The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto Part 30

177. The only prepositions that can be used before the infinitive are:--(_a_). Por = _To_, or, _in order to_. (_b_). Anstatau = _Instead of_. (_c_). Antau ol = _Before_. (_d_). Krom = _Except_, or, _besides_.

178. Por is used before the infinitive, when in English for the word "to" we could subst.i.tute the words "in order to" or "for to"; or, in some cases, when we could use "for" or "of" with a participle instead of the infinitive (par. 259 (24)).

Examples.--_La plej bonaj metodoj por ricevi gin_.... = The best methods to (in order to) obtain it (_or_, for, _or_, of obtaining it).... _Mi havas ion por diri al vi_ = I have something to (for to) say to you. _Kion vi havas ankorau por skribi?_ = What have you still to (for to) write? _La tempo por legi_ = The time to read (for reading). _Tio estas malfacila por kompreni_ = That is difficult (for to) understand.

179. Anstatau, Antau ol and Krom are used before the infinitive, when in English we use the participle or a simple tense.

Examples.--_Anstatau trinki_ = Instead of drinking. _Anstatau agi honeste, li farigis stelisto_ = Instead of acting honestly, he became a thief. _Antau ol mangi_ = Before eating. _Antau ol foriri, ili surmetis la capelojn_ = Before going away (before they went away), they put on their (the) hats. _Ne ekzistas alia bono por la h.o.m.o krom mangi kaj trinki_ = There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink (than eating and drinking) (Pred.

II, 14; III, 12).

180. As in English, the infinitive is used:--

(_a_). As the subject when the act demonstrated is general.

Examples.--_Erari estas home_ = To err is human. _Bone pensi kaj bone agi suficas por vivi bone kaj felice_ = To think well and to act well suffice for living well and happily.

(_b_). As the complement to explain an idea.

Examples.--_Vivi estas agi; kiu ne agas, tiu ne vivas_ = To live is to act; he who acts not, lives not. _Li cesis kuri_ = He ceased to run (running, _or_, from running).

181. The infinitive, used thus as the subject, resembles a noun, but, of course, never takes the article before it. The qualifying word, used as its predicate, takes the adverbial _-E_. The infinitive, when used as the subject, can always be changed into the noun by subst.i.tuting _-O_ or _-ADO_ for _-I_; the noun then takes the article, since it is used in a general sense (see 99 (_a_)).

Examples.--_Scii estas utile_ = To know (_or_, to have knowledge) is useful; or, _La scio estas utila_ = Knowledge is useful. _Legi estas agrabla okupo_, or, _La legado estas agrabla okupo_ = Reading is an agreeable occupation.

182. The infinitive, or its noun, is used for the gerund, or a gerundial phrase in English.

Examples.--_Promenadi estas sanige_, or, _La promenado estas saniga_ = Walking is healthy. _Instrui infanojn diligentajn_ (or, _La instruado al infanoj diligentaj_) _estas agrabla okupo_ = Teaching diligent children is an agreeable occupation.

183. Occasionally another mood, a participle, or the suffix _-EBLA_ is used for our infinitive (par. 275 (_c_)).

Examples.--_Vi bone faris, ke vi venis_ (or, _venante_) = You did well to come (that you came). _Diru do al li, ke li al mi respondu_ = Tell him, then, to answer me. _Estos pli sage, se ni ne piediros domen_ = It will be wiser not to walk (go on foot) home (lit., if we shall not walk). _Estus malfacile renkontebla sindonemo pli plena, ol lia_ = It would be difficult to meet with more complete devotion than his. _Si sajnis (esti) forgesinta, ke si estas maljunulino_ = She seemed to have forgotten that she was (is) an old woman.

184. Sometimes the infinitive is used when we use another mood or the participle.

Examples.--_Mi prenos miajn glitilojn kaj iros por gliti_ = I shall take my skates and go skating. _Mi cesos kanti, se vi farados tiom de bruo_ = I shall cease singing if you go on making so much noise.

_Mi kredis vidi sipon_ = I thought I saw a ship.

185. In the following examples it will be seen that the infinitive (present or past) is used in Esperanto after a noun, adjective, or participle, when in English a participial form is usually employed, as:--

_La deziro morti_ = The desire of dying (to die). _La gojo esti venkinta_ = The joy of having conquered. _Tro laca marsi_ = Too tired for walking. _Lerta paroli_ = Clever in speaking. _Bona por mangi_ = Good for eating.

INDICATIVE MOOD.

186. As stated in par. 171 (_a_), the indicative is not an Esperanto mood, but we use the name in order to explain more clearly to the English student the present, past, and future tenses of Esperanto verbs.

The Indicative mood, in the Active Voice, has three terminations, viz., _-AS_ for the Present, _-IS_ for the Past, and _-OS_ for the Future simple tenses. For the Compound tenses the auxiliary verb esti = _to be_, is used with one of the three Active participles of the verb, _-ANTA_, _-INTA_, _-ONTA_.

187. The Pa.s.sive Voice is formed by the auxiliary esti with one of the Pa.s.sive participles, _-ATA_, _-ITA_, _-OTA_.

188. By the Indicative mood we express something as actually true, either affirmatively, or negatively, or interrogatively. It is therefore the mood of certainty.

Examples.--_La patro venas_ = Father comes, _or_, is coming. _Patrino venis_ = Mother came, has come, _or_, did come. _Kiam mia frato venos, ni foriros_ = When my brother comes (shall come), we will go away. _Se li estas malsana, mi senkulpigas lin_ = If he is ill, I excuse him. _Li estis juste rekompencita_ = He had been justly rewarded. _Oni devas pardoni al li_ = One must pardon him. _Li estis amata de ciuj_ = He was (being) loved by all. _Mi estas vest.i.ta du horojn_ = I have been dressed for two hours (lit., I am having-been-dressed two hours).

