Ch 10 · Lesson 9Esperanto · Chapter 10 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
When a compound tense earns its place
already covers I had read, and jam or do the rest. Three compounds earn their keep: , , and the passive.
The short version
Thirty compound tenses exist. Write .
.
Why?Hide
Any of the five forms of in front of any of the six participles gives a compound tense, so there are thirty and every one is grammatical. Almost none are necessary. already covers I read and I am reading; covers I read, I was reading, I have read and I had read. Adverbs do the rest, so says I had already eaten in two words. Reaching for by default is a habit carried straight over from English.
The three cells that do earn their keep
.
Why?Hide
Some combinations say something the simple tenses cannot. The -ont- forms, because no ending in Esperanto means about to: . The passive ones, for when the passive is genuinely unavoidable. And plus a participle for a past hypothetical, something that would have happened. Learn the whole grid so you can read what other people write, then keep your own verbs simple.
Usually, the simple tense says it
Esperanto's simple tenses are wider than English ones:
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
. | I read. / I am reading. |
. | I read. / I was reading. / I have read. / I had read. |
. | I will read. / I will be reading. |
English makes you choose between I read and I am reading every time, and the habit follows English speakers into Esperanto. is correct; used by default, it sounds translated.
Small words do most of what a compound would:
| Word | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| . | I had already eaten. |
| . | He has just come. |
| , . | While I was reading, he slept. |
And the -inte participle folds a whole after I had clause into one word: , . (having read the book, I slept).
The cells that earn their keep
Three compounds say something no simple tense can:
| Use | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| about to | . | I was about to leave. |
| a past hypothetical | , . | If I had read it, I would know. |
| the passive | . | The house is being built. |
About to: no ending means about to, so -- is the only way. , . leaves open whether the leaving ever happened; . (soon I left) says it did.
A past hypothetical: -us carries no time, so can mean if I read or, in context, if I had read. pins it to the past.
The passive: when the thing acted on belongs at the front of the sentence. The passive shows how often does it better.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | the participle never takes -n |
| | plural subject: -j |
| | unreal past: |
Going further: Esti carries the time and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
8-question session
One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
Esperanto · Free printables
Worksheets for this lesson
Worksheets with answer keys built in. Open any one to view, print or save.
Free for members
The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.
Start your free weekLesson 9 of 29 in this chapter