The Esperanto Teacher - Helen Fryer (easy books to read in english .txt) 📗

that “Georgon” is not the subject. There is no want of clearness about the following (Esperanto) sentences, absurd as they are in English:—

 

La patron mordis la hundo.

The father bit the dog.

 

La infanon gratis la kato.

The child scratched the cat.

 

La birdojn pafis Johano.

The birds shot John.

 

La musojn kaptis la knabo.

The mice caught the boy.

 

La kokidon mangxis la onklo.

The chicken ate the uncle.

 

La bildon pentris la pentristo.

The picture painted the painter.

 

La fisxojn vendis la fisxisto.

The fish sold the fisherman.

In these sentences the subjects are at once seen to be “hundo, kato, Johano, knabo, onklo, pentristo, fisxisto”, for the final “n” in “patron, infanon, birdojn, musojn, kokidon, bildon, fisxojn”, distinguishes these words from the subject.

This use of “n” renders clear sentences that are not clear in English. “John loves Mary more than George” may mean “more than John loves George” or “more than George loves Mary.” In Esperanto it is quite clear. “Johano amas Marion, pli ol Georgo” means “more than George loves Mary,” because “Georgo” is the subject of the second (elliptical) sentence, but “Johano amas Marion, pli ol Georgon” means “more than John loves George,” because the final “n” in Georgon shows this to be not the subject.

There are cases, however, in which it is not necessary to add “n”, the noun or pronoun being distinguished from the subject in another way. Examples are found in the first exercise:—“Sur la tero” kusxas sxtono, “On the ground” lies a stone. “Antaux la pordo” staras arbo, “Before the door” stands a tree. Notwithstanding their position, “ground” and “door” are seen to be not the subject, because before them are the words “on,” “before,” which connect them with the rest of the sentence—it is “on the ground,” “before the door.” So with other sentences.

The words “on”, “before”, and others given [in Lesson 26] are called PREPOSITIONS (“pre” = before). The noun or pronoun which follows them can never be the subject of the sentence.

Remember, then, that

“N” is added to every noun and pronoun, “other than the subject”, unless it has a preposition before it. [Footnote: (i.). The explanation usually given for the use of final “n” is, that “n” is added to nouns and pronouns (a) in the Accusative Case (the direct object), (b) when the preposition is omitted. The explanation given above seems to me, however, to be much simpler. (ii.). Another use of final “n” is given later [Lesson 12, Lesson 26] ]

When the noun takes “n”, any adjective which belongs to it must also take “n”, as, “Li donas al mi belan rugxan floron”, He gives me a beautiful red flower. “Li donas al mi belajn rugxajn florojn”, He gives me beautiful red flowers.

 

VOCABULARY.

 

letero : letter. mateno : morning.

litero : letter of alphabet. multaj : many.

festo : festival, holiday. obstina : obstinate.

tago : day. gxoja : joyful, joyous.

nokto : night. hela : bright, clear.

 

amas : loves. pala : pale.

vidas : sees. deziras : desires, wishes.

konas : knows. eraras : errs, is wrong.

havas : has, possesses. vokas : calls.

luno : moon. hejtas : heats.

stelo : star. hodiaux : to:day.

vintro : winter. malpli : less.

forno : stove. kiam : when.

edzino : wife. kia : what (kind).

Mi vidas leonon (leonojn). Mi legas libron (librojn). Mi amas la patron. Mi konas Johanon. La patro ne legas libron, sed li skribas leteron. Mi ne amas obstinajn homojn. Mi deziras al vi bonan tagon, sinjoro. Bonan matenon! Gxojan feston (mi deziras al vi). Kia gxoja festo (estas hodiaux)! En la tago ni vidas la helan sunon, kaj en la nokto ni vidas la palan lunon kaj la belajn stelojn. Ni havas pli fresxan panon, ol vi. Ne, vi eraras, sinjoro, via pano estas malpli fresxa, ol mia. Ni vokas la knabon, kaj li venos. En la vintro oni hejtas la fornojn. Kiam oni estas ricxa, oni havas multajn amikojn. Li amas min, sed mi lin ne amas. Sinjoro P. kaj lia edzino tre amas miajn infanojn; mi ankaux tre amas iliajn (infanojn). Mi ne konas la sinjoron, kiu legas.

