A Complete Grammar of Esperanto | Page 5

noun (expressed or understood) to express a quality or
characteristic is called an adjective. The ending of adjectives in Esperanto is "a":
bela = beautiful. granda = large. flava = yellow. forta = strong.
ATTRIBUTIVE ADJECTIVES.
13. An adjective is said to modify a noun whose quality it expresses. When directly
preceding or following its noun, it is called an attributive adjective:
la granda cxevalo = the large horse. bela birdo = a beautiful bird. floro flava = a yellow
flower. forta knabo = a strong boy.
PRESENT TENSE OF THE VERB.
14. Words which express action or condition are called verbs. When representing an act
or condition as a fact, and dealing with the present time, they are said to be in the present
tense. The ending of all Esperanto verbs in the present tense is "-as":
kuras = runs, is running. brilas = shines, is shining. flugas = flies, is flying. dormas =
sleeps, is sleeping.
15. The person or thing whose action or condition the verb expresses is called the subject

of the verb:
La suno brilas, the sun shines (is shining), subject: suno. Knabo kuras, a boy runs (is
running), subject: knabo.
VOCABULARY.
(To be memorized in this and in all following lessons.)
bela = beautiful. kaj = and. birdo = bird. kantas = sings, is singing. blanka = white. knabo
= boy. bona = good. kuras = runs, is running. brilas = shines, is shining. la = the. cxevalo
= horse. luno = moon. dormas = sleeps, is sleeping. marsxas = walks, is walking. flava =
yellow. pomo = apple. floro = flower. suno = sun. flugas = flies, is flying. tablo = table.
forta = strong, violo = violet. granda = large. viro = man.
READING LESSON.
1. Bona viro. 2. La granda tablo. 3. Blanka floro. 4. Flava birdo. 5. La bela birdo kantas. 6.
Forta knabo kuras. 7. La bona viro marsxas. 8. La bela cxevalo kuras. 9. La suno brilas.
10. Birdo flugas kaj knabo kuras. 11. Cxevalo blanka marsxas. 12. La bela luno brilas. 13.
La knabo kantas kaj la viro dormas. 14. Bela granda pomo. 15. La bona knabo kantas. 16.
La granda cxevalo dormas. 17. La suno brilas kaj la luno brilas. 18. Granda forta tablo.
19. Violo flava. 20. La bona flava pomo.
SENTENCES FOR TRANSLATION.
1. A beautiful flower. 2. A good large table. 3. A yellow violet and a white violet. 4. The
moon is-shining (shines). 5. The good boy is-walking (walks). 6. The beautiful yellow
bird is-flying (flies). 7. The strong man is-sleeping (sleeps). 8. The white bird is-singing
(sings). 9. A strong horse runs, and a man walks. 10. The sun shines, and the boy
is-singing (sings). 11. The large yellow apple. 12. An apple large and good.

LESSON III.
THE PLURAL NUMBER.
16. The plural number of nouns, that is, the form which indicates more than one person or
thing, is made by adding "-j" to the noun, as "viroj", men, from "viro", man; "tabloj",
tables, from "tablo", table.
[Footnote: "-oj" is pronounced like "oy" in "boy". See 5.]
17. An adjective modifying a plural noun agrees with it in number, being given the plural
form by the addition of the ending -j. An adjective modifying two or more nouns used
together is of course given the plural form:
bonaj viroj, good men. grandaj cxevaloj, large horses. belaj birdo kaj floro (bela birdo kaj
bela floro), beautiful bird and (beautiful) flower.
[Footnote: "-aj" is pronounced like "ai" in "aisle". See 5.]
18. The article is invariable, that is, does not change in form when used with plural nouns,
as "la viro", the man, "la viroj", the men. The verb is also invariable in form:
La viroj marsxas, the men walk, the men are walking. La suno kaj la luno brilas, the sun
and the moon are shining. La viro estas, the man is. La viroj estas, the men are.
PREDICATE ADJECTIVE AND NOUN.
19. When the adjective is a part of that which is told or predicated of the subject of the
verb, as when used with the verbs "to be," "to seem," etc., it is called a "predicate
adjective":
La birdo estas bela, the bird is beautiful. La knabo sxajnas bona, the boy seems good. La
viroj estas fortaj, the men are strong.

20. A noun may also be used as part of the predicate, and is then called a "predicate
noun":
Violoj estas floroj, violets are flowers. La kolombo estas birdo, the dove is a bird.
21. Predicate nouns and adjectives agree in number with the word or words with which
they are in predicate relation:
Rozoj estas belaj, roses are beautiful. La knabo kaj la viro sxajnas fortaj, the boy and the
man seem strong.
VOCABULARY
alta = high, tall.