The 16 rules, part 1: article, nouns, adjectives, numbers

Esperanto's whole official grammar is sixteen numbered rules, the Fundamenta Gramatiko, fixed in 1905. Here they are in Zamenhof's order, each with an example and a link to the article that covers it in full. Rules 1 to 8 are the parts of speech; rules 9 to 16 are general rules.

What the Fundamenta Gramatiko is

It is one of the four parts of the Fundamento de Esperanto, beside a preface, the Ekzercaro (exercises) and the Universala Vortaro (about 2,600 roots).

The quotations below are from the English column. Read straight through the apostrophe spelling: it was for elementary works only.

Rules 1-4: article, nouns, adjectives, numerals

Rule 1: the article

"There is no indefinite, and only one definite, article, la, for all genders, numbers, and cases."

• la homo, la homoj, la homon - the person, the people, the person (object)
• homo - a person: no word for "a"

When to use la is not in the rule: the article la covers it.

Rule 2: nouns

"Substantives are formed by adding o to the root. For the plural, the letter j must be added to the singular."

The object, the rule goes on, "adds an n after the o". Every other case is a preposition: de for of, al for to, kun for with.

12

1. 1unu pomo
2. 2tri pomoj

Unu pomo, tri pomoj: one apple, three apples. The -j is the whole plural.

• Mi vidas la domon. - I see the house.
• Mi vidas la domojn. - I see the houses.

More: word endings, nouns and adjectives, the accusative.

Rule 3: adjectives

"Adjectives are formed by adding a to the root. The numbers and cases are the same as in substantives."

So an adjective takes the -j and -n of its noun. Comparison uses pli (more) and plej (most), and "the word 'than' is rendered by ol".

• Mi vidas la belajn domojn. - I see the beautiful houses.
• pli blanka ol neĝo - whiter than snow (the Fundamento's own example)

More: comparisons.

Rule 4: numerals

"The cardinal numerals do not change their forms for the different cases."

The rule lists twelve: unu du tri kvar kvin ses sep ok naŭ dek cent mil. Bigger numbers are joined, as in its own example kvincent tridek tri, 533. The derived numbers are endings and suffixes:

More: numbers, fractions and multiples.