Pri marks the topic or concern toward which speech, thought, attention, emotion, or responsibility is directed. It is the normal equivalent of topical English “about” in paroli pri la projekto, but it is not a word-for-word replacement for every English “about.” Its complement is unmarked, and many verbs establish conventional pri frames that learners should treat as part of the verb’s usage.
The topic of speech, writing, or information
Use pri when a conversation, question, text, lesson, or piece of information has something as its subject matter.
Ni longe parolis pri la nova horaro kaj fine trovis solvon.
We talked for a long time about the new schedule and finally found a solution.
Mi legis interesan artikolon pri urba ĝardenado en la loka gazeto.
I read an interesting article about urban gardening in the local newspaper.
Ĉu vi jam aŭdis pri la ŝanĝo? — Ne, neniu informis min.
Have you heard about the change yet? — No, nobody informed me.
The complement stays without accusative: pri la horaro, pri urba ĝardenado, pri la ŝanĝo. The topic is not a direct object, even when English places it immediately after the verb.
Pri can also modify a noun directly: libro pri astronomio, demando pri la kontrakto, diskuto pri loĝado.
La biblioteko organizas publikan diskuton pri la estonteco de la kvartalo.
The library is organizing a public discussion about the future of the neighborhood.
Pri versus de: topic versus source or authorship
English “of” and possessive forms can hide the difference between content and origin. Esperanto distinguishes them.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| libro pri Maria | a book whose topic is Maria |
| libro de Maria | a book written, owned, or supplied by Maria |
| rakonto pri la vojaĝo | a story about the journey |
| rakonto de la vojaĝanto | a story told or authored by the traveler |
Mi pruntis de Lena libron de ŝia patro pri la historio de la urbo.
I borrowed from Lena a book by her father about the history of the city.
The sentence has three distinct relations: Lena is the source, her father is the author, and the city’s history is the topic. Repeating English “of/from/about” mechanically would erase those distinctions.
Thoughts, attention, and concern
Many mental and relational verbs conventionally take pri.
Mi ofte pensas pri nia unua vojaĝo al Roterdamo.
I often think about our first trip to Rotterdam.
Ne zorgu pri la biletoj; mi jam aĉetis ilin.
Do not worry about the tickets; I have already bought them.
Ŝi interesiĝas pri klimatpolitiko, sed ne volas labori en partio.
She is interested in climate policy but does not want to work in a political party.
Other common frames include okupiĝi pri “deal with/work on,” memori pri “remember/keep in mind,” informi iun pri “inform someone about,” demandi iun pri “ask someone about,” and respondi pri “answer concerning” or “answer for/be accountable for” a matter, according to context.
The verb-preposition frames page explains how to learn these combinations without translating English prepositions mechanically.
La teknikisto okupiĝas pri la servilo; dume mi informos la klientojn pri la prokrasto.
The technician is dealing with the server; meanwhile I will inform the customers about the delay.
La ĵurnalisto demandis la ministron pri la mankantaj dokumentoj.
The journalist asked the minister about the missing documents.
In the last example, la ministron is the person questioned and therefore the direct object; pri la mankantaj dokumentoj is the topic. That division is more precise than simply matching English word order.
The general je is not a neutral substitute where pri is the established topic marker. Say pensi pri la problemo, not pensi je la problemo, in ordinary neutral Esperanto.
Concern, responsibility, and evaluation
The topic relation extends to matters for which someone cares, is responsible, or is judged.
Kiu respondecas pri la fina kontrolo de la datumoj?
Who is responsible for the final verification of the data?
La kortumo deklaris lin kulpa pri fraŭdo.
The court found him guilty of fraud.
Mi ĝojas pri via sukceso, sed mi ankoraŭ zorgas pri via sano.
I am happy about your success, but I am still concerned about your health.
Here pri does not mean that someone merely speaks about the matter. It identifies the concern to which responsibility, guilt, joy, or worry relates. The semantic core is still “with respect to this matter.”
Por differs because it normally marks purpose, intended use, or beneficiary. Compare zorgi pri infano “look after/be concerned about a child” with aĉeti medikamenton por la infano “buy medicine for the child.”
Pri tio, ke ... for a whole proposition
When the topic is a finite ke clause, neutral Esperanto normally inserts the helper pronoun tio.
Ni diskutis pri tio, ke la luo denove altiĝos venontjare.
We discussed the fact that the rent will rise again next year.
Mi maltrankviliĝas pri tio, ke ŝi ankoraŭ ne respondis.
