English be performs several unrelated jobs: it links a subject to a description, builds progressive and passive verbs, supports weather expressions, introduces existence with there, and appears in idioms such as “be hungry,” “be right,” and “be twenty.” Esperanto esti covers the true linking, existence, and participial uses, but many English expressions require a different Esperanto structure. The repair is to identify what be is doing before translating it.
For the verb's full standard paradigm and complement patterns, see the reference page for esti.
When esti is exactly right
Use esti to link a subject to an identity, property, or location.
Lea estas inĝeniero.
Lea is an engineer.
La kafo estas ankoraŭ varma.
The coffee is still warm.
La ŝlosiloj estas sur la kuireja tablo.
The keys are on the kitchen table.
Esperanto does not split English be into permanent and temporary copulas. Estas works in all three sentences; lexical meaning and context distinguish identity, condition, and location.
Esti also presents existence or current availability, often with the introduced noun after the verb:
Estas libera ĉambro en la dua etaĝo.
There is a free room on the second floor.
Finally, esti + participle is part of standard grammar. It can form a passive or a compound tense:
La ĉefa enirejo estas fermita pro riparado.
The main entrance is closed because of repairs.
The lesson is therefore not “avoid esti.” It is “do not assume that every English occurrence of be selects esti.”
English progressive be usually becomes a simple tense
English requires be + -ing for an event in progress. Esperanto's simple -as, -is, and -os forms can already cover ongoing, habitual, or simple events. Context and time expressions normally supply the aspectual interpretation.
Mi laboras nun; ĉu mi povas telefoni poste?
I'm working now; can I call later?
Kiam vi telefonis, ni vespermanĝis.
When you called, we were eating dinner.
Do not build a progressive with esti + infinitive. An infinitive cannot fill the same descriptive slot as an adjective or participle.
The participial form Mi estas laboranta is grammatical and explicitly presents the subject as in the midst of working. It is usually heavier than Mi laboras and is chosen when the ongoing phase itself matters. It is not the automatic equivalent of every English progressive.
Ne interrompu ŝin; ŝi estas parolanta kun kliento.
Do not interrupt her; she is in the middle of speaking with a client. (explicitly progressive)
This accepted compound form belongs to careful aspectual choice, not routine word-for-word translation.
States often have their own verbs
Many established Esperanto verbs express a state more directly than English be + adjective. Productive word-building helps explain some of them, but adding -i does not automatically mean “be + adjective”: the verbal meaning of each root must still be learned or checked.
| English pattern | Natural Esperanto | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| be hungry | malsati | experience hunger |
| be thirsty | soifi | experience thirst |
| be right | pravi | hold the correct position |
| be wrong | malpravi | hold an incorrect position |
| be late | malfrui | arrive or act later than required |
| be necessary | necesi | constitute a necessity |
Mi malsatas; ni serĉu ion por manĝi.
I'm hungry; let's find something to eat.
Vi pravas: ni sendis la mesaĝon al la malĝusta adreso.
You are right: we sent the message to the wrong address.
Pardonu, mi malfruos ĉirkaŭ dek minutojn.
Sorry, I will be about ten minutes late.
Adjectival alternatives can exist: Mi estas malsata is standard, and La respondo estas ĝusta is natural because ĝusta describes the answer. But Vi estas ĝusta usually describes the person as suitable or correct in some respect; Vi pravas directly means “you are right” in an argument. The verb often selects the intended relationship more precisely.
Experiencer constructions: al mi estas...
For felt temperature, Esperanto distinguishes the experiencer's sensation from the physical temperature of the person.
Al mi estas malvarme; ĉu vi povas fermi la fenestron?
I am cold; can you close the window?
Miaj manoj estas malvarmaj.
My hands are cold.
Al mi estas malvarme means that I experience cold. Mi estas malvarma describes me as cold to the touch or metaphorically unemotional. English uses I am cold for both and leaves context to disambiguate; Esperanto often chooses a different grammatical viewpoint.
The impersonal predicate has an -e form because it does not directly describe a noun subject:
Ĉu al vi estas tro varme ĉi tie?
Are you too warm here?
This is a genuine question, not a fixed idiom restricted to statements.
Age: possession or a compound adjective
English says a person is a number of years old. Standard Esperanto commonly uses havi + years or a compound adjective.
Mia filino havas ses jarojn.
My daughter is six years old.
Mia filino estas sesjara.
My daughter is six years old.
Both are standard. The first literally presents years as an age quantity possessed; the second describes the person with sesjara. Do not combine English syntax with an Esperanto plural noun by saying estas ses jaroj.
—Kiom da jaroj havas via filo? —Li havas dek du jarojn.
—How old is your son? —He is twelve years old.
The question can also be Kiomjara estas via filo? The two patterns are accepted alternatives.
Existential there is not tie
English existential there is a grammatical placeholder. Esperanto simply uses estas and introduces the entity, with no ĝi or tie.
