Alporti means “bring”: carry something so that it reaches a relevant person, place, or situation. Its structure is transparent—al- “toward/to” plus porti “carry”—but it functions as an established verb, not as an occasional phrase. The direct object is the thing brought; a recipient or goal can then be expressed with al or another destination phrase.
Complete regular paradigm
| Form | Function | Typical translation |
|---|---|---|
| alporti | infinitive | to bring |
| alportas | present indicative | brings, is bringing |
| alportis | past indicative | brought |
| alportos | future indicative | will bring |
| alportus | conditional | would bring |
| alportu | volitive | bring! |
The verb is completely regular and does not vary by person or number. Because alporti is transitive, the thing delivered takes accusative -n.
Mi alportos la deserton post la vespermanĝo.
I'll bring the dessert after dinner.
La kuriero alportis du pakaĵojn ĉi-matene.
The courier brought two packages this morning.
Alportu ombrelon; la veterprognozo anoncas pluvon.
Bring an umbrella; the forecast says it will rain.
Goal-oriented carrying
Bare porti presents an object as accompanying its bearer. Alporti adds a goal-oriented perspective: the carrying is understood as leading toward an arrival that matters in the discourse.
Mi portis la dosierojn en mia sako la tutan matenon, sed nur posttagmeze mi alportis ilin al la oficejo.
I carried the files in my bag all morning, but only in the afternoon did I bring them to the office.
Ĉu ĉiu alportu ion por manĝi?
Should everyone bring something to eat?
— Ĉu vi alportis la adaptilon? — Ne, mi lasis ĝin hejme.
— Did you bring the adapter? — No, I left it at home.
In the gathering example, the destination is recoverable from context. Alporti does not require an overt al phrase when context supplies the goal. Conversely, adding a goal does not make bare porti ungrammatical; the compound simply foregrounds successful movement toward it.
The object and the recipient are different roles
The basic frame is alporti ion al iu: bring something to someone. The thing is a direct object and therefore has -n. The recipient follows al and therefore does not receive accusative -n.
Ĉu vi povas alporti al mi glason da akvo?
Can you bring me a glass of water?
La teknikisto alportis novan klavaron al nia kolegino.
The technician brought our colleague a new keyboard.
Ni alportos la subskribitajn dokumentojn al la akceptejo.
We will bring the signed documents to reception.
The al- inside the verb marks the event as goal-directed. The separate al mi identifies the actual recipient. They do different grammatical work, so alporti al mi is not redundant.
English allows a double-object frame—“bring me water”—with the recipient immediately after the verb. Esperanto does not use bare mi that way. Say alporti al mi akvon or alporti akvon al mi. Word order may change for information structure, but the markers remain.
This recipient pattern follows the general uses of the preposition al.
Places, paths, and sources
A destination can be expressed with al when it is treated as an endpoint, or with a spatial preposition plus directional -n when entry or movement into a space matters.
Ili alportis la seĝojn al la ĝardeno antaŭ ol la gastoj alvenis.
They brought the chairs to the garden before the guests arrived.
Bonvolu alporti la biciklojn en la garaĝon antaŭ la pluvo.
Please bring the bicycles into the garage before the rain.
Ŝi alportis freŝajn legomojn el la vilaĝa merkato.
She brought fresh vegetables from the village market.
In en la garaĝon, the accusative marks entry into the garage. Static en la garaĝo would identify where the bringing event occurs, not where the bicycles end up. Source phrases use el for movement out of an interior and de for origin more generally.
La vento alportis fumodoron de la proksima fabriko.
The wind brought the smell of smoke from the nearby factory.
See Direction Toward a Place for the contrast between static and directional spatial phrases.
People: carrying, accompanying, and causing arrival
Alporti can have a person as its object when that person is physically carried, transported, or figuratively brought to a place or situation. For an independently walking person whom someone accompanies or guides, konduki “lead, take/bring someone” is usually more precise. To arrange for someone to come, use venigi.
La sukuristo alportis la vunditan knabon ĝis la aŭto en siaj brakoj.
The first-aid worker carried the injured boy to the car in his arms.
Mi kondukos la gastojn al ilia hotelo post la koncerto.
I will take the guests to their hotel after the concert.
La direktoro venigis teknikiston por kontroli la sistemon.
The director had a technician come to check the system.
English “bring someone” hides these distinctions. Esperanto asks whether the person is physically carried (alporti), guided or accompanied (konduki), or caused to come (venigi). This is a strong pedagogical distinction, though playful contexts can deliberately portray a person as something delivered.
Figurative results
What reaches a goal need not be a physical object. Events and decisions can alporti benefits, changes, difficulties, or relief. The result is still the direct object.
La nova fervoja linio alportos pli da vizitantoj al la regiono.
The new railway line will bring more visitors to the region.