 

LESSON 6.

We have seen already (Lesson 1) that the words which end in “-as” express the idea of “doing” (action) or of “being” (state), and that they assert that this action or state is going on, or is a custom, at the present time, as “Mi vidas”, I see; “Sxi estas”, She is; “Ili suferas”, They suffer, they are suffering.

To say that the action or state took place at some “past” time, “-is” is used, as “Mi vidis”, I saw; “Sxi estis”, She was; “Ili suferis”, They suffered, they were suffering.

To say that the action or state will take place at some time to come, in the future, “-os” is used, as, “Mi vidos”, I shall see; “Sxi estos”, She will be; “Ili suferos”, They will suffer, they will be suffering.

(Words which assert something, or which express the idea of doing or of being, are called VERBS).

(The root only of the verbs will now be given in the Vocabulary without the termination).

 

VOCABULARY.

 

historio : history. dorm- : sleep.

kuzo : cousin. vek- : wake.

plezuro : pleasure. sercx- : seek.

horlogxo : clock. fin- : end.

laboro : work. tim- : fear.

popolo : a people. ating- : reach to.

virino : woman. surda : deaf.

agxo : age. muta : dumb.

jaro : year. dolcxa : sweet.

permeso : permission. tri : three.

respond- : answer. dekkvin : fifteen.

far- : do, make. kial : why.

forpel- : drive away. hieraux : yesterday.

ricev- : receive, get. morgaux : to-morrow.

don- : give. antaux : before.

trov- : find. post : after.

renkont- : meet. jam : already.

salut- : greet, salute. jam ne : no more.

rakont- : relate, tell. ankoraux : still, yet.

vizit- : visit.

Kial vi ne respondas al mi? Cxu vi estas surda aux muta? Kion vi faras?

 

La knabo forpelis la birdojn. De la patro mi ricevis libron, kaj de la frato mi ricevis plumon. La patro donis al mi dolcxan pomon. Jen estas la pomo, kiun mi trovis. Hieraux mi renkontis vian filon, kaj li gxentile salutis min. Antaux tri tagoj mi vizitis vian kuzon, kaj mia vizito faris al li plezuron. Kiam mi venis al li, li dormis, sed mi lin vekis.

Mi rakontos al vi historion. Cxu vi diros al mi la veron? Hodiaux estas sabato, kaj morgaux estos dimancxo. Hieraux estis vendredo, kaj postmorgaux estos lundo. Cxu vi jam trovis vian horlogxon? Mi gxin ankoraux ne sercxis; kiam mi finos mian laboron, mi sercxos mian horlogxon, sed mi timas, ke mi gxin jam ne trovos. Se vi nin venkos, la popolo diros, ke nur virinojn vi venkis. Kiam vi atingos la agxon de dekkvin jaroj, vi ricevos la permeson.

 

LESSON 7.

Confusion is apt to occur in English in the use of the words “him, her, it, them; his, hers, its, their”, e.g., “John loves his brother and his children.” Whose children, John’s or his brother’s? “The boys brought to their fathers their hats.” Whose hats, the boys’ or their fathers’? “She gave her sister her book.” Whose book? Her own or her sister’s?

This confusion is avoided in Esperanto by the use of, the pronoun “si” (“sin”), meaning “himself, herself, itself, themselves”, and “sia,” meaning “his own, her own, its own, their own.”

“Si” (“sin, sia”) refers to the “subject” of the sentence in which it occurs; therefore in the sentence “John loves his brother and his son,” it must be “Johano amas sian fraton kaj sian filon” if it is his own (John’s) son, because John is the subject, but we must say “lian filon” if the brother’s son is meant. “La knaboj alportis al siaj patroj siajn cxapelojn” means “The boys brought to their fathers their own (the boys’) hats,” because “boys” is the subject, but if we mean “the fathers’ hats” it must be “iliajn cxapelojn.”

