Skribi: To Write | Esperanto Grammar

Skribi is the regular verb for producing written language and communicating in writing. The text or message is normally its direct object, while the recipient follows al: skribi leteron al amiko. Compounds add conventional meanings, especially subskribi “sign,” whose object is the document or statement accepted by one’s signature.

The complete paradigm

The stem skrib- takes the six ordinary endings without change. The finite forms do not agree with person or number.

Form	Core value	Typical translation
skribi	infinitive	to write
skribas	present	write, writes; is writing
skribis	past	wrote, was writing
skribos	future	will write
skribus	conditional	would write
skribu	volitive	write!, let … write

Mi skribas la protokolon dum la aliaj diskutas.

I’m writing the minutes while the others discuss.

Ĉu vi skribos al ŝi hodiaŭ? — Jes, tuj post la laboro.

Will you write to her today? — Yes, right after work.

Skribis covers both “wrote” and “was writing”; context supplies aspect. Skribus is conditional, not past. Skribu is frequent in directions and requests.

Mi skribus pli ofte, se mi ne pasigus la tutan tagon antaŭ ekrano.

I would write more often if I didn’t spend all day in front of a screen.

Skribu vian nomon klare ĉe la supro de la paĝo.

Write your name clearly at the top of the page.

The written text is the direct object

Letters, messages, reports, words, names, notes, and other written products normally take accusative -n.

Ŝi skribis mallongan mesaĝon antaŭ ol eniri la aviadilon.

She wrote a short message before boarding the plane.

Mi ne skribis tiun komenton; iu uzis mian konton.

I didn’t write that comment; someone used my account.

The object can name either the physical text or its linguistic content. Skribi la adreson means put the address in writing; skribi, ke oni alvenos malfrue gives the proposition communicated.

La kuracisto skribis, ke la rezultoj aspektas normalaj.

The doctor wrote that the results look normal.

When no object is expressed, the activity itself is in focus: Ŝi verkas matene kaj skribas per fontoplumo. This object omission does not change the basic transitive possibilities of the verb.

The recipient follows al

English, especially informal American English, can say “write me.” Standard Esperanto uses skribi al iu. If a text is named, that text remains the direct object.

Bonvolu skribi al mi, kiam vi sekure alvenos.

Please write to me when you arrive safely.

Mi skribis longan retpoŝton al la administranto pri la problemo.

I wrote a long email to the administrator about the problem.

The roles are transparent:

Phrase	Role
longan retpoŝton	text produced; direct object
al la administranto	recipient
pri la problemo	topic

You can omit any role that context supplies: Mi jam skribis al ŝi leaves the message implicit; Mi jam skribis la respondon leaves the intended recipient implicit.

💡

Keep content and recipient distinct: skribi ion al iu. The recipient is not a second direct object.

Topic, language, instrument, and surface

Pri introduces what the text is about. Do not translate nonphysical English “write on a topic” with sur.

Li skribas artikolon pri urbaj ĝardenoj.

He is writing an article about urban gardens.

The language can be expressed by an adverb or an en-phrase: skribi Esperante, skribi en Esperanto. The adverb is concise; the prepositional form can contrast languages or present the language as the medium.

Vi povas skribi al ni en Esperanto, en la angla aŭ en la franca.

You can write to us in Esperanto, English, or French.

Per introduces the instrument or means: per krajono, per klavaro, per tuŝekrano. Sur is appropriate for a physical surface.

Ŝi skribis la kodon per krajono sur la dorso de la bileto.

She wrote the code in pencil on the back of the ticket.

This division reflects the ordinary meanings of the prepositions: per is the tool, sur is the supporting surface, pri is the topic, and al is the destination of the communication.

Skribi and verki

Skribi is broad: it covers making letters, typing messages, taking notes, and producing texts. Verki foregrounds authorial composition of a work—an article, book, poem, music, or other created piece. A novelist both skribas and verkas, but the verbs view the activity differently.

Ŝi verkas romanon kaj skribas po mil vortoj ĉiutage.

She is composing a novel and writes a thousand words each day.

Mi skribis la kantotekston laŭ ŝia diktado, sed Marta verkis la originalan kanton.

