Kilo Lingo

Ch 20 · Lesson 16

Commas and question marks: mi pensas, ke li venos

A comma before each subordinate clause, , , and alike; a full stop after an indirect question; and no binding rules, only the conventions every reader expects.

The short version

A comma goes before , , and

, .

I think that he will come.
Why?

English commas follow the breath, so I think that he will come has none. Esperanto writers put a comma where a clause begins: before and before every question word or ki- word that opens a clause. It is a convention rather than a law, but it is what every reader expects. A clause that comes first is closed with a comma instead.

An indirect question ends with a full stop

, .

I do not know who came.
Why?

, is a statement about asking, not a question, so it ends with a full stop. PMEG says plainly not to put a question mark after a question clause inside a sentence. The trap is , which looks so much like a question that the hand reaches for the mark anyway. A real question keeps it: ?

has no binding punctuation rules, only conventions, and one of them catches every English speaker: a comma before each subordinate clause. , . English would never write I think, that he will come.

the mark to noticethe -n endingWhat do the colours mean?
PointEsperantoEnglish habit
clause comma , .no comma
indirect question , .the same: a stop
decimal mark3,143.14
titles s-ron Smith.Mr never changes
ordinals 5-athe 5th
compounds or coffee table

The comma marks the clause

the commaWhat do the colours mean?

English puts a comma where you would breathe. Esperanto writers put one where a clause begins, before and every question word or ki- word that opens a clause:

Opens withExampleEnglish
, .I think that he will come.
, .I do not know where she lives.
, .Say what you want.
, .He asked whether I would come.

A clause that comes first is closed with a comma instead:

  • , . - When he came, we were already eating.

A clause in the middle takes a comma at each end:

  • , , . - The man who came yesterday is my friend.

English commas my brother, who lives in Leeds but not the man who came yesterday. Esperanto writers usually comma both, so there is nothing to decide. You will sometimes see a defining clause without them.

Commas also separate list items and join two main clauses:

  • , . - They ate bread, cheese and fruit.
  • , . - They ate, but they were not full.

Question marks and the other marks

the closing markWhat do the colours mean?

A real question ends with a question mark, and there is no opening one as in Spanish. A question inside a statement is not a question, so it takes a full stop:

KindSentenceEnglish
question ?Will you come?
question ?Who came?
inside a sentence , .I asked whether you would come.
inside a sentence , .I do not know who came.

PMEG says it plainly: no question mark after a question clause inside a sentence. The trap is , which looks so interrogative that the hand reaches for ? anyway.

The other marks work as in English:

  • ! after a command or a cry: ! - Do not do that!
  • : before a list or a quotation: : . - Here is the menu: bread and cheese.
  • ; between linked main clauses, and the next word is normally lower case: ; . - He worked; she slept.

No space goes before a full stop, question mark, exclamation mark, comma, colon or semicolon, unlike French.

Going further: Quotation marks and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

Read the full guide (optional) · 6 min read

Practice

Practise this lesson

10-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 week

Lesson 16 of 28 in this chapter

Back to the curriculum

What do the colours mean?