Ilia pardonpeto alportis iom da trankvilo, sed ne solvis la konflikton.
Their apology brought some calm, but did not resolve the conflict.
Tiu mallonga paŭzo alportis neatenditan ideon.
That short break brought an unexpected idea.
These extensions are neutral and well established. In analytic prose, kaŭzi, rezultigi, or doni may state the causal relation more exactly, but figurative alporti is not inherently literary.
Participles
As a normal transitive verb, alporti has all six participles.
| Active | Meaning | Passive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| alportanta | bringing now | alportata | being brought |
| alportinta | having brought | alportita | having been brought |
| alportonta | about to bring | alportota | about to be brought |
La volontulo alportanta la manĝaĵon jam estas ĉe la pordo.
The volunteer bringing the food is already at the door.
La matene alportitaj floroj ankoraŭ odoras freŝe.
The flowers brought this morning still smell fresh.
Because participles behave as adjectives here, alportitaj agrees with plural floroj. The tense vowel indicates time relative to the described situation, as explained in The Six Participles.
Compounds and word family
Alportaĵo is something brought, especially an item contributed or delivered. Alportanto is the person or thing bringing it, while alporto names the act or result of bringing. These regular formations are understandable, though ordinary prose often simply says io alportita or names the item.
Further prefixes can modify the established verb. Realporti can mean “bring again,” while reporti normally means “carry back, bring back.” Do not confuse reporti with raporti “give a report.”
Mi morgaŭ reportos la ilojn, kiujn vi pruntedonis al mi.
Tomorrow I will bring back the tools you lent me.
Ĉiu gasto metis sian alportaĵon sur la komunan tablon.
Each guest put their contribution on the communal table.
For a delivery service, liveri emphasizes fulfillment of a delivery, often commercially or administratively. Alporti simply describes arrival through carrying and remains the everyday choice.
Register, norm, and frequency
Alporti is foundational Esperanto and neutral in informal speech, correspondence, formal instructions, and literature. Both overt-goal alporti ion al iu and contextually supplied-goal alporti ion are standard. Figurative result objects are widely attested accepted usage.
Learners sometimes avoid alporti al because the sequence looks repetitive. Normatively, there is no problem: the prefix characterizes the event, while the prepositional phrase names a participant. Choosing konduki or venigi for independently moving people is a precision recommendation based on event structure, not a ban on every personal object of alporti.
Common Mistakes
Copying the English double-object frame
❌ Bonvolu alporti min tason da teo.
Incorrect — min would be the thing physically brought, not the recipient.
✅ Bonvolu alporti al mi tason da teo.
Please bring me a cup of tea.
Omitting the object's accusative ending
❌ Ŝi alportis freŝa pano al la pikniko.
Incorrect — the thing brought is a direct object.
✅ Ŝi alportis freŝan panon al la pikniko.
She brought fresh bread to the picnic.
Adding accusative after al
❌ Mi alportos la ŝlosilon al vin poste.
Incorrect — a noun or pronoun after al does not take accusative marking.
✅ Mi alportos la ŝlosilon al vi poste.
I'll bring the key to you later.
Using alporti for an independently walking guest
❌ Mi alportos la gastojn piede al la hotelo.
Awkward for the intended accompanied walk — alporti foregrounds their arrival as transported persons.
✅ Mi kondukos la gastojn piede al la hotelo.
I will walk the guests to the hotel.
Confusing movement into a place with location in it
❌ Alportu la skatolojn en la magazeno.
Incorrect if the warehouse is the destination — this says the bringing occurs inside it.
✅ Alportu la skatolojn en la magazenon.
Bring the boxes into the warehouse.
Key Takeaways
- Alporti is al- + porti and presents carrying as culminating at a relevant goal.
- The thing brought is accusative; the recipient uses al: alporti ion al iu.
- The verbal prefix and an overt al phrase are not redundant.
- Use directional -n with spatial prepositions when entry matters: en la garaĝon.
- For people, distinguish physical carrying (alporti), guiding (konduki), and causing someone to come (venigi).
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- Porti: To Carry Or WearB1 — Use porti for carrying, bearing, and wearing, and distinguish it from holding and goal-oriented bringing.
- Teni: To Hold Or KeepB1 — Use teni for holding, keeping, maintaining a state, and reflexive posture or conduct.
- Veni: To ComeA2 — Use veni for motion toward a relevant viewpoint, build source and goal frames with de, el, and al, and master reveni and related compounds.
- AlA2 — Use al for movement toward a goal, recipients, orientation, and abstract targets without adding an unnecessary accusative ending.
- Direction toward a PlaceA1 — Use directional -n to distinguish movement into or onto a place from movement or position within it.
- Transitive and Intransitive VerbsA2 — Learn which verbs license a direct object, which require another construction, and how Esperanto systematically changes valency.