Ch 2 · Lesson 17Esperanto · Chapter 2 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer

Correlatives: the 45-word table

You have met the ki- and ti- columns; here is the whole grid. Who, what, where, when, why: five beginnings crossed with nine endings gives you forty-five words from fourteen pieces.

The short version

Five beginnings by nine endings gives 45 words

, , , ,

when, then, sometime, always, never

Why?

The question, demonstrative, indefinite, universal and negative words all come off one grid. Five beginnings say which series: ki- asks, ti- points, i- is vague, ĉi- is all, neni- is none. Nine endings say the category: -u one, -o thing, -e place, -am time, -al reason and so on. Fourteen pieces, forty-five words, nothing to memorise one at a time.

You can decode one you have never seen

nenial, ĉiom,

for no reason, all of it, that one's

Why?

This is the part that makes the grid worth an afternoon. You have never met nenial. Break it: neni- is the no-series, -al is reason, so it means for no reason, and you did not look it up. English keeps only fragments of such a grid: knowing when tells you nothing about never.

builds all 45 of its question, pointing, some-, every- and no- words from fourteen pieces: five beginnings and nine endings. Learn the pieces and you can build any of them, and decode one you have never seen.

beginning (which series)ending (what it is about)plural -jobject -nWhat do the colours mean?

Beginning	Series	Rough English
`ki-`	question	wh-
`ti-`	pointing	th-
`i-`	vague	some-
`-`	all	every-
`neni-`	none	no-

Ending	About	Rough English
`-u`	one	which one
`-o`	thing	what thing
`-a`	kind	what sort of
`-e`	place	where
`-am`	time	when
`-`	reason	why
`-`	manner	how
`-om`	amount	how much
`-es`	owner	whose

question + time = kiam (when); none + time = neniam (never)

? - When will you come?
. - I will never come.

The grid

Cross a beginning with an ending and every cell is predictable. The grid is split in two to fit a phone.

ki-, ti- and i-

Ending	`ki-` asks	`ti-` points	`i-` some
`-u`	which one, who	that one	someone
`-o`	what	that	something
`-a`	what kind	such	some kind of
`-e`	where	there	somewhere
`-am`	when	then	sometime, ever
`-`	why	therefore	for some reason
`-`	how	so, thus	somehow
`-om`	how much	that much	some, a bit
`-es`	whose	that one's	someone's

ĉi- and neni-

Ending	`-` every	`neni-` no
`-u`	everyone, each	no one
`-o`	everything	nothing
`-a`	every kind of	no kind of
`-e`	everywhere	nowhere
`-am`	always	never
`-`	`ĉial` for every reason	`nenial` for no reason
`-`	`ĉiel` in every way	in no way
`-om`	`ĉiom` all of it	none of it
`-es`	everyone's	`nenies` nobody's

That is 45 words from fourteen pieces. English keeps fragments of the same grid (where, there, nowhere) but sound change broke the rest: nothing in when tells you never.

Reading a correlative you have never seen

Break it into its two pieces and read them in order:

Word	Pieces	Meaning
`nenial`	none + reason	for no reason
`ĉiom`	all + amount	all of it
	that + owner	that one's

In sentences:

nenial . - He got angry for no reason.
ĉiom. - I drank all of it.
Petro ; . - Peter has a brother; the brother's house is big.

points at the last-named person (the brother), where could also mean Peter's.

The ones you will use daily

You do not meet these 45 evenly. These carry most of the weight:

Word	Esperanto	English
	`?`	What happened?
	`?`	Who came?
	`?`	Where are you?
	`?`	How are you?
	`.`	That is good.
	`.`	Everyone came.
	`.`	I never knew.
	`.`	Nothing happened.
	`.`	No one is there.

The question column has its own page, question words, and the pointing column is demonstratives.

Going further: Which ones change, and how and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

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