Ch 2 · Lesson 13Esperanto · Chapter 2 · Lesson 13 · Grammar primer
Question words: kiu, kio, kie, kiel
The ki- correlatives as a set - one column of the table asks every question the language has, and the endings tell you which one asks what.
The short version
Every question word starts with ki-
? .
Why?Hide
Esperanto's question words are one column of the correlative table: all start with ki-, and the ending says what is asked. is where, when, why, how, how much. Put the word first and leave the rest of the sentence alone. Swap ki- for ti- and the question becomes its own answer.
?
Why?Hide
When the ki- word is the object of the verb, it takes the accusative -n. ? asks who saw you; ? asks whom you saw. English keeps this split only in who and whom; Esperanto applies it every time. The same -n marks direction: is where, is where to.
Esperanto's question words are one column of the correlative table: every one starts with ki-, and the ending says what is being asked. Put the word first, leave the rest of the sentence alone, and you have a question.
| Word | Asks about | English |
|---|---|---|
| individual | which one, who |
| thing | what |
| kind | what sort of |
| place | where |
| time | when |
| manner | how |
| reason | why |
| quantity | how much, how many |
| owner | whose |
- ?
- ?
- ?
- ?
Who, where, when, how much: the same ki- every time, and only the ending says what you are asking about.
Each at work:
| Word | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| ? | Who came? |
| ? | What happened? |
| ? | What kind of person is he? |
| ? | Where are you? |
| ? | When did you come? |
| ? | How are you? |
| ? | Why are you afraid? |
| ? | How much does it cost? |
| ? | Whose book is that? |
Swap ki- for ti- and every question becomes its own answer:
? .- Where are you? I am there.? .- When did you come? I came then.
Kiu against kio
picks an individual out of a set: which, and most of who. asks about an unnamed thing: what.
| Word | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| ? | Which of the children is speaking? |
| ? | Which person came? |
| ? | What is in your hand? |
counts, so it takes -j for several. never does:
?- Who came? (several people)?- Which people came?
The accusative: kiun and kion
When the ki- word is the object of the verb, it takes the accusative -n:
| Role | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| subject | ? | Who saw you? |
| object | ? | Whom did you see? |
| subject | ? | What happened? |
| object | ? | What did you say? |
English shows this split only in the fossil who/whom. Esperanto applies it every time. stacks both endings:
?- Which ones did you see?
A ki- word in front of a noun agrees with it, like any adjective:
?- Which friend did you help?
Where the question word goes
To the front, and nothing else moves. No inversion, no do:
.- You came.?- When did you come?
Yes/no questions use instead of a ki- word ( ?, did you come?); that has its own article.
Going further: Kia, kiom and kies: three that behave differently 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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Lesson 13 of 43 in this chapter