Three correlative families can directly determine an Esperanto noun phrase. The -u family selects individuals (kiu libro? “which book?”), the -a family selects kinds (kia libro? “what kind of book?”), and the -es family identifies a possessor (kies libro? “whose book?”). Because these forms already occupy the determiner role, they normally exclude la.
“Determiner” does not mean “definite.” Tiu libro is definite, while iu libro is indefinite, but tiu and iu have the same grammatical position. The correlative beginning supplies the logical relation—question, indication, indefiniteness, universality, or negation—and the ending supplies the semantic family.
The three determiner families
| Family | Question | Indicated | Indefinite | Universal | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| individual -u | kiu | tiu | iu | ĉiu | neniu |
| kind -a | kia | tia | ia | ĉia | nenia |
| possessor -es | kies | ties | ies | ĉies | nenies |
All fifteen can stand immediately before a noun. -U and -a forms can take plural -j and accusative -n. -Es forms are invariant.
-u: which individual?
The -u forms select one or more individuals from a relevant set.
| Form | Determiner meaning | Example phrase |
|---|---|---|
| kiu | which? | kiu trajno |
| tiu | that indicated one | tiu trajno |
| iu | some unidentified one | iu trajno |
| ĉiu | each/every individual | ĉiu trajno |
| neniu | no individual | neniu trajno |
Kiu trajno iras al Antverpeno? — Tiu ĉe la dua kajo.
Which train goes to Antwerp? — That one at platform two.
Iu gasto lasis ombrelon en la vestiblo.
Some guest left an umbrella in the lobby.
Ĉiu pasaĝero devas montri sian bileton.
Every passenger must show their ticket.
Neniu buso venis dum la sekva horo.
No bus came during the next hour.
Iu creates an indefinite singular phrase without any invented indefinite article. Ĉiu considers the members one by one, which is why ĉiu pasaĝero is grammatically singular. Neniu supplies the negation itself; neutral standard Esperanto does not add a second clause negator to Neniu buso venis.
For several individuals, add -j. For an object, add -n after any -j.
Kiujn du raportojn vi sendis? — Mi sendis tiujn, kiujn la direktoro aprobis.
Which two reports did you send? — I sent the ones that the director approved.
Kiujn raportojn and standalone tiujn are plural accusatives. The same morphology applies whether the noun is stated or understood.
-a: what kind?
The -a family determines a quality, category, or type rather than selecting an already individuated member.
Kian ĉambron vi serĉas? — Tian kun granda fenestro kaj skribotablo.
What kind of room are you looking for? — One with a large window and a desk.
Ni bezonas ian provizoran solvon ĝis lundo.
We need some kind of temporary solution until Monday.
La vendejo ofertas ĉiajn lokajn produktojn.
The shop offers all kinds of local products.
Nenia klarigo konvinkis la komitaton.
No kind of explanation convinced the committee.
The object phrase kian ĉambron has -n on both determiner and noun. Ĉiajn lokajn produktojn has plural and object endings throughout. The negative nenia denies every relevant kind, not merely the existence of one identified object.
Compare the two questions:
- Kiun libron vi volas? — Which individual book do you want?
- Kian libron vi volas? — What kind of book do you want?
English “what book” can express either, so translating word by word often selects the wrong correlative family.
-es: whose?
The -es family expresses possession or a related de relation and stands before the possessed noun.
Kies jako estas sur mia seĝo? — Ĝi apartenas al tiu, kiu ĵus eliris.
Whose jacket is on my chair? — It belongs to the person who just went out.
Mi parolis kun la nova direktoro kaj kun ties asistanto.
I spoke with the new director and with that person’s assistant.
Ies telefono sonoras en la alia ĉambro.
Someone’s phone is ringing in the other room.
La biblioteko estas ĉies komuna spaco, sed tiu skribotablo estas nenies privata posedaĵo.
The library is everyone’s shared space, but that desk is nobody’s private property.
Kies, ties, ies, ĉies, and *nenies never take -j or -n. Number and case appear on the possessed noun and its ordinary adjectives.
Kies ruĝajn valizojn ni devas porti?
Whose red suitcases do we have to carry?
