Ch 1 · Lesson 15Esperanto · Chapter 1 · Lesson 15 · Grammar primer
-a or -e, and the words with no ending
, but : -a describes a noun, -e describes everything else. And , , and pro carry no ending at all.
The short version
-a describes a noun, -e describes everything else
.
Why?Hide
This is the one place beginners hesitate, and the rule is short. If the word is describing a noun, it takes -a: , a good person. If it is describing anything else at all, a verb, an adjective or a whole clause, it takes -e: , to speak well. English marks roughly the same split with -ly, so the instinct is already there.
The words with no ending
A small, closed set of short words carries none of these endings and is learned as it is: the pronouns, the numbers, , and little words such as , , and .
.- I am now very good. (andhave no ending;does.).- You and I are talking now.
A few of them happen to end in a vowel (, , ). That vowel is part of the word, not an ending, and it never changes.
-a or -e: the one choice beginners hesitate over
Describing a noun? Use -a. Describing anything else (a verb, an adjective, a whole sentence)? Use -e.
| What it describes | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| a noun | | a good person |
| a | . | She speaks well. |
| an adjective | . | It is truly big. |
| a whole sentence | , . | Honestly, I do not know. |
English marks roughly the same split with -ly (a quick speaker, she speaks quickly). Esperanto is simply consistent about it.
Going further: The four endings on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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Lesson 15 of 51 in this chapter