189. The Indicative is therefore obligatory in Esperanto after verbs, adjectives, participles, and nouns expressing in a positive manner what one thinks or feels about an act presented as certain.

Examples.--_Mi esperas, ke li venos hodiau_ = I hope that he will come to-day. _Si ne estas certa, cu Petro sukcesis_ = She is not sure whether Peter succeeded (_or_, has succeeded). _Mi ne dubas, ke li venos_ = I do not doubt that he will come. _Mi timas, ke la respondo alvenos, dum mi estos promenanta_ = I fear that the answer will arrive whilst I am (shall be) taking a walk. _Mi timas, ke li venos, kaj eble difektos la gardenon_ = I fear that he will come, and possibly (perhaps) damage (_or_, and may damage) the garden. _Mi ne dubas, ke si estos vest.i.ta kiam mi alvenos_ = I do not doubt that she will be (will have been) dressed when I arrive. _Cu vi opinias, ke li estas juste rekompencita?_ = Do you think that he has been justly rewarded?

THE CONDITIONAL MOOD (Kondica Modo).

190. In the Active Voice the Conditional mood is formed by adding _-US_ to the root of the verb for the simple form, and by _ESTUS_ and one of the participles _-ANTA_, _-INTA_, _-ONTA_ for the compound forms. These compound forms are not often used.

191. In the Pa.s.sive Voice it is formed by _ESTUS_ and one of the participles _-ATA_, _-ITA_, _-OTA_.

192. It shows that the matter spoken of is conditional, namely, that it depends on supposition; that an act had not taken place (past), and was not taking place (present), but that it might happen or have happened if something else actually occurred. In English the pluperfect, future, and future perfect tenses of the Subjunctive mood represent the Conditional mood in Esperanto.

193. After the conjunction "if," expressing a supposition, both the chief and dependent propositions are in the Conditional mood in Esperanto, when the act is conditional.

Examples.--_Se li estus rica, li havus multajn amikojn_ = If he were rich, he would have many friends. _Se vi volus, vi estus felica_ = If you wished, you would be happy. _Se ni estus avert.i.taj, ni estus defendintaj vin_ = If we had been (should have been) warned, we should have defended you. _Se li forirus, li riskus, ke la patrino ne trovus lin_ = If he went (should go) away he would risk that his (the) mother would not find him.

193. (_a_). Note the various ways in which estus may be translated with the present and past pa.s.sive participles in the following two sentences:--

(1). _Se li estus sendata Berlinon, li estus devigata lasi sian edzinon hejme._

(2). _Se li estus sendita Berlinon, li estus devigita lasi sian edzinon hejme._

(1). If he were (should be) sent to Berlin he would be compelled to leave his wife at home.

(2). If he had (should have) been sent to Berlin he would have been compelled to leave his wife at home.

194. As in other languages, the Conditional is used in Esperanto to attenuate or soften an expression that would be harsh or imperative, if the verb were in the Indicative; in fact, such attenuation implies some unexpressed condition.

Example.--_Mi volus, ke tiu laboro estu finita hodiau vespere_ = I should like that work (to be) finished this evening. Here the condition might be, "if you possibly can do it" (see par. 202 as to _estu_, Imperative mood, for the Infinitive).

THE IMPERATIVE or "U" MOOD (Ordona Modo).

195. In the Active Voice the Imperative (or "U") mood is formed by adding _-U_ to the root of the verb, or by estu and one of the participles _-ANTA_, _-INTA_, or _-ONTA_ for the compound forms; but the latter are very rarely used.

196. In the Pa.s.sive Voice it is formed by estu and one of the participles, _-ATA_, _-ITA_, or _-OTA_.

197. The "U" mood implies order (ordono), purpose (celo), entreaty (peto), wish (volo), obligation (devo), fitness (konveno), necessity (neceso), merit (merito), intention (intenco), etc. It will be seen that the Esperanto u has a wider application than what is usually understood by the "Imperative" mood, for it may indicate not only a direct command or order, but also desire or expediency of any degree, expressed or understood.

198. The ending u is used not only in a chief but also in a dependent proposition, and in the latter case it is usually introduced by the conjunction ke = _that_; but it must be borne in mind that conjunctions have no more influence in the Imperative than they have in other moods (pars. 171, 263), although when ke is followed by the Imperative we translate the phrase into English either by some tense of the Subjunctive mood, or, perhaps, more frequently, by the Infinitive.

199. In a chief proposition it is used to command or entreat, and when the verb of a chief proposition is in the Imperative, if the dependent proposition also contains an order of entreaty, its verb will, naturally, likewise be in the Imperative.

Examples.--_Venu tien ci_ = Come here. _Donu al mi tiun libron_ = Give me that book. _Li venu tien ci tuj_ = Let him come here at once. _Ni iru Parizon morgau_ = Let us go to Paris to-morrow. _Do ne maltrankviligu vin_ (or, _Vi do ne maltrankviligu_) _pri la afero_ = Do not then trouble yourself about the matter. _Ordonu, ke li venu_ = Order him to come (that he come). _Diru al si, ke si foriru_ = Tell her to go away (that she go away). _Atentu, ke vi ne falu_ = Take care not to fall (_or_, lest you fall). _Ni ne toleru, ke li tiamaniere kontraustaru al ni_ = Let us not suffer him in that way to oppose us (_or_, Let us not tolerate that he oppose us in that manner). _Ni zorgu, ke li nenion povu difekti_ = Let us take care that he can damage nothing. _Diru al li, ke mi deziras, ke li estu silenta_ = Tell him that I desire him to be silent (that he be silent). For other examples see par. 237 (_m_).