I am worried that she still has not replied.
The structure is literally “about that, that ...”: pri governs tio, and the following clause specifies its content. Direct pri ke occurs occasionally through compression or language contact, but pri tio, ke is the clear standard teaching form.
When the question itself asks for the topic, use pri kio:
Pri kio temas la dua parto de la raporto?
What is the second part of the report about?
Temi pri is impersonal: the topic is not the grammatical subject. Say La raporto temas pri energio, not la raporto temas energion.
From prepositional phrase to pri- compound
Esperanto often uses pri- in verbs. The former topic then commonly becomes the verb’s direct object.
| Prepositional frame | Compound verb | Typical nuance |
|---|---|---|
| paroli pri plano | priparoli planon | talk about versus discuss |
| pensi pri propono | pripensi proponon | think about versus consider carefully |
| zorgi pri infano | prizorgi infanon | be concerned/deal with versus care for |
Ni pripensu la proponon hodiaŭ kaj priparolu ĝin morgaŭ kun la tuta teamo.
Let’s consider the proposal today and discuss it tomorrow with the whole team.
Do not retain pri after a compound that already takes the matter as an object: pripensi la proponon, not pripensi pri la propono. Also do not assume every pri- word is mechanically predictable. Priskribi means “describe,” not simply “write about”; conventional lexical meanings matter.
Pria and prie
Pria means “concerning that topic,” and prie means “about it/in that regard.” These forms are nontraditional but have become reasonably common in recent decades.
La komisiono publikigis la raporton kaj planas prian gazetaran konferencon.
The commission published the report and is planning a press conference about it.
Mi legis la proponon, sed mi ankoraŭ ne volas prie komenti.
I read the proposal, but I do not yet want to comment on it.
They are accepted contemporary variation, especially useful when repeating pri tio would be heavy. In internationally oriented prose, pri tio is sometimes more immediately transparent, so the choice is stylistic rather than a question of correctness.
Norm and register
Topical and relational pri is foundational and neutral. Its common verb frames belong to ordinary speech and formal writing. Pri tio, ke is the safest standard clausal form. Pria/prie are accepted modern innovations, not foundational forms, and are best used when their antecedent is unmistakable.
Common Mistakes
Copying English “on” with sur
❌ Ŝi prelegis sur la historio de la urbo.
Incorrect for topic — sur would normally express a surface relation.
✅ Ŝi prelegis pri la historio de la urbo.
She lectured on the history of the city.
Adding accusative after pri
❌ Ni parolis pri la novan kontrakton.
Incorrect — pri already marks the topic relation.
✅ Ni parolis pri la nova kontrakto.
We talked about the new contract.
Omitting tio before a ke clause
❌ Mi zorgas pri ke la infanoj revenos malfrue.
Nonstandard as the clear neutral construction — pri needs the helper tio before the clause.
✅ Mi zorgas pri tio, ke la infanoj revenos malfrue.
I am worried that the children will return late.
Keeping pri after a pri- verb
❌ Bonvolu pripensi pri mia propono.
Incorrect standard frame — pripensi takes the matter as its direct object.
✅ Bonvolu pripensi mian proponon.
Please consider my proposal.
Confusing topic with authorship
❌ Mi legis eseon de lingva justeco.
Wrong if linguistic justice is the essay’s topic rather than its author or source.
✅ Mi legis eseon pri lingva justeco.
I read an essay about linguistic justice.
Key Takeaways
Use pri for the topic or concern of speech, thought, information, responsibility, and emotion. Its complement has no -n. Distinguish topical pri from source or authorship de and purpose or beneficiary por. Use pri tio, ke before a finite content clause, and remember that a pri- compound often takes a direct object instead.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- DeA2 — Use de for movement or development away from a source and for relationships such as possession, authorship, composition, time, and passive agency.
- PorB2 — Use por for an intended beneficiary, purpose, use, result, exchange, or the goal toward which an action is directed.
- JeB1 — Use je for conventional clock-time, measure, body-part, and abstract relations when no more specific preposition expresses the intended role.
- Verb-Preposition FramesB1 — Learn which Esperanto verbs take direct objects and which select al, pri, de, kun, or je—and how the frame changes meaning.
- Prepositional Phrase AttachmentB1 — Show clearly whether an Esperanto prepositional phrase belongs to a verb, noun, adjective, or whole clause.
- Topic Introduction and ShiftA2 — Introduce, maintain, change, and resume topics in Esperanto with clear topic frames and discourse markers.