Estas problemo kun la nova ĝisdatigo.
There is a problem with the new update.
Use tie only for an actual place:
Tie estas la kafejo, pri kiu mi parolis.
There is the café I was talking about. (in that place)
The contrast is not optional style. Tie estas problemo locates the problem “there”; Estas problemo merely asserts that a problem exists.
Changes require fariĝi or iĝi
Esti describes a state. If the point is entry into a new state, use fariĝi, an appropriate -iĝi verb, or another change verb.
Post kelkaj minutoj la ĉielo fariĝis tute malluma.
After a few minutes the sky became completely dark.
La vetero subite malvarmiĝis.
The weather suddenly became colder.
Compare the resulting state:
Je la oka la ĉielo jam estis malluma.
At eight the sky was already dark.
English sometimes uses be where the change is understood from context, but Esperanto makes the event–state contrast easy to express. Do not repair only the adjective; choose the verb that matches the intended development.
“I am done” is not mi estas finita
English be done can mean “have finished one's task.” Esperanto esti finita normally presents the subject as something that somebody has finished or destroyed. If you completed an action, use fini with its object or state that you are ready.
Mi finis la raporton; nun mi estas preta foriri.
I finished the report; now I am ready to leave.
La raporto estas finita, sed mi ankoraŭ devas kontroli la tabelojn.
The report is finished, but I still have to check the tables.
The first subject is the person who finishes. In the second, la raporto is the completed product and appropriately takes a passive participle.
A repair decision tree
When English contains am/is/are/was/were, ask:
- Does be link identity, description, or location? Use esti.
- Does it introduce existence? Use existential estas, without dummy ĝi or tie.
- Is it only the progressive auxiliary? Prefer a simple Esperanto tense unless explicit participial aspect matters.
- Does Esperanto have a direct state verb such as malsati, pravi, or malfrui? Use it when it matches the intended relation.
- Does the sentence express an experienced condition? Consider al + person + estas + adverb.
- Does it express a change? Use fariĝi, iĝi, or a specific -iĝi verb.
- Is it a true passive or compound tense? Esti + participle may be exactly right.
Norm and usage status
Copular, existential, locative, and participial esti are all foundational. The direct verbs malsati, pravi, malfrui, and necesi are also standard, not slang. Esperanto can form verbs productively, but a new verbal ending does not guarantee the meaning “be X”; established root meaning and usage decide. Simple tenses are the neutral default for ongoing actions; compound active participles are grammatical but more explicit and less frequent. Choice between havi ses jarojn and esti sesjara is accepted variation. Register and rhythm may influence the choice, but English syntax alone should not.
Common Mistakes
Building a progressive with esti + infinitive
❌ Mi estas labori nun.
Incorrect — an infinitive cannot form the progressive after esti.
✅ Mi laboras nun.
I am working now.
Translating age word for word
❌ Mia frato estas dek ok jaroj.
Incorrect English-based structure.
✅ Mia frato havas dek ok jarojn.
My brother is eighteen years old.
Using tie as an empty existential word
❌ Tie estas tri kialoj por ŝanĝi la planon.
Wrong if no location is meant — tie means ‘in that place.’
✅ Estas tri kialoj por ŝanĝi la planon.
There are three reasons to change the plan.
Translating “you are right” as a general property
❌ Vi estas ĝusta pri la dato.
Incorrect for the intended judgment ‘you are right about the date.’
✅ Vi pravas pri la dato.
You are right about the date.
Saying a person is “finished” after completing work
❌ Mi estas jam finita kun la buĝeta analizo.
Incorrect calque — this makes the person sound like the thing finished.
✅ Mi jam finis la buĝetan analizon.
I have already finished the budget analysis.
Key Takeaways
Use esti for genuine identity, description, location, existence, passive, and compound-participle structures. Use a simple tense for most English progressives, direct verbs such as malsati, pravi, and malfrui for many states, al mi estas... for experienced conditions, and fariĝi/iĝi for change. Translate the function of English be, not the word itself.
Related Topics
- Esti: To BeA2 — A complete reference to esti for identity, properties, location, existence, impersonal conditions, participial auxiliaries, and productive derivatives.
- Copular ClausesB1 — Use esti and related linking verbs to connect a subject with an unmarked description, identity, location, origin, or other predicative expression.
- Existential ClausesB2 — Present people, things, and situations with existential estas while keeping existence distinct from location and identification.
- Impersonal VerbsB1 — Build subjectless Esperanto clauses for weather, ambient conditions, necessity, and topics without inserting English dummy it or there.
- Compound Active TensesB1 — Combine esti with active participles to express ongoing, completed, or prospective action relative to a chosen reference point.
- Roots and Grammatical EndingsA2 — See how Esperanto combines meaningful roots with noun, adjective, adverb, and verb endings to create usable words.