Esperanto uses -n not only for objects and destinations but also for measured extent. A phrase such as kvin kilometrojn can tell how far someone walked; tri metrojn alta can tell how high something is. English often leaves these measures completely unmarked, so learners must identify the phrase's grammatical role rather than copy its surface form.
Distance traveled
A bare distance phrase normally takes -n when it measures the length of a journey or movement. It answers “how far?”
Hieraŭ ni marŝis dek du kilometrojn laŭ la marbordo.
Yesterday we walked twelve kilometers along the coast.
La infano kuris nur kelkajn metrojn antaŭ ol fali.
The child ran only a few meters before falling.
— Kiom da kilometroj vi biciklis? — Ĉirkaŭ tridek kilometrojn.
— How many kilometers did you cycle? — About thirty kilometers.
In the question, kiom da kilometroj asks for a numerical distance. The answer is a measure complement, not the thing that was walked or cycled. It cannot become the subject of a passive clause, one useful sign that it is not a direct object. The shorter kiom longe can also ask “how far?” when the context makes distance, rather than duration, clear.
The agreement rules remain ordinary when the measure contains an adjective or a noun with modifiers.
Ni sekvis la mallarĝan vojeton kelkan distancon kaj poste turnis nin dekstren.
We followed the narrow path for some distance and then turned right.
Here la mallarĝan vojeton is the direct object of sekvis, while kelkan distancon measures how far the following continued. Two phrases may end in -n for two different reasons.
Dimensions and physical extent
Measure -n can specify length, width, height, depth, or another dimension. The measured property may be expressed by a verb or by an adjective.
La ĉambro larĝas kvar metrojn, sed ĝi aspektas pli granda pro la altaj fenestroj.
The room is four meters wide, but it looks larger because of the tall windows.
La puto estas almenaŭ dudek metrojn profunda.
The well is at least twenty meters deep.
Ili konstruas ducent metrojn altan turon apud la stacidomo.
They are building a two-hundred-meter-high tower beside the station.
The third example contains two different -n patterns. Ducent metrojn measures the adjective alta. The adjective altan agrees with turon, which is the direct object of konstruas. The number ducent itself does not take an ending, because cardinal numerals are invariant.
When the measure describes a noun as a noun phrase rather than directly modifying an adjective, Esperanto also has non-accusative options: longo de du metroj “a length of two meters” and dumetra longo “a two-meter length.”
The distance, weight, and volume page explains how to build and read the numerical expressions themselves; here the focus is their case and syntactic role.
Ni bezonas ŝnuron kun longo de almenaŭ kvin metroj.
We need a rope with a length of at least five meters.
Ĉu la vendejo havas kvinmetran ŝnuron?
Does the shop have a five-meter rope?
These are not exceptions. The first measure is governed by de; the second is built into a compound adjective. Neither is a bare measure complement.
Measuring a difference
A measure in -n can quantify the difference between two values, especially with comparatives.
La nova ponto estas tri metrojn pli larĝa ol la malnova.
The new bridge is three meters wider than the old one.
Post la pluvo la rivero estis preskaŭ unu metron pli profunda.
After the rain the river was almost one meter deeper.
La dua itinero estas kvin kilometrojn pli longa, sed multe pli bela.
The second route is five kilometers longer, but much more beautiful.
The measure answers “by how much?” English puts it directly before the comparative; Esperanto does the same but visibly marks the measure with -n. The preposition je can also introduce differences, especially when the measuring expression is complex or cannot take -n: je kiom pli longa? “longer by how much?”
Distance from a reference point
A measure can precede a phrase that identifies the reference point. In that pattern the measure takes -n, while the reference phrase follows its own preposition.
La taksio haltis du metrojn de la enirejo.
The taxi stopped two meters from the entrance.
Kelkajn paŝojn malantaŭ Eva staris ŝia frato.
A few steps behind Eva stood her brother.
La plonĝisto restis unu metron sub la akvosurfaco.
The diver remained one meter below the surface of the water.
The measure du metrojn tells the size of the separation. De la enirejo identifies the point from which it is measured. Do not put -n on enirejo merely because the sentence concerns distance: it is the complement of de.
If a sentence simply locates something at a distance but gives no following reference expression, a bare accusative can sound incomplete. Use je or add an adverb such as for.
Je cent metroj staris malgranda gastejo.
A hundred meters away stood a small guesthouse.
Malgranda gastejo staris cent metrojn for.
A small guesthouse stood a hundred meters away.
The first construction presents a location at a measured distance; the second lets cent metrojn measure for. Bare Cent metrojn staris gastejo is not the standard way to express either relation.
When distance is a subject or predicate
As with time measures, distance does not receive -n merely because it is measurable. A subject remains unmarked, and a predicative noun phrase after esti normally remains unmarked.
Kvin kilometroj estas tro longa distanco por la infano.
Five kilometers is too long a distance for the child.
La distanco inter la du vilaĝoj estas dek kilometroj.
The distance between the two villages is ten kilometers.
Compare the following:
La du vilaĝoj distancas dek kilometrojn unu de la alia.
The two villages are ten kilometers apart.
The first version makes dek kilometroj a predicative description of la distanco. The second makes dek kilometrojn a measure complement of distancas. This is a grammatical distinction, not optional spelling.
Common Mistakes
Omitting -n on a traveled distance
❌ Ni marŝis ses kilometroj antaŭ la tagmanĝo.
Incorrect — the distance measuring the walk needs -n.
✅ Ni marŝis ses kilometrojn antaŭ la tagmanĝo.
We walked six kilometers before lunch.
Adding -n after je
❌ Je ducent metrojn videblis benzinejo.
Incorrect — je already introduces the measured location.
✅ Je ducent metroj videblis benzinejo.
A gas station was visible two hundred meters away.
Treating the reference point as a destination
❌ La aŭto haltis unu metron de la pordon.
Incorrect — pordo is governed by de and must remain unmarked.
✅ La aŭto haltis unu metron de la pordo.
The car stopped one meter from the door.
Marking a predicative measure
❌ La longo de la vojo estas dek kilometrojn.
Incorrect — the quantity is a predicative value after estas and must remain unmarked.
✅ La longo de la vojo estas dek kilometroj.
The length of the road is ten kilometers.
Forgetting agreement inside the measured phrase
❌ Ni sekvis la riveron kelka distancon.
Incorrect — the adjective must agree with distancon.
✅ Ni sekvis la riveron kelkan distancon.
We followed the river for some distance.
Key Takeaways
- A bare distance traveled or extent measured takes -n: marŝi kvin kilometrojn and tri metrojn alta.
- Before a comparative, -n measures the difference: du metrojn pli longa.
- Use du metrojn de la pordo, je ducent metroj, and ducent metrojn for for three different distance structures.
- A distance quantity used as a subject or predicative value remains unmarked.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Time DurationA1 — Express how long an event lasts by marking a time measure with -n or by using an explicit duration phrase.
- Measures and PriceA2 — Mark bare measures of weight, size, value, and price with -n while distinguishing them from objects and prepositional phrases.
- Distance, Weight, and VolumeB1 — Measure dimensions, separation, weight, and capacity with unit nouns, accusative extent, je and de phrases, and da after quantities.
- JeB1 — Use je for conventional clock-time, measure, body-part, and abstract relations when no more specific preposition expresses the intended role.
- The Accusative -N: OverviewA1 — Understand how Esperanto uses final -n to mark direct objects, direction, time, and measurement without relying on word order.