Esperanto/Grammar
This page gives an overview of the grammar of Esperanto. To read more about it, see Esperanto grammar at Wikipedia
Personal pronouns
| singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| first person | mi (I) | ni (we) | |
| second person | vi (you) | ||
| third person |
masculine | li (he) | ili (they) |
| feminine | ŝi (she) | ||
| epicene | ĝi (it) | ||
| indefinite | oni (one) | ||
| reflexive | si (self) | ||
Prefixes
This is a list of Esperanto prefixes.
| Prefix | Audio | Meaning | Example | Audio | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bo- | in-law | bopatro | father-in-law | ||
| dis- | distribution | distranĉi | to cut/chop up | ||
| ek- | beginning | ekbrili | ignite | ||
| eks- | ended | eksedzino | ex-wife | ||
| fi- | disgusting, nasty | fihomo | wicked person | ||
| ge- | both sexes | gepatroj | parents (both sexes) | ||
| mal- | opposite | maldoni | take | ||
| mis- | wrongly | mislegi | misread | ||
| pra- | since long | prapatroj | forefathers | ||
| re- | repetitive | relegi | reread | ||
| vic- | step- vice- spare |
vicfilo vicprezidanto vicrado |
stepson vice-president spare wheel |
Suffixes
This is a list of Esperanto suffixes. If a part-of-speech ending is included, this indicates which form is considered the base form (object/action/characteristic), see Lesson 4
| Suffix | Audio | Meaning | Example | Audio | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -aĉ- | cheap, poor quality | domaĉo | shack | ||
| -adi | prolonged | paroladi | ramble | ||
| -ado | action | martelado | hammering | ||
| -aĵo | to make a noun something that originates from the noun |
belaĵo konstruaĵo bovaĵo |
something beautiful building beef | ||
| -ano | member/citizen | insulano kanadano |
islander Canadian | ||
| -aro | group | estraro | governing board | ||
| -ĉjo | male nickname | paĉjo | daddy | ||
| -ebla | possibility | videbla | visible | ||
| -eco | -ness | dolĉeco | sweetness | ||
| -edo* | biological family (technical) | numidedo | Guinea fowls | ||
| -eg- | bigger | ventego | windstorm | ||
| -ejo | a place | preĝejo | church/temple (place of prayer) | ||
| -ema | tendency | ŝparema | thrifty | ||
| -enda | should/must | legenda | that should be read | ||
| -ero | small part | salero | grain of salt | ||
| -estro | leader | urbestro | mayor | ||
| -et- | smaller | rideti | smile (little laugh) | ||
| -io | country | Francio | France | ||
| -iĉo | male | patriĉo | father | ||
| -ido | offspring | ĉevalido | colt | ||
| -igi | to cause | purigi | to (make) clean | ||
| -iĝi | become | ruĝiĝi | to redden, to blush | ||
| -ilo | tool | ŝlosilo | key (lock tool) | ||
| -ino | female | patrino | mother | ||
| -inda | worthy | admirinda | admirable | ||
| -ingo | holder, sheath | kandelingo | candle-holder | ||
| -ismo | an ism, a doctrine | komunismo | communism | ||
| -isto | profession | biciklisto | (professional) cyclist | ||
| (-iva)1 | able to | kreiva | creative | ||
| -njo | female nickname | panjo | mommy | ||
| -obla | times/fold | duobla | double | ||
| -ona | part | kvarona kvarono |
quarter a quarter | ||
| -ope | group | sesope | with six (people) | ||
| (-oza)1 | full of | muskuloza | muscular | ||
| -ujo | container fruit tree (archaic) country (archaic) |
monujo pomujo Francujo |
purse/wallet apple tree France | ||
| -ulo | trait member of a zoological group |
stultulo mamulo |
fool mammal | ||
| -umo -umi -uma |
ad hoc | komunumo kolumo palpebrumi akvumi ŝtonumi dekstrume |
community collar to wink to water to stone, to execute by stoning clockwise |
- Originally from Ido.
Correlatives
| Correlatives | ki- | ti- | i- | ĉi- | neni- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -u (person/thing) |
ki-u (who) |
ti-u (this/that person/thing) |
i-u (some/a person/thing) |
ĉi-u (every person/thing) |
neni-u (no person/thing) |
| -o (thing) |
ki-o (what) |
ti-o (that) |
i-o (some thing) |
ĉi-o (every thing) |
neni-o (no thing) |
| -a (type/kind) |
ki-a (what type, which kind) |
ti-a (this/that type/kind) |
i-a (some/a type/kind) |
ĉi-a (every type/kind) |
neni-a (no type/kind) |
| -e (place, location) |
ki-e (where) |
ti-e (there) |
i-e (some place) |
ĉi-e (every place) |
neni-e (no place) |
| -om (quantity) |
ki-om (how many) |
ti-om (this many) |
i-om (some amount) |
ĉi-om (every amount) |
neni-om (no amount) |
| -am (time) |
ki-am (when) |
ti-am (then) |
i-am (some time) |
ĉi-am (every time, always) |
neni-am (no time, never) |
| -es (ownership) |
ki-es (whose) |
ti-es (their) |
i-es (some/any one's) |
ĉi-es (everyone's) |
neni-es (no one's) |
| -al (causation) |
ki-al (why) |
ti-al (because) |
i-al (for some reason) |
ĉi-al (for all reasons) |
neni-al (for no reason) |
| -el (method) |
ki-el (how, in what way) |
ti-el (this way) |
i-el ((in) some way) |
ĉi-el (in every way) |
neni-el (in no way) |