After linking esti, an adjective normally describes the subject: La ĉambro estas silenta. This is a predicative adjective. It uses -a, agrees with a plural subject in -j, and never takes accusative -n merely because it comes after the verb.
English adjectives do not show number, so the contrast silenta/silentaj needs deliberate practice. Esperanto also distinguishes a noun or pronoun subject, which takes an -a description, from an infinitive, clause, or subjectless situation, which normally takes an -e description.
Esti links a description to the subject
Compare an adjective inside a noun phrase with the same adjective linked through esti:
La silenta ĉambro estas ĉe la fino de la koridoro.
The quiet room is at the end of the corridor.
La ĉambro estas silenta.
The room is quiet.
In la silenta ĉambro, the adjective directly modifies the noun. In la ĉambro estas silenta, the verb links the subject to its description. The core quality is similar, but the syntax differs: one identifies a quiet room; the other makes an assertion about a room.
Ĉu la nova apartamento estas hela? — Jes, sed ĝi ne estas tre varma vintre.
Is the new apartment bright? — Yes, but it is not very warm in winter.
Hela and varma describe singular subjects through estas. Degree word tre modifies varma without changing agreement.
Singular and plural agreement
A predicative adjective agrees in number with the subject it describes.
La fenestro estas malfermita.
The window is open.
La fenestroj estas malfermitaj.
The windows are open.
This minimal contrast adds -j to both subject noun and predicative participial adjective. The verb estas does not change because Esperanto verbs have no person or number agreement.
La kafo kaj la teo estas varmaj, sed la suko estas malvarma.
The coffee and tea are hot, but the juice is cold.
Two coordinated subject referents normally call for plural varmaj. Singular malvarma refers only to la suko. Agreement follows semantic and grammatical scope, not the noun closest to the adjective.
The pronoun vi can refer to one person or several, and the predicative adjective reveals the intended number:
Marta, vi estas preta; infanoj, ĉu vi estas pretaj?
Marta, you are ready; children, are you ready?
Singular addressee Marta yields preta. Plural infanoj yields pretaj, although vi and estas remain unchanged.
Why there is no accusative -n
A predicative adjective after esti is not a direct object. It states a property of the subject, so it has no object ending.
La respondo estas ĝusta.
The answer is correct.
Mi kontrolis la ĝustan respondon.
I checked the correct answer.
In the first sentence, ĝusta is a predicative description. In the second, ĝustan directly modifies object respondon and therefore shares its -n. Position after a verb does not automatically mean “object”; the verb’s structure decides.
La rezultoj ne estas definitivaj.
The results are not final.
Even though definitivaj follows the verb and a negative word, it is still a plural description of rezultoj. It takes -j, never -n.
See predicative complements and the accusative for object-oriented predicates such as Ili trovis la pordon malfermita.
Noun subjects versus infinitives and clauses
When the subject is an action expressed by an infinitive, an entire clause, or an unexpressed situation, Esperanto normally uses an adverbial -e description.
Naĝi sola nokte estas danĝere.
Swimming alone at night is dangerous.
Estas grave, ke ĉiuj alvenu ĝustatempe.
It is important that everyone arrive on time.
The subjects are not -o nouns. Naĝi sola nokte is an infinitive phrase; the following ke clause supplies the content of impersonal estas grave. English uses the same adjective shape “dangerous/important,” but Esperanto marks the difference as -e.
Compare a noun subject:
Tiu nokta naĝado estas danĝera.
That nighttime swim is dangerous.
Now danĝera agrees with singular noun naĝado. The meaning is close, but the grammatical head has changed.
Subjectless environmental descriptions also use -e:
En la kelo estas malvarme kaj iom humide.
It is cold and somewhat damp in the basement.
There is no noun subject for malvarma or humida to describe. The adverbial forms characterize the situation.
Adjective or predicate noun?
After esti, choose -a for a property and -o for a class, identity, profession, or role.
Ŝi estas pacienca kaj tre sperta.
She is patient and very experienced.
Ŝi estas kuracisto en la loka kliniko.
