Ch 18 · Lesson 18Esperanto · Chapter 18 · Lesson 18 · Grammar primer
Asking politely in a letter: bonvolu and -us
is an instruction, a request, ? a favour. A letter from top to bottom, in both registers.
The short version
One
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Why?Hide
No tu and vous, no and Sie: does your oldest friend and a government minister alike. The register lives in the shape of the request instead, and that ladder is five rungs deep. is an instruction, warm between friends and brusque to a stranger. , softens it. turns an order into a request for the price of one word. ? asks a favour, and is as formal as the language reasonably gets.
A letter, top to bottom
The same message in two registers, line by line:
| Part | Formal | Friendly |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | , | Maria, |
| Thanks | . | ! |
| Request | . | ! |
| Closing | , | , |
| Name | Petro Smith | Petro |
A formal letter may carry a date line, place first: Londono, 5- 2026. The day usually takes the time -n, though 5-a is also seen; see time expressions. Most emails leave it out.
Asking in a letter
The request is where register does most of its work. The forms are in conditional and commands; in a letter they line up like this:
- Skribu al mi.write to me
- Skribu al mi, mi petas.write to me, please
- Bonvolu skribi al mi.please write to me
- Ĉu vi povus skribi al mi?could you write to me?
- Ĉu vi bonvolus skribi al mi?would you kindly write?
| Use it for | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| friends | . | Write to me. |
| anyone | . | Please write to me. |
| a favour | ? | Could you write to me? |
| a polite wish | . | I would like to know your name. |
is itself a -u form: is to be so kind as to, and an infinitive follows it. If you learn one form from this page, learn that one.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
oj, | oj, | -j |
| | |
? | ? | -us on |
Going further: One vi for everyone and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
9-question session
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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