Ch 5 · Lesson 9Esperanto · Chapter 5 · Lesson 9 · Grammar primer
Ke and ĉu: that and whether
, : is never dropped. And when English says if but means whether, Esperanto says , never : , .
The short version
, .
Why?Hide
English quietly deletes that in I know you are coming. Esperanto never does, because free word order means nothing else marks where the inner clause starts: , . For a yes-or-no question inside a sentence you need , never . And a -clause uses the tense that is actually true, so where English switches to the present for a future event, Esperanto keeps the future.
Whether is
, .
Why?Hide
English uses if for two different jobs, and Esperanto splits them. is if as a condition: , . A yes-or-no question tucked inside a sentence takes : , , I do not know whether he will come. The test: if you could say whether in English, write .
says out loud what English leaves implied: is never dropped, takes its own case, and uses the tense that is really true.
| Word | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| , . | I know (that) you will come. |
| , . | I do not know whether he will come. |
| , | the man (whom) I saw |
| , , . | Everything he said was true. |
| , . | When he comes, I will tell him. |
ke: never dropped
is that introducing a statement. It plays no part inside the clause it opens:
, .- I know that you will come., .- She said the book was good.
English happily drops that: I know you' coming. Esperanto never does. is not a sentence: with free word order, nothing else marks where the inner clause begins.
When the main verb wants something from someone new, the verb after takes -u, the volitive ending:
, .- I want you to come.
The conditional and commands has that rule in full.
ĉu, not se
A yes-or-no question inside a sentence takes , English whether. English also uses if here, and that if is the trap:
| Job | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
| whether | , . | I do not know whether he will come. |
| whether | , . | She asked if we had any money. |
| on condition | , . | If he comes, I will be happy. |
means if only in the sense on condition that. It never opens a reported question.
Other reported questions keep their own question word, with no change of order:
, .- I do not know where he lives., .- I asked when she would come.
Going further: Relative clauses: kiu, kiun, kiuj and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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