Esperanto grammar

Esperanto's grammar (rules of language) is meant to be simple. The rules in Esperanto never change and can always be applied in the same way.

## Articles

Esperanto has only definite article _la_ (the same thing as "the" in English) and no indefinite article (the same thing as "a" or "an" in English). They use definite article when they talk about things, about which they have already told something.

## Nouns, adjectives, adverbs

||Nominative|Accusative||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|-**o**|style="text-align:center;"|-**on**|
|style="text-align:center;"|-**oj**|style="text-align:center;"|-**ojn**|

Nouns end with _-o_. For example, _patr**o*** means _father_. To make a noun plural add -j. For example: _patro**j*** means _father**s***.

||Nominative|Accusative||
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|-**a**|style="text-align:center;"|-**an**|
|style="text-align:center;"|-**aj**|style="text-align:center;"|-**ajn**|

Adjectives end with _-a_, adverbs end with _-e_, for example _grand**a*** means _big_, _bon**a*** means _good_, _bon**e*** means _well_.

The _-n_ ending is the mark of the direct object (the Accusative case) in nouns and adjectives. For example:
- _Mi vidas vin._ - I see you.
- _Li amas ŝin._ - He loves her.
- _Ili havas belan domon._ - They have a nice house.

In adjectives and adverbs is comparison made by words _pli_ (_more_) and _plej_ (_most_). For example:
- _pli granda_ - bigger
- _plej granda_ - biggest
- _pli rapide_ - faster
- _plej rapide_ - fastest

## Pronouns

|colspan=2|||Singular||Plural|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|**mi** (I)|**ni** (we)|||||
|** ci** (thou singular)|**vi** (you singular or plural)|||||
|**li** (he)|**ili** (they)|||||
|style="text-align:center;"|**ŝi** (she)|||||
|style="text-align:center;"|**ĝi** (it)|||||
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|**oni** ("one“)|||||
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|**si** (self)|||||
- Personal pronouns are: _mi_ - I, _ci_ - thou singular, _li_ - he, _ŝi_ - she, _ĝi_ - it, _ni_ - we, _vi_ - you singular or plural, _ili_ - they, _oni_ - one/they, _si_ (self). The pronoun _oni_ is used for uncertain subject (like _man_ in German). The pronoun _ci_ means _thou_ but people do not use it much. Instead they use _vi,_ almost exclusively, as the singular form of you, or the plural form - you all.
- Possessive pronouns are made by adding of ending _-a_ to a personal pronoun: _mia_ - my, _cia_ - your singular, _lia_ - his, _ŝia_ - her, _ĝia_ - its, _nia_ - our, _via_ - your plural, _ilia_ - their. People use possessive pronouns like adjectives.
- Accusative case (the _-n_ ending) is used in pronouns as well: _min_ - me, _cin_ - thee, _lin_ - him, _ŝin_ - her, _ĝin_ - it, _nin_ - us, _vin_ - you or you all, _ilin_ - them.  As noted with ci, cin is very seldom used in modern spoken Esperanto.

So, to say how old somebody is in Esperanto, just say:
- _Lia aĝo estas dudek_ = _He is twenty (20) years old_. (word for word: _His age is twenty (20)._)

## Verbs

||Indicative mood|Active participle|Passive participle|Infinitive|Jussive mood|Conditional mood||||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|style="text-align:center;"|-**is**|style="text-align:center;"|-**int**-|style="text-align:center;"|-**it**-|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|-**i**|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|-**u**|style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"|-**us**|
|style="text-align:center;"|-**as**|style="text-align:center;"|-**ant**-|style="text-align:center;"|-**at**-|||||||
|style="text-align:center;"|-**os**|style="text-align:center;"|-**ont**-|style="text-align:center;"|-**ot**-|||||||

Verbs end with _-as_ when they are in present tense. English uses _I am_, _you are_, _he is_. But in Esperanto, there is just one word for _am_, _are_, _is_ - _estas_. Similarly, _kuras_ can mean _run_ or _runs_. Infinitives end with _-i_. For example, _esti_ means _to be_, _povi_ means _to can_. It is easy to make past tense - always add _-is_ ending. To make future tense, add _-os_. For example:
- _kuri_ - _to run_
- _mi kuras_ - _I run_
- _vi kuras_ - _you run_
- _li kuris_ - _he ran_
- _ĝi kuros_ - _it will run_

Many words can be made opposite by adding _mal_ at the beginning.
- _bona_ = _good_. _malbona_ = _bad_
- _bone_ = _well_, _malbone_ = _poorly_
- _granda_ = _big_, _malgranda_ = _small_
- _peza_ = _heavy_, _malpeza_ = _light_

Examples of sentences which show the rules:
- **' = _I can run fast._
- **' = _You cannot run fast._
- **' = _I am a boy._
- **' = _I am a bad Esperantist._

### Yes/No questions

To make a yes-or-no question, add _Ĉu_ at the beginning. For example:
- **' = _Do you speak Esperanto?_
- **' = _Yes, I speak Esperanto very well._
- **' = _No, I am a beginner._

Unlike in English, they can answer to a yes/no question only _jes_ (yes) or _ne_ (no).

## Numbers

The numbers are:

|0|_nul_|
| --- | --- |
|1|_unu_|
|2|_du_|
|3|_tri_|
|4|_kvar_|
|5|_kvin_|
|6|_ses_|
|7|_sep_|
|8|_ok_|
|9|_naŭ_|
|10|_dek_|
|100|_cent_|
|1000|_mil_|

Numbers like twenty-one (21) are made by their compounding by order of magnitude. For example: _dek tri_ means thirteen (13), _dudek tri_ means twenty-three (23), _sescent okdek tri_ means six hundred eighty-three (683), _mil naŭcent okdek tri_ means (one) thousand nine hundred and eighty-three (1983).