The correct form is invariant kies, followed by plural accusative ruĝajn valizojn. A corresponding de phrase follows the noun and normally requires la: kies valizoj ≈ la valizoj de kiu. For a full account, see kies.
Why la is normally absent
The -u, -a, and -es* correlatives are grammatical determiners. Standard phrases therefore use one of them directly:
- tiu domo, not la tiu domo
- ĉiaj manĝaĵoj, not la ĉiaj manĝaĵoj
- kies biciklo, not la kies biciklo
Tiu propono solvas nenian realan problemon.
That proposal solves no real problem of any kind.
Both noun phrases already have correlative determiners. La would not add definiteness coherently.
Some combinations of determiners have established special meanings. Ĉiuj miaj amikoj means “all my friends,” and tiu mia amiko can mean “that friend of mine” with contrastive force. These are structured combinations, not permission to add la everywhere. Basic neutral phrases still follow the one-determiner pattern.
Correlatives that are not direct determiners
The system contains nine endings, but not every family can stand before a noun. -O forms are independent: kio, tio, io, ĉio, nenio. Say tiu libro, not tio libro. Location and time forms such as tie and tiam are adverbial, not noun determiners.
The -om family expresses quantity and normally connects to a noun with da:
Kiom da tempo restas? — Tiom da tempo, ke ni povas trinki kafon.
How much time remains? — Enough time that we can have a coffee.
Kiom da tempo is a quantity construction, not direct kiom tempo. This boundary keeps the correlative system predictable: ending meaning determines syntactic behavior.
Order inside the noun phrase
A correlative determiner normally precedes numerals and descriptive adjectives:
Tiuj tri malnovaj domoj baldaŭ estos renovigitaj.
Those three old houses will soon be renovated.
The neutral sequence is determiner + quantity + adjective + noun. Tia can also appear after quantity expressions in patterns such as multaj tiaj domoj. More complex combinations belong under determiner order and compatibility.
Common Mistakes
1. Adding la before a correlative determiner. The correlative already fills that role.
❌ La kiu trajno iras al Gento?
Incorrect — kiu directly determines trajno.
✅ Kiu trajno iras al Gento?
Which train goes to Ghent?
2. Using an -o correlative before a noun. Select an individual with the -u family.
❌ Tio libro estas tro multekosta.
Incorrect — tio stands independently.
✅ Tiu libro estas tro multekosta.
That book is too expensive.
3. Forgetting agreement on -u or -a forms. Add -j/-n as required.
❌ Kiajn librojn vi aĉetis? Mi aĉetis tia librojn.
Incorrect — the plural object determiner must be tiajn.
✅ Kiajn librojn vi aĉetis? Mi aĉetis tiajn librojn.
What kinds of books did you buy? I bought books of that kind.
4. Adding accusative -n to an -es word. -Es correlatives are invariant.
❌ Kiesn aŭton vi stiras?
Incorrect — kies never takes -n.
✅ Kies aŭton vi stiras?
Whose car are you driving?
5. Placing an -om word directly before a noun. Quantity correlatives require da.
❌ Kiom librojn vi legis?
Incorrect — kiom connects to the noun with da.
✅ Kiom da libroj vi legis?
How many books did you read?
Key Takeaways
- -U determines an individual, -a a type, and -es a possessor.
- -U/-a forms take -j/-n; -es forms remain invariant.
- Correlative determiners normally replace la, whether their meaning is definite, indefinite, universal, or negative.
- -O correlatives stand independently, while -om quantities use da before a noun.
- Choose the correlative ending by meaning before choosing its logical beginning.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- The Table-Word SystemA1 — Learn Esperanto's 45 table words as a five-by-nine meaning system for questions, demonstrations, indefinites, universals, and negatives.
- Correlative Endings and Their MeaningsA1 — Learn the nine fixed correlative endings that select identity, thing, kind, possessor, place, time, reason, manner, and quantity.
- Case and Number on CorrelativesA2 — Learn exactly which correlative families accept plural -j, object -n, or directional -n, and which remain invariant.
- Determiner Order and CompatibilityB2 — Which Esperanto determiners replace la, which combinations are possible, and how to order determination, quantity, and description.
- Quantifiers in the Noun PhraseA2 — How numbers, quantity adjectives, and da-expressions combine with nouns, determiners, plural marking, and accusative case.