus/index.php?&option=com_ehha&view=frontpage&Itemid=466&lang=eu&mapa=1883) (for however much it's worth); it seems like about half the pronunciations have a single 'a', but hopefully it doesn't sound too back-country for those who speak Batuera. I will be working on my double vowel distinction, though! 😊💪
@@basqueberserk sometimes I forget you are not a native haha... Yeah, you seem to be right and many places would pronounce a short "a" indeed. Still, it will never sound right to my ears like that, my bad.
Haha what a compliment! 😅 though I don't think I deserve it. But yeah, I understand that about the off-sounding pronunciations! Like I'm American, but some things the British say just sound totally off, no matter how many times I've heard them. I imagine Basque speakers have it really bad, since you all live so "close" to each other but don't get exposure to all the dialectal stuff if it's not included in Batua or a major euskalki. I feel for you, if that's the case! 😊
@@ernstkrudl4895 to me, a more or less Batua (standard) speaker, the "aha" combiation in words like mahats, mahai, ahaide... sounds better like a long "a". But as the author has proven, some dialects do pronounce it like just a short "a" indeed. I guess it depends on what you want to stick to: standard or dialectal Basque.
Why is the noun not pluralized 0:45?
Why not bost txakurAK?
This is such a good question. Usually numbers make the noun they are with turn into an indefinite noun, so neither singular nor plural in form. So 'bost txakur' is simply "five dogs", referring to any five dogs. However, saying "bost txakurrak" would make it definite, meaning a specific group of five dogs, so it would translate more like "*the* five dogs" - that -ak at the end of 'txakur' is like "the". I hope this makes sense! 😊
@@basqueberserk yes. That helps a lot. Eskerrik asko!
Thank you. :D
You’re certainly welcome! 😄
Great video as always!
Just one tiny thing, I found your pronunciation of the word "mahats" a bit odd, as you seemed to pronounce just a single short "a" (mats).
In my experience as a speaker, the "h" would be silent but still two "a" would remain (ma'ats).
As always, perhaps it's just a dialectal thing and it is in fact pronounced "mats" in certain euskalkis, idk
Oh thanks! Yeah it's definitely hard for us non-natives to hear the double vowel separation, since you guys speed through your words so much. 😋 I just now looked it up on the dialect atlas (www.euskaltzaindia.eus/index.php?&option=com_ehha&view=frontpage&Itemid=466&lang=eu&mapa=1883) (for however much it's worth); it seems like about half the pronunciations have a single 'a', but hopefully it doesn't sound too back-country for those who speak Batuera. I will be working on my double vowel distinction, though! 😊💪
@@basqueberserk sometimes I forget you are not a native haha...
Yeah, you seem to be right and many places would pronounce a short "a" indeed. Still, it will never sound right to my ears like that, my bad.
Haha what a compliment! 😅 though I don't think I deserve it. But yeah, I understand that about the off-sounding pronunciations! Like I'm American, but some things the British say just sound totally off, no matter how many times I've heard them. I imagine Basque speakers have it really bad, since you all live so "close" to each other but don't get exposure to all the dialectal stuff if it's not included in Batua or a major euskalki. I feel for you, if that's the case! 😊
@@osasunaitor need your ear ;-) I have the same challenge with mahai -table, what would you consider right to your ear?. Mila esker!
@@ernstkrudl4895 to me, a more or less Batua (standard) speaker, the "aha" combiation in words like mahats, mahai, ahaide... sounds better like a long "a". But as the author has proven, some dialects do pronounce it like just a short "a" indeed. I guess it depends on what you want to stick to: standard or dialectal Basque.