The ending -n tells you that a word or phrase has an accusative role. Its most frequent job is marking the direct object—the participant directly selected by a transitive verb—but it also marks direction toward a destination and certain expressions of time, distance, and measure. Because the role is visible in the word, Esperanto does not have to use English word order to identify the object.
All forms on this page are neutral standard Esperanto, suitable in conversation and formal writing, unless a different register is explicitly marked.
The core contrast: subject versus object
The subject normally appears without -n. The direct object takes -n. Compare the same two nouns with their roles reversed:
La hundo vidas la katon.
The dog sees the cat.
La hundon vidas la kato.
The cat sees the dog.
In the first sentence, la hundo does the seeing and la katon is seen. In the second, la kato does the seeing and la hundon is seen. The order happens to be different too, but the endings—not position—settle the roles.
The accusative comes after the ordinary grammatical ending. On a singular noun, add it after -o: libro → libron. On a plural noun, -j comes before -n: libroj → librojn.
| Form type | Without accusative | With accusative |
|---|---|---|
| singular noun | kafo | kafon |
| plural noun | mesaĝoj | mesaĝojn |
| singular adjective | freŝa | freŝan |
| plural adjective | freŝaj | freŝajn |
| personal pronoun | mi | min |
| eligible correlative | kiu | kiun |
Mi aĉetis freŝan panon kaj du maturajn persikojn.
I bought fresh bread and two ripe peaches.
Ĉu vi aŭdas min? — Jes, mi aŭdas vin klare.
Can you hear me? — Yes, I can hear you clearly.
The article la, cardinal numbers, and many other uninflected words never receive -n. In la tri novajn librojn, the adjective and noun show the accusative, but la and tri remain unchanged.
Direct objects: what the verb acts on or selects
A transitive verb licenses a direct object. The object is often affected (fermi la pordon, “close the door”), perceived (vidi la montojn, “see the mountains”), created (skribi raporton, “write a report”), or possessed (havi tempon, “have time”). There is no single English question such as “what receives the action?” that works perfectly for every verb. Learn a verb together with its usual pattern.
Bonvolu fermi la fenestron antaŭ ol vi foriros.
Please close the window before you leave.
Ni ne trovis la dokumentojn, kiujn vi sendis.
We didn't find the documents that you sent.
Ŝi havas bonan ideon, sed ŝi bezonas pli da tempo.
She has a good idea, but she needs more time.
English sometimes places a preposition before the complement where Esperanto uses a direct object. For example, standard Esperanto has atendi iun/ion “wait for someone/something” and aŭskulti ion “listen to something.” Conversely, an Esperanto verb may require a preposition: paroli pri la plano “talk about the plan.” Case follows the Esperanto construction, not the English translation.
Ni atendis la buson preskaŭ duonhoron.
We waited for the bus for almost half an hour.
Notice that this sentence contains two accusative phrases with different functions: la buson is the direct object, while duonhoron expresses duration.
Agreement spreads through the noun phrase
When a noun phrase is accusative, every adjective directly agreeing with its noun also takes -n. Plural and accusative can appear together, always in the order -j-n.
Mi prenis la lastan liberan seĝon apud la pordo.
I took the last free seat beside the door.
Ni mendis du grandajn vegetarajn picojn por la grupo.
We ordered two large vegetarian pizzas for the group.
This agreement is not optional in careful speech or casual conversation. It makes the boundaries and role of the whole phrase audible. See adjective agreement in the accusative for the full pattern, including predicative adjectives that correctly remain without -n.
Direction: movement into or toward a place
With a location expression, -n can distinguish a destination from a static location. En la ĝardeno tells where someone is; en la ĝardenon tells where someone moves into. The preposition is the same, but directional -n adds the idea of crossing toward a new location.
La infanoj ludas en la ĝardeno.
The children are playing in the garden.
La infanoj kuris en la ĝardenon, kiam ĉesis pluvi.
The children ran into the garden when it stopped raining.
Place adverbs in -e can take the same directional ending: hejme “at home” versus hejmen “homeward,” tie “there” versus tien “to there.” This use is not a direct object: it is another established function of the same role marker.
