Local prepositions such as en, sur, and sub normally identify a position. Add accusative -n to their complement when the phrase instead presents movement toward that position: en la ĉambro “in the room,” but en la ĉambron “into the room.” The choice is sometimes called optional because both forms can occur with certain verbs, but it is never meaningless: each form reflects a different way of construing the event. For the wider destination system, see direction toward a place.
All core contrasts are neutral standard Esperanto. Cases of genuine accepted variation are identified separately from contexts where direction requires -n.
Position versus destination
Without -n, a local prepositional phrase answers kie? “where?” With directional -n, it answers kien? “where to?” The noun and every directly agreeing adjective receive the ending.
La infanoj ludas en la granda ĝardeno.
The children are playing in the large garden.
La infanoj kuris en la grandan ĝardenon kiam ĉesis pluvi.
The children ran into the large garden when it stopped raining.
In the first sentence, the playing takes place inside the garden. In the second, the running leads from somewhere else to the garden's interior. The verb kuri is compatible with either meaning; case on the place phrase tells you which relationship is intended.
La libro kuŝas sur la alta breto.
The book is lying on the high shelf.
Mi remetis la libron sur la altan breton.
I put the book back onto the high shelf.
The second sentence contains two separate accusatives: la libron is the direct object, while sur la altan breton is a directional complement. They share an ending but not a function.
Which prepositions allow the contrast?
The pattern applies to prepositions that can describe a local position. The most frequent are en “in,” sur “on,” and sub “under,” but the same logic works with apud “beside,” antaŭ “in front of,” malantaŭ “behind,” inter “between,” ĉirkaŭ “around,” ekster “outside,” super “above,” trans “on the far side of,” and others when a destination position is intended.
| Static position | Movement to that position |
|---|---|
| en la aŭto — in the car | en la aŭton — into the car |
| sub la lito — under the bed | sub la liton — to a position under the bed |
| apud la pordo — beside the door | apud la pordon — to a position beside the door |
| inter la seĝoj — between the chairs | inter la seĝojn — into a position between the chairs |
La kato kaŝiĝis sub la sofon kiam ĝi aŭdis la polvosuĉilon.
The cat hid under the sofa when it heard the vacuum cleaner.
Here sub la sofon explicitly presents movement to the area under the sofa. Sub la sofo is also possible with kaŝiĝis if the speaker presents the resulting hiding place rather than the path into it. This is a genuine viewpoint choice, discussed below.
Prepositions that already encode direction or source do not use this contrast. Say al la stacio, ĝis la ponto, el la domo, and de la laborejo, never al la stacion or el la domon.
A motion verb does not automatically require -n
The whole event matters, not the dictionary category of the verb. A person can run inside a park without entering it, fall while already under a load, or walk while remaining between two walls. In those readings, the place phrase is static relative to the motion.
Ni promenis en la parko dum pli ol horo.
We walked in the park for more than an hour.
Ni promenis en la parkon tra la norda pordego.
We walked into the park through the north gate.
Conversely, a verb that is not inherently a motion verb can occur with a directional complement if the larger construction causes relocation. Meti, ĵeti, pendigi, and ŝovi commonly do this.
Bonvolu meti la pakaĵon apud la pordon.
Please put the package beside the door.
Ŝi ŝovis la skatolon sub la liton por liberigi la koridoron.
She pushed the box under the bed to clear the hallway.
When both forms are standard
With verbs expressing a change of posture, attachment, or arrival, speakers may focus either on the resulting position or on movement into it. Both forms can then be standard, with a nuance rather than a simple right/wrong split.
Post la longa promeno ŝi sidiĝis sur la benko.
After the long walk she sat down on the bench.
Post la longa promeno ŝi sidiĝis sur la benkon apud mi.
After the long walk she moved into a seat on the bench beside me.
Traditional usage often favors no -n after sidiĝi, because the verb primarily names a change of posture. Sur la benkon is also accepted when the bodily movement to the seat is salient. Neither form is merely sloppy speech.
With pendiĝi, the unmarked phrase readily describes where something ends up; directional -n highlights movement to the support.
La malseka mantelo pendiĝis sur la hoko.
The wet coat ended up hanging on the hook.
Dum la falo la kablo pendiĝis sur la hokon.
During the fall the cable caught onto the hook.
With alveni en, both patterns are attested. Alveni en urbo can locate the arrival event in a city; alveni en urbon treats the city as the journey's destination. For learners, directional -n is clearest when entry or goal is central.
