Step by Step in Esperanto

you is.

Kie Frank (Mary, la tablo, vi, mi) estas ? Ans.: Li (ŝi, ĝi, mi, vi) estas . . .

After " prepositions" (words like en, por, sur) English alters I to me\ she to her\ and he to him. Esperanto makes no such change. Tio estas por mi (for me) \ por li, for him; por ŝi, for her.

Theflozver is on her (him). That is a letterfor me.

KIU, WHO

Mi estas Tom Smith. Kiu estas mi ? (Or, Kiu mi estas ?) (Vi estas T.S.). Kiu ŝi estas ? (Ŝi estas Ethel Brown). Kiu li estas ? Kaj vi ? (N.B. Pronounce kee-oo\ not kee-you).

AFFIXES

31. In most languages new words are formed from other words by adding syllables calLed " affixes". Thus from kind we make unkind_y kindness, unkindness, by adding the affixes un_y ness. An affix (afikso) placed before the main word (like un-) is called a " prefix " (prefikso); one at the end (like -ness) is called a " suffix (sufikso).[1]

In English the use of affixes is irregular. We say heroine, but not fatherine, priestine\ unkind, but not unrich, ungood; kindness, but not honestness. In Esperanto, however, every affix may be joined to any root with which it makes sense. In this way, from every Esperanto root you can make a number of words without having to learn them.

LA SUFIKSO -IN

The suffix -IN shows the feminine. (Cp. hero, heroine, Joseph, Josephine). Thus, from bovo, ox, we get bovino, cow. Viro, man, virino, woman. Amiko, friend, amikino, lady friend. Skolto, scout\ skoltino, girl guide. Edzo, husband (When he weds, he's an edz !); edzino, wife. Patrino, mother\ kanariino, hen canary\ poetino, poetess.

(a) Say the feminine of Emilo, Ernesto, Georgo, Henriko, Karolo (Charles), Klemento, Kristo, Roberto, Tomaso, Viktoro, Vilhelmo (William).

Modelo : La knabof kaj la knabino, the boy and the girl. Similarly: La filo (patro, kato, koko, kamelo, leopardo, krokodilo, aligatoro, hipopotamo) . . .

Use ino after the follozuing roots, and translate: arane, bird, hund, idiot, kamarad, kok, paser, tigr, vultur.

Conductress, cow-elephant> hen-eagle, heroine, queen-bee, lioness.

LA PREFIKSO VIR-

This shows the male sex. When talking about animals, it is generally not necessary to spccify this : e.g., kato=cat (in gencral). But vir- can be used when required. Virkato, Tom cat\ katino, she-cat. Virbovo, bull; virpasero, cock- sparrozc.

Virhundo, viraglo. Bull-elephant, drone-bee, cock-canary.

KIU, KIO

Do not mix these words up. KIO li estas ? (Li estas knabo) (16). KIU li estas ? (Li estas Tom). Kio (Kiu) ŝi estas ? (Ŝi estas . . . .) iMnemonic: Kio, wOt! kiu, (ki-zvho 1).

PHRASES

DIRU AL MI, Tell me. MI PETAS, Please. DAN-

KON, Thank you.

" Diru al mi, mi petas, kiu estas la knabino tie ? " " ŝi ? ŝi estas Flossie Binks." " Dankon "

LA SONO (THE SOUND) OJ

The sound OJ=oy in toy_y boy; oi in boil. OJ is a " diphthong " (diftongo) or vowel-glide, but it is counted as one syllable. ^rI'hus : boj-ko-to (boycott) is three syllables.

THE PLURAL ENDING -OJ

English usually adds s to show the plural (la pluralo) (= more than one). But it has many forms.

Wc speak of a box, and the plural is boxes,

But the plura! of ox should be oxen, not oxes.

You may find a lone tnouse, or a whole nest of mice,

But the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is al\vays callcd men,

Why shouldn't thc plural of pan be callcd pen ?

\Vhen I speak of a foot, and you show me two feet,

And I give you a boot, would a pair be callcd bect ?

We speak of a brother, and also of brethren,

But though we say mother, we NEVER say methren I

Esperanto, on the other hand, is regular, and always forms the plural by adding J. All nouns in the plural end

MATEMATIKO ! with OJ[2]. Infano, child; infanoj,

one rose unu rozo children.-f Bovo, ox\ bovoj, oxen.

one rose unu rozo Amikoj, friends. Tulipoj estas

floroj, tulips are flozcers.

two roses du rozoj

(a) Make sentences from the uoords in 14 after this model: Pomoj, bananoj, figoj . . . kaj piroj, estas fruktoj. . . . bestoj. . . . floroj. . . . instrumentoj.