Ch 26 · Lesson 8Esperanto · Chapter 26 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
Which preposition does the verb want?
for the topic ( ), for the person reached ( , ), for what it hangs on ( ), and , , for the rest.
The short version
The preposition belongs to the verb
. / .
Why?Hide
You think something, depend it, thank the person PRO the favour. Which preposition a verb takes is vocabulary, so learn it with the verb: , not just . marks the topic and the person reached, which covers most of the common verbs.
Which preposition a verb takes is vocabulary, not grammar: you think something, depend it, and something pleases you. Some verbs take a plain object where English has a preposition ( ), and many take either. When nothing fits, the supplies .
| What follows | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| : the topic | . | I am thinking about you. |
| : person reached | . | I like it. |
| : what it hangs on | . | It depends on you. |
| , , | . | We took part in the congress. |
| a plain object | . | I am waiting for the train. |
Pri: the topic
PMEG defines as the preposition that shows a topic: what an action is about or concerns. Read it as "the topic marker" and most of these need no memorising:
| Verb | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| pensi | . | I am thinking about you. |
| paroli | . | We talked about the trip. |
| zorgi | . | She looks after the children. |
| dubi | . | Nobody doubts that. |
| i | . | He is busy with music. |
| plori | . | She wept over the death. |
| demandi | . | I asked him about the price. |
takes for the person you talk with: . - I talked with her. does the same: for the question, for the person.
.- I agree with you about that.
Ridi takes , or , all three in use: . - They laughed at my mistake.
Al: the person reached
marks the party an action reaches. With a verb of giving, the thing takes -n and the person takes :
Mi donas la libron al vi: I give the book to you. The book takes -n; the person reached takes al.
Some verbs take no object at all, only the person reached:
| Verb | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| plaĉi | . | I like the book. |
| aparteni | . | The house belongs to my brother. |
| okazi | ? | What happened to you? |
Respondi takes for whoever or whatever is answered, and an object for what you say: . - She gave no answer to my letter.
turns the English round: the thing liked is the subject. The other members of that set ( , ) are in impersonal constructions.
Danki takes the person as an object or after , and the reason after or :
.- I thank you for the help..- She thanked me for the present.
De, en, el and the rest
The rest of the common set, each with one job:
| Verb | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| dependi | . | Everything depends on the weather. |
| partopreni | . | We took part in the meeting. |
| konsisti | . | The house has three rooms. |
| koleri | . | He was angry with the boys. |
| edziĝi | Petro. | She married Petro. |
| gratuli | . | Congratulations on your success. |
gives the parts; gives the essence: , ... - The problem lies in the fact that...
and i take or . The Fundamento's own o has , but the dictionaries give and , and that is what writers use today.
Going further: Plain object: no preposition and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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.
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