Translation
naive; artless, unspoilt
Test yourself on naiva
Three quick questions. No account needed.
Know this word? Create a free account to track it.
Word origin
From French naïve, the feminine of naïf, from Latin nativus ('natural, inborn'), from nasci ('to be born'). The old sense is unspoilt rather than gullible, and Esperanto keeps both.
- Origin
- French
- Root
- nativus
- English cognates
- naive, native, nativity, nascent
Examples
.
He is young and very naive.
, .
Her naive question showed that she knows nothing about the matter.
.
Do not be so naive about money.
carries the French range as well as the English one. It can mean gullible, easily taken in, the way English usually means it; it can also mean artless in a good way, the unspoilt directness of a child or a folk painting. Context decides, and is a compliment.
The apparent seam is a mirage. Esperanto does have an -iv- suffix, unofficial and technical, the one in kreiva and produktiva (see the unofficial affixes), but is not built with it and will not divide into nai- plus anything: naiv- is one root, borrowed entire. The same warning covers every other international adjective shaped like it, , , and the rest. Where there is a real connection is further back: the Latin nasci behind is the same verb behind naskiĝi, so the far cousin of "naive" is "to be born". That is history, not word-building, and it will not help you build a new word.
Where this fits
Word family
Words built on naiva with Esperanto's affixes. Read each one from its parts.
- naiveconoun
naivety
naiva-ec-: the quality of being naive
Add to review queue
Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.
Meet this word in a story
Every course has graded stories written only with words you have been taught, plus grammar drills, a games arcade and printable worksheets. Chapters 1 and 2 are free.
Chapters 1 and 2 free, forever. Plus: 7 days free, then $5 a month for all eleven languages.
Esperanto · Free printables
naiva: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "naiva" (naive; artless, unspoilt): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. 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 weekThis word is taught in chapter 19, lesson 11: naiva, ruliĝi, infekti and 7 more words.