I wrote the lyrics down from her dictation, but Marta composed the original song.

The boundary is not absolute: skribi libron is ordinary and correct. Choose verki when authorship and creative composition matter, not merely because the result is long.

Subskribi: sign a document

In subskribi, sub- historically and transparently evokes writing beneath a text. In modern usage the compound conventionally means sign: place or authorize one’s signature. The document, agreement, petition, or declaration is the direct object.

Ne subskribu la kontrakton antaŭ ol advokato kontrolos ĝin.

Don’t sign the contract before a lawyer checks it.

Pli ol mil loĝantoj subskribis la peticion.

More than a thousand residents signed the petition.

To name the signature itself, use subskribo. Subskribinto identifies someone who has signed; subskribita describes a document whose signing is complete.

Sendu al mi la subskribitan formularon en PDF-formato.

Send me the signed form in PDF format.

Do not add per before the document: one signs la formularon, not per la formularo. A pen may be an instrument with per, but the paper receiving legal assent is the object.

Other compounds and derivatives

Esperanto builds a broad writing family, but conventional meaning still matters:

Form	Meaning
skribo	writing, script, written form
skribado	writing as a sustained activity
skribanto	person currently writing
skribisto	scribe or person who writes professionally/regularly
skribilo	writing implement
manskribo	handwriting or manuscript
transskribi	transcribe, copy into another written form
enskribi	enter in writing; register or enroll someone/something, according to context

La esploristo transskribis la intervjuon vorton post vorto.

The researcher transcribed the interview word for word.

Priskribi conventionally means “describe,” not merely “write about,” so its meaning must be learned as an established lexical item. Transparent word formation does not imply that every old compound remains fully predictable from its visible pieces.

Participles

As a transitive verb, skribi has active skribanta, skribinta, skribonta and passive skribata, skribita, skribota. Skribita is extremely common for completed written content; skribata emphasizes writing in progress or habitual production.

La letero estis skribita permane, sed sendita elektronike.

The letter was written by hand but sent electronically.

La nun skribata raporto aperos venontmonate.

The report now being written will appear next month.

Adjectival participles agree like other adjectives: subskribitaj dokumentoj, skribitan respondon. Heavy forms such as estos estinta skribita are logically possible but poor default style; a simple tense or relative clause is normally clearer.

💡

English “written” does not reveal Esperanto’s time relation. Use skribata for writing in progress and skribita when the writing is already complete.

Frequency and register

Skribi is neutral and extremely frequent in every medium, including typing and messaging; it is not limited to handwriting. Subskribi, transskribi, and manskribo are established standard words. Verki is common in literary, journalistic, musical, and (academic) discussion when authorship matters. In (formal) correspondence, the recipient frame remains the same skribi al iu as in casual messages; formal correspondence covers greetings, closings, and tone.

Common Mistakes

Making the recipient a direct object

❌ Mi skribos vin morgaŭ.

Incorrect for “I’ll write to you” — the recipient follows al.

✅ Mi skribos al vi morgaŭ.

I’ll write to you tomorrow.

Forgetting the accusative on the text

❌ Ŝi skribis longa respondo.

Incorrect — the written text is a direct object.

✅ Ŝi skribis longan respondon.

She wrote a long reply.

Using sur for an abstract topic

❌ Li skribas eseon sur lingva justeco.

Incorrect as a literal transfer of English “an essay on.”

✅ Li skribas eseon pri lingva justeco.

He is writing an essay on linguistic justice.

Using kun for the writing instrument

❌ Bonvolu skribi kun nigra plumo.

Incorrect for the instrument — use per.

✅ Bonvolu skribi per nigra plumo.

Please write with a black pen.

Treating the signed document as a prepositional phrase

❌ Mi subskribis per la formularo.

Incorrect — the form is what was signed, not the instrument.

✅ Mi subskribis la formularon.

I signed the form.

Key Takeaways

Use skribi + accusative object for the text and al for its recipient. Add pri for topic, per for instrument, and sur for a physical surface. Distinguish broad skribi from authorial verki, and treat subskribi as the conventional transitive verb “sign.” The participles and related words remain part of the same regular system.

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