The Esperanto Teacher: A Simple Course for Non-Grammarians Part 8

Kien li forveturis? Sxi kuris hejmen. Ni iris antauxen, kiel furioj.

Cxio estis bona, kaj ni veturis pluen. La sinjorino ekrigardis returnen.

La sxipanoj postulis, ke oni iru returnen. Mi gxin pendigis tien cxi, cxar gxi savis mian vivon. Mi neniam sendis tien cxi.

LESSON 13.

Mal-, -in-.

In Esperanto certain syllables which have a definite meaning are placed at the beginning (prefixes) or end (suffixes) of words to alter in some way the meaning of those words.

The prefix "mal-" gives an exactly opposite meaning to the word to which it is prefixed, as "dekstra", right (hand); "maldekstra", left (hand); "nova", new; "malnova", old; "helpi", to help, "malhelpi", to hinder; "fermi", to shut, "malfermi", to open.

The suffix "-in-" denotes the female s.e.x. From "viro", [Footnote: The word "h.o.m.o" previously given (Lesson 2) signifies a human being, a person, without reference to s.e.x; "viro" means a man as distinguished from a woman.] a man, we get "virino", a woman; "filo", son, "filino", daughter; "cxevalo", a horse, "cxevalino", a mare; "koko", a c.o.c.k, "kokino", a hen.

VOCABULARY.

kresko : growth. ferm- : shut.

haro : hair (substance). help- : help.

haroj : hair (of head). farigx- : become.

nazo : nose. dekstra : right (hand).

vojo : road. meza : middle, medium.

viro : man. dika : thick, stout.

edzo : husband, mola : soft.

nepo : grandson. luma : light (luminous).

nevo : nephew. n.o.bla : n.o.ble (character).

bovo : ox. rekta : straight.

vidvo : widower, kurba : curved.

fiancxo : fiance. felicxa : happy.

nenio : nothing. naskita : born.

turment- : torment. fermita : shut.

sent- : feel. ecx : even.

ben- : bless. longe : for a long time.

estim- : have esteem for. denove : anew, again.

Mia frato ne estas granda, sed li ne estas malgranda, li estas de meza kresko. Haro estas tre maldika. La nokto estas tiel malluma, ke ni nenion povas vidi ecx antaux nia nazo. Tiu cxi malfresxa pano estas malmola, kiel sxtono. Malbonaj infanoj amas turmenti bestojn. Li sentis sin tiel malfelicxa, ke li malbenis la tagon, en kiu li estis naskita.

Ni forte malestimas tiun cxi maln.o.blan h.o.m.on. La fenestro longe estis nefermita; mi gxin fermis, sed mia frato tuj gxin denove malfermis.

Rekta vojo estas pli mallonga, ol kurba. Ne estu maldanka.

La edzino de mia patro estas mia patrino, kaj la avino de miaj infanoj.

Mia fratino estas tre bela knabino. Mia onklino estas tre bona virino.

Mi vidis vian avinon kun sxiaj kvar nepinoj, kaj kun mia nevino. Mi havas bovon kaj bovinon. La juna vidvino farigxis denove fiancxino.

LESSON 14.

Re-, -ad-, ek-.

The prefixes "re-" and "ek-" and the suffix "-ad-" are attached to verbs.

"Re-" has nearly the same meaning as in English, "back" or "again", as "re-pagi", to pay back; "re-porti", to carry back; "re-jxeti", to throw back; "re-salti", to rebound; "re-kanti" to sing again; "re-legi", to read over again.

"-ad-" denotes the continuance or continued repet.i.tion of an action; it means "goes on doing", or "keeps on doing", or "is in the habit of", or in the past "used to", as "spiri", to breathe, "spirado", respiration; "movi", to move, "movado", continued movement; "fumi", to smoke, "fumado", the habit of smoking; "auxdi", to hear, "auxdado", the sense of hearing.

"Ek-" has the opposite meaning to "-ad-"; it signifies the beginning of an action, or a short or sudden action, as "kanti", to sing, "ekkanti", to begin to sing; "ridi", to laugh, "ekridi", to burst out laughing; "krii", to cry or call, "ekkrii", to cry out; "iri", to go, "ekiri", to set out; "dormi", to sleep, "ekdormi", to fall asleep.

VOCABULARY.

rivero : river. fal- : fall.

lando : land. atend- : wait for, expect.

segxo : seat. lacig- : make tired.

dauxro : duration. frot- : rub.

okupo : occupation. rigard- : look.

pluvo : rain. elrigard- : look out of.

vagonaro : train. salt- : jump.

surprizo : surprise. rapida : quick.

diamanto : diamond. klara : clear.

fulmo : lightning. lerte : cleverly.

lumo : a light. energie : energetically.

paf- : shoot. kelke : some.

jxet- : throw. cxiuminute : every minute. [p. 84]

auxd- : hear. tra : through.

Li donis al mi monon, sed mi gxin tuj redonis al li. Mi foriras, sed atendu min, cxar mi baldaux revenos. La suno rebrilas en la klara akvo de la rivero. Li reiris al sia lando. Sxi rejxetis sin sur la segxon.

En la dauxro de kelke da minutoj mi auxdis du pafojn. La pafado dauxris tre longe. Lia hierauxa parolo estis tre bela, sed la tro multa parolado lacigas lin. Li kantas tre belan kanton. La kantado estas agrabla okupo. Per mia mano mi energie lin frotadis. La pluvo faladis per riveroj. Cxiuminute sxi elrigardadis tra la fenestro, kaj malbenadis la malrapidan iradon de la vagonaro.

Mi saltas tre lerte. Mi eksaltis de surprizo. Mi saltadis la tutan tagon [Footnote: See Lesson 26 (iii.)] de loko al loko. Kiam vi ekparolis, mi atendis auxdi ion novan. La diamanto havas belan brilon. Sxi lasis la diamanton ekbrili. Du ekbriloj do fulmo trakuris tra la malluma cxielo.

LESSON 15.

VERBS (continued).

In all the examples already given the Subject of the Sentence is the "doer" of the action, but often it is "the one to whom the action is done" who occupies our thoughts, and of whom we wish to speak. This one then becomes the subject, and the form of the Verb is changed. Instead of saying "The police are searching for the thief," "Someone has broken the window," "Someone is going to finish the work to-morrow," we say "The thief is being sought for by the police," "The window has been broken," "The work is going to be finished to-morrow."

(Note the convenience of this form when we do not know or do not wish to mention the doer).

In Esperanto the terminations "-ata", "being", denoting "incompleteness"

or "present" time, "-ita", "having been", denoting "completeness"

or "past" time, and "-ota", "about to be" (going to be), denoting "action not yet begun", or "future" time, are added to the root of the verb, as "ami", to love, "amata", being loved, "amita", having been loved, "amota", going to be loved. "La sxtelisto estas sercxata de la policanoj" [Footnote: "De" is used after these participles to denote the "doer" of the action.], The thief is being searched for by the police.

"La fenestro estas rompita", The window has been broken. "La laboro estas finota morgaux", The work is going to be finished to-morrow.

It will be seen that these words ending in "-ata", "-ita", "-ota"

describe the subject or show the "condition" or "state" in which the subject is, therefore they are adjectival; the thief is a "searched-for" thief, the window was a "broken" window, the work is a "going-to-be-finished" work (compare The work will be "ready"

to-morrow). They are called PARTICIPLES, and being adjectival, take "j" when the noun to which they belong is plural.