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Building Blocks of Esperanto ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Following is a list of Esperanto building blocks.

Along with a list of word stems, it should help to interpret and construct Esperanto words. I should note that some of the prefixes and suffixes quoted here are rather loose in their definition and may also appear in word stems on occasion without the cited meaning. Where an affix is actually a word stem itself I have attempted to list that word stem underneath. I might also add, that this summary is not intended to teach Esperanto, but to serve as a useful reference for those of us who are learning. Many things are left unsaid. Grammatical Endings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of these grammatical endings should appear on the end of most words, and defines that words role in a sentence. Other suffixes and prefixes may precede this final identifier. o a e n j jn i u is as os us Prefixes ~~~~~~~~ All the prefixes precede the stem of the word, many are in fact word stems themselves. Many may be compounded with other prefixes and suffixes. Many are rather flexible in their definition. al approach, towards, bringing closer al "towards" veni "to come" > alveni "to arrive" iri "to go" > aliri "to approach" porti "to carry" > alporti "to bring" paroli "to speak" > alparoli "to address" See also: for bo cxef relative by marriage patro "father" > bopatro "fatherinlaw" chief cxefo "a chief" urbo "town" > cxefurbo "capital city" ministro "minister" > cxefministro "prime minister" noun adjective adverb direct object of a verb plural plural of the direct object verb, verb, verb, verb, verb, verb, infinitive imperative past tense present tense future tense conditional amo ama ame amon amoj amojn ami amu amis amas amos amus "love" "loving" "lovingly" "love" "loves" "loves" "to love" "love!" "loved" "loves" "will love" "would love"

vir

masculine viro "man" bovo "ox" > virbovo "bull" porko "pig" > virporko "boar" cxevalo "horse" > vircxevalo "stallion" See also: ge in icx

Suffixes ~~~~~~~~ All these suffixes follow the stem of the word and precede the grammatical ending, which defines the role the word will play. Many may be compounded with other suffixes and prefixes. Some are in fact words stems themselves. acx disparagement acxa "awful" domo "house" > domacxo "hovel" hundo "dog" > hundacxo "cur","mongrel" ridi "to laugh" > ridacxi "to sneer" See also: eg et sen ad action, particularly prolonged or repeated paroli "to speak" > paroladi "to make a speech" penso "thought" > pensado "(the process of) thinking" memoro "memory" > memorado "the fact of remembering" See also: ek re ajx A thing, having the ajxo "a thing" nova "new" > okazi "to happen" > arto "art" > porko "pig" > quality or substance of ... novajxo okazajxo artajxo porkajxo "news", "novelty" "event" "objet dart" "pork"

See also: ec a em an member of a group; inhabitant ano "member" urbo "town" > urbano Novjorko "New York" > novjorkano polico "police" > policano lando "country" > landano See also: ar ul ar collective, group aro "group","set" vorto "word" homo "human being" studento "student" kuracisto "doctor" See also: an ebl possibility ebla "possible" havi "to have" > havebla "available" ami "to love" > amebla "possible to love" See also: ind ec having eco infano sola rugxa libera viro unu the characteristics of ... "a quality","a characteristic" "child" > infaneca "childish" > infaneco "childhood" "alone" > soleca "lonely" > soleco "lonliness" "red" > rugxeca "reddish" "free" > libereco "freedom" "man" > vireco "virility" "one" > unueco "unity"

"townsman" "New Yorker" "member of the police force" "citizen"

> > > >

vortaro homaro studentaro kuracistaro

"dictionary", "vocabulary" "mankind" "the student body (of a school)" "the medical profession"

dis

separation, dispersal doni "to give" > disdoni "to distribute" sendi "to send" > dissendi "to transmit" commencement, suddenness ek! brili iri sidi "commence!" "to shine" > ekbrili "to flash" "to go" > ekiri "to set off" "to sit" > eksidi "to sit down"

ek

See also: ad re eks former eksa "former" prezidanto "president" > eksprezidanto "expresident" shameful or immoral fi! "shame!" viro "man" > fiviro "scoundrel" away for "away" iri "to go" > foriri "to go away" esti "to be" > foresti"to be absent" See also: al ej ge both sexes together frato "brother" > gefratoj "siblings" patro "father" > gepatroj "parents" sinjoro "Mister" > gesinjoroj "Mr and Mrs" em See also: vir in mal opposite malo "opposite" alta "high" vero "truth" ami "to love" forta "strong" eg