“She gave to her sister her book” must be “Sxi donis al sia fratino sian libron” if it were her own book, but “Sxi donis al sia fratino sxian libron” if it were her sister’s book. “Li diris al si”… means “He said to himself,” but “Li diris al li” means that he said it to another person.

“Si”, “sia”, can only “refer to” the subject, it cannot be the subject itself or any part of it; therefore we must say “Sinjoro P. kaj lia edzino tre amas miajn infanojn”, because the subject is “Sinjoro P. kaj lia edzino.”

“Mem,” self, is only used for emphasis, “e.g.”, “Mi mem,” my (own) self.

 

VOCABULARY.

 

gasto : guest. montr- : show.

vespero : evening. fleg- : tend, take care of

mangxo : meal. re-ven- : come back.

pupo : doll. pri : concerning, about.

aventuro : adventure. gxis : until, as far as.

palaco : palace. tute : quite, wholly.

zorg- : take care of. tute ne : not at all.

gard- : guard. kun : with.

am- : love. el : out of.

akompan- : accompany. el-ir- : go out of.

lav- : wash.

Mi amas min mem, vi amas vin mem, li amas sin mem kaj cxiu homo amas sin mem. Mi zorgas pri sxi tiel, kiel mi zorgas pri mi mem, sed sxi mem tute ne zorgas pri si, kaj tute sin ne gardas. Miaj fratoj havis hodiaux gastojn; post la vespermangxo niaj fratoj eliris kun la gastoj el sia domo kaj akompanis ilin gxis ilia domo. Mi lavis min en mia cxambro, kaj sxi lavis sin en sia cxambro. La infano sercxis sian pupon; mi montris al la infano, kie kusxas gxia pupo. [Footnote: Notice the use of the present “kusxas,” “lies”, after the past “montris,” “showed”, because at the time the action of “showing” took place the action of “lying” was then actually going on.]

Sxi rakontis al li sian aventuron. Sxi revenis al la palaco de sia patro. Siajn florojn sxi ne flegis. Mia frato diris al Stefano, ke li amas lin pli, ol sin mem.

 

LESSON 8.

The Cardinal Numbers are:—

 

unu : 1 kvar : 4 sep : 7 dek : 10

du : 2 kvin : 5 ok : 8 cent : 100

tri : 3 ses : 6 naux : 9 mil : 1,000

The numbers above 10 are written and read exactly as they are set down in figures:—11, dek unu; 12, dek du; 13, dek tri; 19, dek naux. The “tens” are written as one word, 20, dudek; 30, tridek; 90, nauxdek; 23, dudek tri; 47, kvardek sep; 85, okdek kvin; 136, cent tridek ses; 208, ducent (as one word) ok; 359, tricent kvindek naux; 1,001, mil unu; 2,877, dumil okcent sepdek sep; 1907, mil nauxcent sep.

Notice that there is a separate word for each figure except 0, nulo.

 

VOCABULARY.

 

busxo : mouth. forges- : forget.

orelo : ear. kre- : create.

fingro : finger. estu : should be.

horo : hour. facile : easily.

minuto : minute. sankta : holy.

sekundo : second. unuj : some.

monato : month. alia : other.

semajno : week. cxio : everything, all.

dato : date (of month, etc.). multe : much, many.

pov- : can, be able. per : by means of, through, with.

promen- : take a walk. nur : only.

konsist- : consist. malbona : bad.

elekt- : choose, elect. Kristnaska Tago : Christmas Day.

 

Januaro : January. Julio : July.

Februaro : February. Auxgusto : August.

Marto : March. Septembro : September.

Aprilo : April. Oktobro : October.

Majo : May. Novembro : November.

Junio : June. Decembro : December.

Du homoj povas pli multe fari, ol unu. Mi havas nur unu busxon, sed mi havas du orelojn. Li promenas