Ch 3 · Lesson 9Esperanto · Chapter 3 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Adverbs: -e from any root
gives , gives : any root takes -e. And , , and jam are adverbs with no ending at all.
The short version
-e works on noun roots, not just adjective ones
.
Why?Hide
English tacks -ly onto adjectives and then needs a whole prepositional phrase for everything else. Esperanto's -e takes any root in the dictionary: gives , but gives (at night), gives (at home), gives (in the evening). Stop translating English adverbial phrases word by word and reach for the -e form directly. Add -n to a place adverb and you get direction: , homeward; ?, where to?
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Why?Hide
, , , jam and are adverbs in their own right, not a root plus -e, so they never need one. Two of them are easily swapped and should not be: is very, and usually good news; is too, and always a problem. is a big house you like; is a house you cannot afford to heat.
Swap the ending for -e and any root becomes an adverb: , beautiful, gives , beautifully. The one choice that needs teaching comes after : -a when a noun is there to agree with, -e when there is none.
| Job | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
-e from an adjective | . | She sings beautifully. |
-e from a noun | . | I work at night. |
after | . | It is warm. |
after | . | The soup is warm. |
| no ending at all | . | I am working now. |
-n: direction | . | I am going home. |
-e from any root
Swap the ending and the root stays put:
From adjective roots you get what English makes with -ly:
| Adjective | Adverb | English |
|---|---|---|
| | beautifully |
| | quickly |
| | well |
| | for long |
.- She speaks quickly.
From noun roots you get what English needs a whole phrase for:
| Noun | Adverb | English |
|---|---|---|
| | at night |
| | at home |
| | in the evening |
| | in the morning |
.- I read in the evening..- She works at home.
The -e form answers how, when or where the action happens. Stop translating at night word by word and reach for .
Adverbs with no -e
A small set of basic adverbs are words in their own right, not a root plus -e. They never need one:
| Word | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| now | . |
| already | . |
| very | . |
| too | . |
| only | . |
| soon | . |
| also | . |
(still), (even) and (today) belong to the same set. Several of them can still take -a to describe a noun: , the present time.
and are not two strengths of one thing. praises; complains:
- grandabig
- tre grandavery big
- tro grandatoo big
.- The house is very big. (good news).- The house is too big. (bad news)
, and work on the word right after them, as does:
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
. | Only I saw him. (nobody else saw) |
. | I saw only him. (nobody else) |
Going further: -a or -e after estas and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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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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