See also: ajx a em fi augmentative ega "huge" bona "good" bela "beautiful" urbo "town" labori "to work"

for

> > > >

bonega belega urbego laboregi

"excellent" "splendid" "a large city" "to work hard"

See also: et ecx sen place ejo dormi lerni (often collective) "a place" "to sleep" > dormejo "dormitory" "to learn" > lernejo "school" be inclined to" speak" > parolema "talkative" act" > agema "active", "enterprising" be afraid" > timema "fearful", "timid"

tendency emi "to paroli "to agi "to timi "to

> > > >

malalta malvero malami malforta

"low" "falsehood" "to hate" "weak"

See also: a ec ajx end passive obligation enda "that must be" pagi "to pay" > pagenda "payable" solvi "to solve" > solvenda "that must be solved" small ero pano cxeno pluvo leader estro stacio urbo lerni particle of a whole "a particle" "bread" > panero "crumb" "chain" > cxenero "link" "rain" > pluvero "raindrop" "leader" "station" > staciestro "station master" "town" > urbestro "mayor" "to learn" > lernestro "schoolmaster"

See also: mis "ne" mis wrongly kompreni "to understand" > miskompreni "to misunderstand" pasxo "a step" > mispasxo "a blunder" See also: mal "ne" pra of great antiquity, remoteness of relationship praa "primitive" tempo "time" > pratempo "the ancient past" nepo "grandson" > pranepo "greatgrandson" See also: id re repetition, return ree "again" sxi vidas "she sees" > sxi revidas "she sees again" ni venas "were coming" > ni revenas "were coming back" See also: ek ad sen without sen koro forta helpa kompata icx "without" "heart" "strong" "helpful" "merciful" > > > > senkora senforta senhelpa senkompata "heartless" "strengthless" "helpless" "merciless" id See also: acx eg et et estr er

diminutive eta "tiny" virino "woman" > virineto "little woman" bela "beautiful" > beleta "pretty","cute" See also: eg ecx sen male icxo "a male" instruisto "teacher" > instruisticxo "male teacher" See also: vir in ge descendant of ido "offspring"

koko porko bovo cxevalo regxo

"rooster" "pig" "ox" "horse" "king"

> > > > >

kokido porkido bovido cxevalido regxido

"chick" "piglet" "calf" "colt" "prince" Correlatives ~~~~~~~~~~~~

oni ci si ri

one thou (archaic) reflexive refers back to subject he or she (genderless)

See also: pra ig causative igi "to make" granda "big" forta "strong" facila "easy" scii "to know" stari "to stand" kontenta "glad" See also: igx igx become ... igxi "to become" proksima "near" > stara "standing" > viro "man" > rapida "quick" > See also: ig il implement, tool ilo "a tool" labori "to work" > laborilo "tool" veturi "to travel" > veturilo "vehicle" female ino knabo viro patro instruisto "a female" "boy" > "man" > "father" > "teacher" >

> > > > > >

grandigi fortigi faciligi sciigi starigi kontentiga

"to enlarge" "to strengthen" "to facilitate" "to inform", "to make known" "to set up" "satisfactory"

Any combination of the prefix and suffix will form a small word describing something. Remember that movement towards a place is indicated by using the accusative (n) suffix. o u a es e am om al el thing person kind posession place time quantity reason way, manner

indefined (some) demonstrative (that) interrogtaive (what) collective (every) negative (no) Numbers ~~~~~~~

i ti ki cxi neni

proksimigxi starigxi virigxi rapidigxo

"to draw nearer" "to stand up" "to become a man" "acceleration"