Ni fine alvenis en Prago post noktomezo.
We finally arrived in Prague after midnight.
La ŝipo alvenis en la havenon antaŭ la ŝtormo.
The ship arrived in the harbour before the storm.
This variation is semantic and attested across careful writing. It does not generalize to al: alveni al la hotelo remains without -n because al already marks the goal.
Weak or figurative movement
Some acts metaphorically direct information toward a surface or receiver without physically relocating the noun in the prepositional phrase. Neutral usage often leaves such locations unmarked:
Ŝi skribis sian nomon sur la formularo.
She wrote her name on the form.
The writing occurs on the form; speakers do not usually conceptualize the name as an object traveling onto it. Sur la formularon is possible if the placement of the inscription is emphasized, but the unmarked form is the ordinary choice.
Likewise, paroli en mikrofono is common because the phrase names the medium/location of speaking. Paroli en mikrofonon explicitly presents the voice as directed into the microphone. Both are attested, with different construals.
Parolu rekte en la mikrofonon, por ke ĉiuj aŭdu vin.
Speak directly into the microphone so that everyone can hear you.
Directional -n also extends metaphorically to changes of state, especially with en:
La pluvo transformis la polvon en densan koton.
The rain transformed the dust into thick mud.
Here no physical container is involved. En densan koton presents the destination state. This productive figurative use belongs to neutral standard Esperanto.
An implied destination may remain unmarked
Sometimes the expressed place is not the true endpoint. If someone puts cutlery antaŭ mi, the intended destination may be an understood table or surface in front of me. The phrase antaŭ mi then locates that endpoint rather than itself serving as the goal.
La kelnero metis antaŭ mi teleron da varma supo.
The waiter placed a bowl of hot soup in front of me.
Antaŭ min is also grammatically possible if the speaker treats the position directly in front of the speaker as the destination. In ordinary situations, antaŭ mi is natural because the supporting surface is understood. This is another meaning-based option, not random case loss.
Common Mistakes
Omitting -n for clear entry
❌ La infano metis la ludilojn en la skatolo.
Incorrect for movement into the box — the box is the destination.
✅ La infano metis la ludilojn en la skatolon.
The child put the toys into the box.
Adding -n to a static setting because the verb expresses motion
❌ Ni dancis en la grandan salonon dum la tuta vespero.
Incorrect for dancing within the hall — the phrase names the setting, not a destination.
✅ Ni dancis en la granda salono dum la tuta vespero.
We danced in the large hall all evening.
Adding directional -n after al
❌ Ŝi kuris al la haltejon.
Incorrect — al already marks movement toward the stop.
✅ Ŝi kuris al la haltejo.
She ran to the stop.
Marking only the noun in a directional phrase
❌ Metu ĝin sur la malnova tablon.
Incorrect — the adjective agrees with the directional noun phrase.
✅ Metu ĝin sur la malnovan tablon.
Put it onto the old table.
Treating optionality as absence of meaning
❌ La kato kuris sub la tablo, do ĝi nepre venis de alia loko.
Incorrect inference — without -n, the running may simply occur under the table.
✅ La kato kuris sub la tablon, do la subtabla loko estis ĝia celo.
The cat ran under the table, so the place beneath it was its destination.
Key Takeaways
- A local preposition without -n marks position; with -n, it marks movement toward that position.
- A motion verb can have a static setting, and a causative placement verb can have a directional complement.
- With posture, attachment, arrival, or weak metaphorical motion, both forms may be standard because they express different viewpoints.
- Al, ĝis, el, and de already mark direction or source and do not combine with directional -n.
- Agreement applies inside the entire directional noun phrase: en la novan domon.
Related Topics
- Direction toward a PlaceA1 — Use directional -n to distinguish movement into or onto a place from movement or position within it.
- Direction with Spatial AdverbsA1 — Learn how -n turns place adverbs and place correlatives into expressions of movement toward a destination.
- No Accusative after Ordinary PrepositionsA1 — Learn why ordinary Esperanto prepositions take unmarked complements and how to distinguish them from directional and exceptional combinations with -n.
- Directional -N or Static Preposition?A2 — Distinguish location from movement into a new spatial relation when choosing a static prepositional phrase or directional -n.
- EnB1 — Use en for location within a place, period, or state, and add directional -n when something enters a new interior or result.
- SurB2 — Use sur for significant surface contact, support or attachment, movement onto a surface, and related abstract effects and burdens.