An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 25 most common Basque idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Basque idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, hanka sartu literally means "to put a leg in" but is used to mean to slip up, to say or do the wrong thing. This free page ranks the 25 most common Basque idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 25 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
hanka sartu
Literally to put a leg in
Means to slip up, to say or do the wrong thing
English idiom put your foot in it
Example Barkamena eskatu behar diot, ondo hanka sartu dut.
I have to apologize to him, I really messed up.
Note Colloquial, and mainly used on the southern (Spanish) side of the Basque Country.
adarra jo
Literally to play the horn
Means to tease someone, to make fun of someone with something untrue
English idiom pull someone's leg
Example Adarra jotzen ari zara, ezta?
You are pulling my leg, aren't you?
bertan behera utzi
Literally to leave right there below
Means to call something off, to drop a plan or event
English idiom call off
Example Euria zela eta, kontzertua bertan behera utzi zuten.
Because of the rain, they called off the concert.
Note Standard in news reports about cancelled events, matches and strikes.
buruz ikasi
Literally to learn by head
Means to memorize something word for word
English idiom learn by heart
Example Poema osoa buruz ikasi behar dugu biharko.
We have to learn the whole poem by heart for tomorrow.
Note Once you know it, you say buruz jakin.
burutik egon
Literally to be from the head
Means to be crazy, to act in a completely irrational way
English idiom be out of your mind
Example Neguan itsasoan bainatzen da? Burutik dago!
He swims in the sea in winter? He is out of his mind!
Note Informal; you will also hear burutik eginda egon and burutik jota egon.
hankaz gora egon
Literally to be with legs upward
Means to be in complete disorder or chaos
English idiom be turned upside down
Example Festaren ondoren, etxea hankaz gora zegoen.
After the party, the house was turned upside down.
sudurra sartu
Literally to put the nose in
Means to meddle in matters that are none of your business
English idiom poke your nose in
Example Ez sartu sudurra besteren kontuetan.
Don't poke your nose into other people's business.
bost axola izan
Literally to matter five
Means not to care in the slightest about something
English idiom couldn't care less
Example Bost axola zait besteek zer esaten duten.
I couldn't care less what other people say.
musutruk
Literally in exchange for a kiss
Means for free, without any payment
Example Kontzerturako sarrerak musutruk lortu genituen.
We got the concert tickets for free.
Note Also written musu-truk.
loak hartu
Literally sleep took (someone)
Means to fall asleep, to be overcome by sleep
English idiom nod off
Example Sofan eserita zegoela, loak hartu zuen.
While he was sitting on the sofa, he fell asleep.
Note Sleep is the subject and the sleeper the object, so loak hartu ninduen means sleep took me.
kosta ahala kosta
Literally cost however it may cost
Means whatever it takes, regardless of the difficulty
English idiom at all costs
Example Kosta ahala kosta, lana ostiralerako amaitu behar dugu.
Whatever it takes, we have to finish the work by Friday.
hitza jan
Literally to eat the word
Means to break a promise you made
English idiom go back on your word
Example Etorriko zela agindu zuen, baina hitza jan zuen.
He promised he would come, but he went back on his word.
gorriak ikusi
Literally to see red ones
Means to go through a very hard time
English idiom go through hell
Example Gorriak ikusi genituen azterketa garaian.
We went through hell during exam season.
Note Also heard as gorriak igaro.
pikutara bidali
Literally to send to the fig tree
Means to drop something in annoyance, to dismiss someone rudely
English idiom send someone packing
Example Nazkatuta zegoen eta dena pikutara bidali zuen.
He was fed up and dropped the whole thing.
Note Informal, and Zoaz pikutara! is a rude way of telling someone to get lost.
goseak amorratzen egon
Literally to be raging with hunger
Means to be extremely hungry
English idiom could eat a horse
Example Goseak amorratzen nago, noiz afalduko dugu?
I am starving, when are we having dinner?