## Prefixes and suffixes

Esperanto has over 20 special words which can change the meaning of another word. People put them before or after the root of a word.

These words combined can make very long words, such as _malmultekosta_ (cheap), _vendredviandmanĝmalpermeso_ (prohibition of eating a meat on Friday).

### Prefixes

Prefixes are added before the root of the word.
- _bo-_ – means "in-law". _Patro_ means _father_, and _bopatro_ means _father-in-law_.
- _dis-_ – means "all or many directions". _Iri_ means _to go_, and _disiri_ means _to go in different directions_.
- _ek-_ – means "start" of something. _Kuri_ means _to run_, and _ekkuri_ means _to start running_.
- _eks-_ – makes the word "former". _Amiko_ means _friend_, and _eksamiko_ means _former friend_.
- _fi-_ – makes the word worse. _Knabo_ means _boy_, and _fiknabo_ means _bad boy_; _odoro_ means _smell_, and _fiodoro_ means _bad smell_.
- _ge-_ – changes meaning of a word to "both gender". _Frato_ means _brother_, and _gefratoj_ means _brother(s) and sister(s)_.
- _mal-_ – makes the word opposite. _Bona_ means _good_, and _malbona_ means _bad_.
- _mis-_ – means "wrong". _Kompreni_ means _to understand_, and _miskompreni_ means _to understand wrong_.
- _pra-_ – means "prehistoric", "very old" or "primitive". _Homo_ means _human_, and _prahomo_ means _prehistoric human_.
- _re-_ – means _again_. _Vidi_ means _to see_, and _revidi_ means _to see again_.

### Suffixes

Suffixes are added after the root of the word, but before the ending.
- _-aĉ-_ – makes the word uglier. _Domo_ means _house_, _domaĉo_ means _ugly house_.
- _-ad-_ – means _continuous doing of something_. _Fari_ means _to do_, and _Faradi_ means _to do continuously_.
- _-aĵ-_ – means _a thing_. _Bela_ means _beautiful_, and _belaĵo_ means _a beautiful thing_; _trinki_ means _to drink_, and _trinkaĵo_ means _a drink_ ("something for drinking").
- _-an-_ – means _member of something_. _Klubo_ means _club_, and _klubano_ means _a member of a club_.
- _-ar-_ – means _many things of the same kind_. _Arbo_ means _tree_, and _arbaro_ means _forest_.
- _-ĉj-_ – makes male diminutives. _Patro_ means _father_, and _paĉjo_ means _daddy_.
- _-ebl-_– means _ability_ or _possibility_. _Manĝi_ means _to eat_, and _manĝebla_ means _eatable_.
- _-ec-_ – means _quality_. _Granda_ means _big_, and _grandeco_ means _size_.
- _-eg-_ – makes the word bigger. _Domo_ means _house_, and _domego_ means _big house_.
- _-ej-_ – means _a place_. _Lerni_ means _to learn_, and _lernejo_ means _school_ ("place for learning").
- _-em-_ – means _tendency_. _Mensogi_ means _to lie_, and _mensogema_ means _with tendency to lie_.
- _-end-_ – means _something which must be done_. _Pagi_ means _to pay_, and _pagenda_, means _something which must be paid_.
- _-er-_ – means _a bit of bigger group_. _Neĝo** means _snow_, and _neĝero_ means _snowflake_.
- _-estr-_ – means _a chief of_. _Urbo_ means _town_, and _urbestro_ means _mayor_ ("chief of a town").
- _-et-_ – makes the word smaller. _Domo_ means _house_, and _dometo_ means _small house_.
- _-id-_ – means _the child of_. _Kato_ means _cat_, and _katido_ means _kitten_.
- _-il-_ – means _instrument_. _Ŝlosi_ mens _to lock_, and _ŝlosilo_ means _key_ (an instrument for locking).
- _-ind-_ – means _worthiness_. _Ami_ means _to love_, and _aminda_ means _something which is worth to be loved_.
- _-in-_ – changes the gender of a word into female. _Patro_ means _father_, and _patrino_ means _mother_.
- _-ing-_ – means _a holder_. _Kandelo_ means _candle_, and _kandelingo_ means _candlestick_ ("a holder of a candle").
- _-ism-_ – means _an ideology or movement_. _Nacio_ means _nation_, _naciismo_ means _nationalism_.
- _-ist-_ – means _somebody who does something (perhaps as a job)_. _Baki_ means _to bake_ and _bakisto_ means _baker_; _scienco_ means _science_, and _sciencisto_ means _scientist_. _Esperantisto_ means _Esperanto speaker_.
- _-nj-_ – makes female diminutives. _Patrino_ means _mother_, and _panjo_ means _mummy_.
- _-obl-_ – means _times_. _Tri_ means _three_, and _trioble_ means _three times_. It also makes multiples. _Kvin_ means _five_, and _kvinoblo_ means _multiple of five_.
- _-on-_ – makes fractions. _Kvar_ means _four_ (4), and _kvarono_ means _quarter_ (_one fourth of something_).
- _-uj-_ – generally means _a vessel_. _Salo_ means _salt_, and _salujo_ means _salt shaker_ ("a vessel for salt").
- _-ul-_ – means _person of some quality_. _Juna_ means _young_, and _junulo_ means _young person_.
- _-um-'' is suffix for cases when is not able to do a word from other existing suffixes, preffixes or roots.