Ch 9 · Lesson 18Esperanto · Chapter 9 · Lesson 18 · Grammar primer
Reported speech: the pronouns, and si
, : points at the subject of its own clause, never across . , .
The short version
, .
Why?Hide
points at the subject of its own clause, and a clause has its own subject. , : the inside the clause saw his own father. , : cannot point at , so the main li's father is .
Pronouns, and where si stops
Reporting moves the pronouns as in English: I becomes he, and (now) may become (then). The one trap is : it points at the subject of its own clause, and a clause has its own subject.
| Whose father | Esperanto | English |
|---|---|---|
the clause's | , . | He said he had seen his own father. |
the main | , . | He said I had seen his father. |
In the second, the clause's subject is , and cannot point at I (that would be ), so his father is . never reaches across to the main clause, and never sits inside the subject it would point at: he said his brother would come is , ., not . The reflexive has the rest of .
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| | he said : keep -os |
| | he said : keep -as |
, | , | whether is |
, | , | a request takes -u |
. | , . | |
Going further: The ke clause and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
Practise this lesson
6-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 weekLesson 18 of 29 in this chapter