She is a doctor at the local clinic.
Pacienca and sperta state qualities. Kuracisto classifies the person by profession. The form kuracista means “medical” or “related to a doctor,” not “a doctor.” English “She is a doctor” has an indefinite article; Esperanto uses the bare predicate noun.
A noun complement can itself contain an attributive adjective:
Tiu konstruaĵo estas moderna koncertejo.
That building is a modern concert hall.
Moderna directly modifies noun koncertejo within the predicate noun phrase. Neither takes -n.
Participial adjectives after esti
Forms such as fermita, preparita, and atendanta are adjectives and show the same agreement.
La manĝo estas preparita, kaj la gastoj estas atendataj je la sepa.
The meal is prepared, and the guests are expected at seven.
The participial choice adds voice, time relation, or state meaning beyond ordinary adjective agreement. Some esti + participle combinations function as passive verb constructions, while others foreground a resulting state. That distinction belongs under the esti passive; the visible -a/-aj agreement remains the same.
Word order, focus, and ellipsis
The neutral order places the subject before esti and the new description after it. Esperanto can front the adjective for contrast or rhetorical focus.
Malfacila estas la unua paŝo; poste la laboro fariĝas pli facila.
The first step is difficult; afterward the work becomes easier. (fronted adjective for emphasis)
This marked order is natural in aphoristic or (literary) style but should not become an automatic imitation of English inversion.
An adjective may also stand for an understood noun:
El la tri proponoj, la dua estas la plej praktika.
Of the three proposals, the second is the most practical one.
La dua has an understood propono. La plej praktika can likewise be understood as “the most practical [proposal].” Context licenses the ellipsis; -a remains visible.
Common Mistakes
1. Leaving a plural predicate adjective singular. It agrees with the subject.
❌ La ĉambroj estas silenta.
Incorrect — plural ĉambroj requires silentaj.
✅ La ĉambroj estas silentaj.
The rooms are quiet.
2. Adding accusative -n after esti. A subject description is not an object.
❌ La respondo estas ĝustan.
Incorrect — ĝusta is predicative and takes no -n.
✅ La respondo estas ĝusta.
The answer is correct.
3. Using an adjective for an infinitive subject. Describe the action with -e.
❌ Veturi sen sekurzono estas danĝera.
Incorrect — the subject is the infinitive phrase veturi sen sekurzono.
✅ Veturi sen sekurzono estas danĝere.
Traveling without a seat belt is dangerous.
4. Using a relational adjective for a profession. A role requires a predicate noun.
❌ Ŝi estas kuracista.
Incorrect for ‘She is a doctor’ — kuracista means medical or doctor-related.
✅ Ŝi estas kuracisto.
She is a doctor.
5. Matching only the nearest singular noun in a coordinated subject. Describe the combined referents as plural.
❌ La kuirejo kaj la banĉambro estas pura.
Incorrect — two coordinated rooms require puraj.
✅ La kuirejo kaj la banĉambro estas puraj.
The kitchen and bathroom are clean.
Key Takeaways
- A predicative -a word after esti describes a noun or pronoun subject.
- It agrees in plural -j but never takes accusative -n as a subject description.
- Infinitives, clauses, and subjectless situations normally receive -e descriptions.
- Predicate nouns in -o classify identity, profession, or role; adjectives state properties.
- Participial adjectives follow the same visible agreement, even when the larger construction has passive meaning.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Attributive and Predicative AdjectivesA2 — Distinguish adjectives inside noun phrases from adjectives that assert a subject's or object's state, and choose agreement endings accordingly.
- Adjective Agreement in NumberA1 — Learn why Esperanto adjectives take -j when they describe plural people or things, in both noun phrases and predicates.
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- Predicative Complements and the AccusativeB1 — Distinguish Esperanto predicative complements from accusative objects and attributive modifiers, especially in clauses that describe an object.
- Esti: To BeA2 — A complete reference to esti for identity, properties, location, existence, impersonal conditions, participial auxiliaries, and productive derivatives.