Kilo Lingo
Esperanto grammar Part of Chapter 16

CEFR B1-B2

5 min read

Test yourself (20 questions)

Esperanto Particles: ĉi tiu, ju...des, ajn and mem

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

Five small words that only work in company. makes a pointing word near, makes a question word mean no matter which, and build the more ..., the more ..., and stresses the word in front of it.

ĉi (near)ajn (no matter which)the pair that works togetherobject -nWhat do the colours mean?
ParticleExampleEnglish
this book
whoever comes
... , .The earlier, the better.
... , .Now he laughs, now he cries.
.I did it myself.

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Tap the words that say the English.

  1. Mi legis libron. (this book)

  2. Ni atendos vin . (here)

  3. venos, mi restos hejme. (whoever comes)

ĉi: near, not a word for this

ĉi (near)object -nplural -jWhat do the colours mean?

goes with a ti- word and brings it close to the speaker:

FarNearEnglish (near)
, that one this one
, that this
, there here
, that kind this kind

It can stand before or after the ti- word, with no difference in meaning:

  • . - This book is mine.
  • . - This book is mine.

never takes an ending. The -j and -n go on the correlative:

  • . - I read this book.
  • . - These people are my friends.

It needs the ti- word: is not standard. Say .

ĉi- as a prefix: ĉi-vespere

ĉi (near)What do the colours mean?

Joined to a root with a hyphen, makes one word meaning this, the present one:

Four panels of the same little house and garden: in the morning the sun has just risen above the horizon with an arrow pointing up; at midday a beaming sun sits high in the sky; in the evening an orange sun sinks into the horizon with an arrow pointing down; at night a sleepy crescent moon and stars shine over the lit-up house.
  1. -
  2. -
  3. -

Ĉi-matene, this morning (the sun rising); ĉi-vespere, this evening (the sun setting); ĉi-nokte, tonight (the moon).

WordEnglish
-this evening
-this year
-this time
-above (in this text)
  • - . - This evening I will read.

is also correct, and longer.

ajn: no matter which

ajn (no matter which)object -nWhat do the colours mean?

follows a ki- or i- correlative and opens it up to any answer:

PlainWith English
, which one whoever, whichever
, what whatever
, where wherever
, when whenever
, how much however much
, someone anyone at all
, something anything at all

A ki- word with opens a clause, like English -ever:

  • , . - Whoever comes, I will stay.
  • , . - Whatever you say, I will not believe it.

With an i- word it removes any limit:

  • . - Say anything at all.

never takes an ending; the correlative keeps its own:

  • . - Take whichever book you like.

It does not go with the ti- words: points at one known thing, so there is nothing to open up. After a neni- word it adds emphasis:

  • . - I saw nobody at all.

ju ... des: both halves

the pair that works togetherWhat do the colours mean?

The more ..., the more ... is in the first half and in the second, each followed by or , with a comma between:

  • , . - The more I learn, the more I understand.
  • , . - The less you sleep, the more mistakes you make.
  • , . - The longer the road, the more tired the horse.

The halves need no verb: , . - The earlier, the better.

can stand alone, meaning all the more, after a reason already given. cannot:

  • , . - If you come, all the better.

jen ... jen, and ĉiam pli

the pair that works togetherWhat do the colours mean?

On its own, presents something: . - Here is the book. Doubled, it swings between two states:

  • , . - One minute he laughs, the next he cries.

More and more is , or, more neatly, :

  • . - The days are getting longer and longer.
  • . - The days are getting ever longer.

mem: right after its word

object -nWhat do the colours mean?

stresses the word just before it:

The word
mem
The rest
.
.
empty
  • . - I did it myself (nobody else did).
  • . - The king himself came.
  • . - The book itself is good.

Keep it next to its word. is common in speech and usually understood the same way, but after the can also read as that very thing; leaves no doubt.

is not the reflexive. English -self does both jobs; Esperanto uses for the reflexive:

EsperantoEnglish
.He washed himself.
.He washed him himself (another man).
.He saw himself (and nobody else).

For each other, say ; takes the -n as the object:

  • . - They love each other.

The reflexive article has and each other in full.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
needs a ti- word
the -n goes on
is the subject
..., ..., the second half is
English the here is not
(himself) the reflexive is
is the object

What to do next

  1. Write five sentences with , then turn each into .
  2. Write three -ever sentences with , and .
  3. Then read correlatives in the wild: the table joining clauses.

See also

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/5

Tap the words that say the English.

  1. Mi legis libron. (this book)

  2. Ni atendos vin . (here)

  3. venos, mi restos hejme. (whoever comes)

  4. Mi manĝos . (anything at all)

  5. Ni iros al la urbo . (this evening)

Spot the mistake

0/4

Each sentence has one wrong word. Tap it.

Fill in the blank

0/4

Ju or des?

  1. pli mi lernas, des pli mi komprenas. (the more I learn, the more I understand)

    Accents optional - cx, gx, ux work for ĉ, ĝ, ŭ

  2. Ju pli longa la vojo, pli laca la ĉevalo. (the longer the road, the more tired the horse)

    Accents optional - cx, gx, ux work for ĉ, ĝ, ŭ

  3. Ju malpli vi dormas, pli vi eraras. (the less you sleep, the more mistakes you make)

    Accents optional - cx, gx, ux work for ĉ, ĝ, ŭ

  4. Se vi venos, pli bone. (if you come, all the better)

    Accents optional - cx, gx, ux work for ĉ, ĝ, ŭ

Pick the right one

0/4

Mem or the reflexive?

  1. Li lavis . (he washed himself)

  2. Li lavis lin. (he washed the other man himself)

  3. Ŝi parolis kun la direktoro . (with the director himself)

  4. Ili helpas la alian. (each other)

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. I am reading this book.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I did it myself.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. The earlier, the better.

    Your sentence is empty.

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Frequently asked questions

Is it or in Esperanto?
Both, with no difference in meaning: and are both this book, and and are both here. What you cannot do is drop the ti- word: is not standard Esperanto. itself never takes an ending; the -n and -j go on the correlative, as in .
What is the difference between and ?
They are the two halves of one sentence. opens the condition, the result, each followed by or , with a comma between: , , the more I learn, the more I understand. Never ... , and never for the English the. can stand alone in , all the better, after a reason already given.
What does mean in Esperanto?
after a correlative means it does not matter which. is whoever, whatever (as an object), wherever, however much; is anyone at all and anything at all. never takes an ending; the correlative in front of it keeps its own: . It does not go with the ti- words, which point at one known thing. After a neni- word it adds emphasis: , I saw nobody at all.
Where does go in an Esperanto sentence?
Right after the word it stresses. is I did it myself, nobody else; is the king himself came. Keep it next to its word: is common in speech and usually understood the same way, but after tion it can also read as that very thing, so is the clear version. is not the reflexive pronoun: is he washed himself, and is he washed the other man himself.
How do you say each other in Esperanto?
: , they love each other. stays bare and takes the -n, because it is the object. After a preposition the -n goes: . A plural sin can also mean each other, so can be read either way; is the unambiguous form.