Ch 1 · Lesson 23Esperanto · Chapter 1 · Lesson 23 · Grammar primer
-u and -us: commands, wishes and would
! is come!, is let us go, and after a new subject takes -u. -us is would, and it goes on both halves of an unreal if.
The short version
-u is the command and the wish together
, .
Why?Hide
The -u ending covers what a grammar book would split into the imperative and the subjunctive. is come. is let us go. And after , when somebody wants something to happen, the second verb takes -u rather than the infinitive: , . English uses an infinitive there, which is why this one catches people.
-us goes on both halves of an unreal if
, .
Why?Hide
-us is the would ending, and when the if is unreal Esperanto puts it on both halves: , . English changes the verb in one half (could) and adds a helper in the other (would do). Esperanto uses one ending, twice. A real possibility keeps the future: , .
When to use -u
-u has no single English counterpart. It does three jobs:
| Job | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| a command | ! | Come! |
| a suggestion | . | Let us go. |
| a wish, after | | that you come |
The third catches English speakers. After , when someone wants a new subject to do something, the verb takes -u:
, .- I want you to come..- I want to come.
With no new subject, as in the second line, the infinitive -i stays. The full story is in the conditional and commands.
When to use -us
-us is the would ending, and it goes on both halves of an if-sentence:
, .- If I could, I would do that.
English changes the verb in one half (could) and adds a helper in the other (would do). Esperanto puts -us on both.
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Lesson 23 of 51 in this chapter