Numbers follow a consistent pattern, best illustrated by example. nulo unu du tri kvar kvin ses sep ok naux dek cent mil miliono miliardo zero dek unu one dek du two dek tri three dudek tri four kvindek ok five cent sesdek six sepcent okdek seven dekmiliono eight nine ten hundred thousand million billion (thousand million) eleven twelve thirteen twenty three fifty eight a hundred and sixty seven hundred and eighty ten million

in

knabino virino patrino instruistino

"girl" "woman" "mother" "female teacher"

See also: vir ge icx ind worthiness inda "worthy" ami "to love" > aminda "deserving love" vidi "to see" > vidinda "worth seeing" havi "to have" > havinda "worth having" See also: ebl ing holder ingo "a holder","a socket" glavo "sword" > glavingo "scabbard" plumo "pen" > plumingo "penholder" pattern or system ismo "an ism" protekti "to protect" > protrektismo "protectionism" alkoholo "alcohol" > alkoholismo "alcoholism" habitual occupation, profession isto "professional" instrui "to teach" > instruisto "teacher" labori "to work" > laboristo "worker" polico "police" > policisto "policeman" See also: ul obl multiple oble "fold" du "two" > duobla "double" kvar "four" > kvaroble "fourfold" fraction ono "a fraction" du "two" > duoni "to halve" ses "six" > sesono "a sixth" collective numeral tri "three" > triopo "triplet" unu "one" > unuope "one by one","in the manner of oneness" container ujo "receptacle" sukero "sugar" > sukerujo "sugar basin" papero "paper" > paperujo "wallet" mono "money" > monujo "purse" a person ulo "fellow","chap" juna "young" forta "strong" drinko "alcoholic drink" trinko "drink" See also: ist an um related to in some way (no fixed meaning though) malvarma "cold" > malvarmumi "to catch a cold" plena "full" > plenumi "to fulfill" plando "sole of foot" > plandumo "sole of shoe" cerbo "brain" > cerbumi "to puzzle over"

Prepositions, Conjunctions and other words with no grammatical ending ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Short words which do not have any grammatical ending are used very often. They are prepositions, conjunctions, interjections and even adverbs, and a real pain to always be looking up in a dictionary. Here is a fairly complete list of all you will likely meet. ajn al almenaux ankaux ankoraux anstataux antaux apenaux apud baldaux cxar cxe cxi cxirkaux da de des do dum ecx ekster el en for gxis inter ja jam je jen jes ju jxus kaj ke kontraux krom kun kvankam kvazaux laux malgraux mem ne nu nun nur ol per plej pli po por post preter pri pro sed sen sub super sur tamen tra trans tre tro tuj ever (with a correlative) to(wards) at least also still, yet instead of before scarcely beside, near soon because at, by, in case of this (with a correlative or noun) around of (quantinty) of, from so much the then, thus, therefore during even outside of out of in away until between indeed already indefinte preposition hereis, behold yes so much the just and that against except, apart from with although as if according to, along in spite of self (with a pronoun) no well now only than by means of most more at the rate of for after past, by, beyond concerning, about on account of, oweing to, because of but without under above on however through across very too immediately

ism

ist

on

op

uj

ul

> > > >

junulo fortulo drinkulo trinkulo

"a youth" "a hefty guy" "drunkard" "one who drinks"

Participles ~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a very brief summary. The participles can form compound verbs when they follow the helper "esti" (where they take the ad jectival suffix), or they can take adjectival, adverbial or noun forms on their own (with the appropriate grammatical ending). PASSIVE PAST PRESENT FUTURE CONDITIONAL Pronouns ~~~~~~~~ A complete list of pronouns. As in English, the plural "you" is identical to the singular and does not take the plural suffix. Possesives take the adjectival form by adding the a suffix. mi vi li sxi gxi ni ili I you he she it we they it at ot ut ACTIVE int ant ont unt

Credits ~~~~~~~ Compiled by Bernd Wechner, with much appreciated advice from Daniel Chung, Donald J. Harlow, David Wolff, Harri Laine, Martin R. Bartel, Jim Kingdon, and Bob Lidral. =================================================================

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