Note Goseak hiltzen egon and goseak akabatzen egon are just as common.
burua berotu
Literally to heat up the head
Means to worry excessively about something, to keep stewing over it
English idiom get worked up
Example Ez ibili burua berotzen kontu horrekin, konponduko da eta.
Don't get worked up over that business, it will sort itself out.
Note With a dative (norbaiti burua berotu) it shifts to filling someone else's head with ideas.
ziria sartu
Literally to put the peg in
Means to deceive someone, to fool them with a made-up story
English idiom pull a fast one
Example Ziria sartu digute prezioarekin.
They pulled a fast one on us with the price.
kontuak atera
Literally to take the accounts out
Means to add up the figures, or to work out for yourself what something means
English idiom do the math
Example Hiru urte daramatza horrela, atera kontuak.
He has been like that for three years, so do the math.
ahoa bete hortz gelditu
Literally to remain with mouth full of teeth
Means to be left speechless with surprise or disappointment
English idiom be lost for words
Example Berri hura entzutean, ahoa bete hortz gelditu zen.
When she heard that news, she was left completely speechless.
Note The transitive form, ahoa bete hortz utzi, means to leave someone speechless.
begi onez ikusi
Literally to see with a good eye
Means to approve of something, to look kindly on it
Example Ez zuten begi onez ikusi nire erabakia.
They did not look kindly on my decision.
Note The opposite is begi txarrez ikusi.
lepoa egin
Literally to do the neck
Means to bet on something because you are completely sure of it
English idiom bet your life on it
Example Lepoa egingo nuke bihar euria egingo duela.
I would bet my life it will rain tomorrow.
Note Lepoa jokatu and lepoa ipini work the same way.
odol hotzean
Literally in cold blood
Means calmly and deliberately, without letting emotion show
English idiom in cold blood
Example Mehatxuen aurrean, odol hotzean erantzun zuen.
Faced with the threats, he answered coolly.
Note Often used simply for staying calm under pressure, without the sinister overtone the English phrase usually carries.
izerdi patsetan egon
Literally to be in a mash of sweat
Means to be soaked in sweat
Example Korrika egin ondoren, izerdi patsetan zegoen.
After running, he was drenched in sweat.
Note Pats is the pulp left after pressing grapes or apples, hence the drenched image.
hitzetik hortzera
Literally from the word to the tooth
Means instantly, without a moment of hesitation
English idiom on the spot
Example Galdetu bezain laster, hitzetik hortzera erantzun zuen.
The moment he was asked, he answered on the spot.
Note It has a second sense too, at every turn or over and over, so the context decides.
adarrak jarri
Literally to put horns on someone
Means to be unfaithful to a partner
English idiom two-time someone
Example Bere bikotekideak adarrak jarri zizkion, eta harremana hautsi zuten.
His partner cheated on him, and they broke up.
Note Informal and gossipy; adarrak ipini is an equally common variant.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Hanka sartu comes out as "to put a leg in", which makes no sense until you know it means to slip up, to say or do the wrong thing.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Basque sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Basque idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with hanka sartu, adarra jo, bertan behera utzi, buruz ikasi, burutik egon. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 25 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Basque, "hanka sartu" translates literally as "to put a leg in", but it actually means to slip up, to say or do the wrong thing. The closest English idiom is "put your foot in it". Example: Barkamena eskatu behar diot, ondo hanka sartu dut. ("I have to apologize to him, I really messed up.")
The Basque equivalent is "hanka sartu", literally "to put a leg in". Example: Barkamena eskatu behar diot, ondo hanka sartu dut. ("I have to apologize to him, I really messed up.")
In Basque, an idiom is called esamolde, and a proverb is atsotitz. An esamolde (also esapide) is an everyday fixed expression whose meaning is not literal, while an atsotitz (commonly called esaera zaharra) is a full proverb that passes on traditional advice.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Hanka sartu translates literally as "to put a leg in", yet it means to slip up, to say or do the wrong thing. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Basque with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.