Mi estas hejme nun, sed post dek minutoj mi iros eksteren.
I'm at home now, but in ten minutes I'll go outside.
Some motion verbs already include direction, but the destination expression still needs its normal marker: iri al la stacio uses al, while iri la stacion is not the standard substitute. Directional -n is explored on the dedicated direction page.
Time, duration, distance, and measure
Accusative -n can replace a general measure relation, often where je would also be possible. Common uses include duration, distance, price, weight, and a time point such as a date or day.
La kunveno daŭris tri horojn.
The meeting lasted three hours.
Ni marŝis dek du kilometrojn laŭ la marbordo.
We walked twelve kilometres along the coast.
La nova lampo kostis kvindek eŭrojn.
The new lamp cost fifty euros.
These phrases answer “how long?”, “how far?”, or “how much?”, not “what did the subject act on?” They therefore must not be diagnosed as objects merely because they bear -n. The measure use is foundational and ordinary in all registers.
Where accusative -n does not appear
Ordinary prepositions already show a phrase's relation, so their complements normally have no accusative: kun mia amiko, pri la problemo, por la infanoj. Directional -n after a spatial preposition is a specific exception based on meaning; it does not permit mechanical -n after every preposition.
Mi parolis kun la nova administranto pri la fakturo.
I spoke with the new administrator about the invoice.
Subjects do not take -n, even when they follow the verb. Predicate complements after esti, fariĝi, and similar linking verbs identify or describe the subject and also remain unmarked.
Sur la tablo restas unu pura glaso.
One clean glass remains on the table.
Mia fratino fariĝis kuracisto.
My sister became a doctor.
Some direct-object-like complements cannot visibly take -n, including an infinitive or a whole ke clause: Mi volas foriri and Mi scias, ke ŝi venos. The omission is formal, not semantic—the complement may still fill the verb's content slot. Foreign names and quoted words may likewise remain unchanged when their form does not naturally accept Esperanto endings.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the object marker because English has none
❌ Mi legas la nova libro.
Incorrect — the direct-object noun and its adjective both need accusative -n.
✅ Mi legas la novan libron.
I'm reading the new book.
Marking only the noun
❌ Ni vizitis la malnova urbon.
Incorrect — the adjective must agree in case with urbon.
✅ Ni vizitis la malnovan urbon.
We visited the old city.
Adding -n after an ordinary preposition
❌ Ŝi venis kun sian fraton.
Incorrect — kun already marks the relationship, so its complement is not accusative.
✅ Ŝi venis kun sia frato.
She came with her brother.
Treating word order as if it cancelled case
❌ Tiu foto mia amiko faris dum nia vojaĝo.
Incorrect — the fronted object still needs accusative marking.
✅ Tiun foton mia amiko faris dum nia vojaĝo.
My friend took that photo during our trip.
Marking a predicate complement as an object
❌ Li estas tre paciencan instruiston.
Incorrect — the complement of estas identifies the subject and is not accusative.
✅ Li estas tre pacienca instruisto.
He is a very patient teacher.
Key Takeaways
- Accusative -n primarily marks direct objects, independent of word order.
- It appears on eligible nouns, agreeing adjectives, pronouns, and certain correlatives; plural -j comes before -n.
- The same ending also marks direction and measures such as duration and distance.
- Ordinary prepositional complements, subjects, and predicate complements do not take accusative -n.
Now practice Esperanto
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Direct ObjectsA1 — Learn which Esperanto verb complements are direct objects, how -n marks them, and how object marking remains stable when word order changes.
- Adjective Agreement in the AccusativeA1 — Learn when Esperanto adjectives copy the accusative -n, how -ajn is built, and why predicative adjectives normally remain without -n.
- Case and Number on CorrelativesA2 — Learn exactly which correlative families accept plural -j, object -n, or directional -n, and which remain invariant.
- Direction toward a PlaceA1 — Use directional -n to distinguish movement into or onto a place from movement or position within it.
- Time DurationA1 — Express how long an event lasts by marking a time measure with -n or by using an explicit duration phrase.
- Accusative or Preposition?A2 — Choose between an accusative object and a prepositional complement by identifying the Esperanto verb frame and each participant's semantic role.