ibai
/ibai̯/
The Basque word for river is ibai.
ibai refers to a large stream which drains a landmass.
Meaning: large stream which drains a landmass (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify a particular river, such as "the river", add the suffix -a to the end of the word to form ibaia. To talk about multiple rivers, add the suffix -ak to the end of the word to form ibaiak.
How do you pronounce it?
/ibai̯/
Did you know?
- The word ibai is a common given name for males in the Basque Country.
- Basque is a language isolate, meaning ibai has no known linguistic relatives in any other language family in the world.
- Linguists suggest that ibai could stem from the Proto-Basque roots for 'water' and 'cut', describing how a river carves through the land.
Examples in context
- Donostian, Urumea ibaia Kontxa hondartza eta Urgull mendiaren artean itsasoratzen da.In San Sebastián, the Urumea river flows into the sea between the Concha beach and the Urgull mountain.This sentence is useful for seeing how ibai is used when describing the geography of San Sebastián.
- Joanesko ibai oso polita da.The Joanesko River is very beautiful.
- Ibai baten ertzean oinez ibili dugu.We walked along the edge of a river.
Example conversation
Amaia and Ander are looking at a map of the region.
- AmaiaHau zein ibai da?Which river is this?
- AnderHau Ebro ibaia da, Amaia.This is the Ebro river, Amaia.
- AmaiaOso luzea dirudi.It looks very long.
- AnderBai, Espainiako ibai luzeena da.Yes, it is the longest river in Spain.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “river” translations and entries ibai, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ibai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
