Ch 15 · Lesson 18Esperanto · Chapter 15 · Lesson 18 · Grammar primer
One object only: doni libron al iu
English give me a book has two bare nouns; Esperanto allows one object, so the receiver takes : .
The short version
One verb, one object: the receiver takes
.
Why?Hide
English give me a book has two bare nouns after the verb. Esperanto allows one object, so the receiver goes after : , never . The same goes for , and : . A second -n can still appear for direction or time, , because those are not objects.
Never two objects
A verb has at most one object. English give me a book has two bare nouns; Esperanto puts the receiver after :
Mi donas (I give), la libron (the book, the one object), al vi (to you). Mi donas la libron al vi: I give you the book.
| Verb | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| . | He gave me a book. |
| . | She showed us the house. |
| . | I teach the children the language. |
can take the learners as its one object instead: . - She teaches the children.
A second -n can still appear, because direction, time and measure also take -n. They are not objects, so they never clash with one:
.- He worked all day..- She carried the book into the house.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
. | . | |
. | . | |
. | is. | nobody shut it: -- |
. | . | the book does the pleasing |
. | . | the money is what is missing |
? | ? | |
. | . | one object only |
Going further: One root, one class and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
7-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 18 of 29 in this chapter