euskalkultura.eus

Donostia-San Sebastian.  A new Smartphone app. Related to the Basque language has hit the market, thanks to the Elhuyar Foundation.  It is called Kxo! A product that allows users to acquire basic knowledge of the Basque language and have a vocabulary of up to 2,000 words always at hand, on your cell phone. 

The app. can be used in three languages: English, Spanish and French so the potential audience is very broad.  It can be used by tourists visiting Euskal Herria, as well as by people interested in Euskera, or even by residents living in the seven provinces that don’t know the language but who want to learn more.  Moreover, it can be used by the thousands of Basques in the Diaspora who wish to become better acquainted with the language of their ancestors.

Kxo! isn’t a method to learn Euskera, but it does allow people to gain a basic knowledge of the language and to learn vocabulary and phrases that may be useful “in everyday situations in Basque,” Elhuyar explains.  Topics available on Kxo! include:

• First steps: the alphabet, numbers, calendar...

• Greetings

• Personal relationships: introductions, countries, professions, family...

• Weather and time: days of the week, months, seasons, weather...

• Addresses and locations: places, personal objects, shops, transportation, public services, how to get to from point A to point B...

• Food and beverages: soft drinks, meals, desserts, payment...

• Shopping: clothing, footwear, colors, payment, fruit, quantities...

The system also includes audio archives and exercises to help with pronunciation, speaking practice, as well as exercises for reading and writing.

Kxo! Can be downloaded from www.elhuyar.org or on ITunes (for IPhones) and at Google Play for Androids, for three euros (approximately $3.75).  A free trial version is also available for both systems (IPhone and Android).