The suffix -ebl- means “capable of being subjected to the base action”. Legebla is able to be read, manĝebla able or fit to be eaten, and solvebla able to be solved. Its meaning is passive: the thing described corresponds to the object of the underlying verb, not its active subject.
English -able often works similarly, but it also appears in words such as comfortable or reliable whose structure is no longer transparent. Esperanto -ebl- remains an action-based suffix. To use it productively, identify both the action and the thing that could undergo it.
The Passive Test
Before -ebl-, the base receives a verbal, passive interpretation:
| Verb | Possible object | Ebl-adjective |
|---|---|---|
| legi — read | read a text | legebla teksto — a text that can be read |
| manĝi — eat | eat food | manĝebla fungo — a mushroom that can be eaten |
| solvi — solve | solve a problem | solvebla problemo — a problem that can be solved |
| ripari — repair | repair a device | riparebla aparato — a device that can be repaired |
La teksto estas legebla eĉ sur malgranda ekrano.
The text is readable even on a small screen.
La mekanikisto diris, ke la motoro ankoraŭ estas riparebla.
The mechanic said that the engine can still be repaired.
Ĉu ĉi tiuj fungoj estas manĝeblaj?
Are these mushrooms edible?
The logical paraphrase is povas esti + passive participle or oni povas + verb + object:
La problemo estas solvebla.
The problem is solvable.
Oni povas solvi la problemon.
One can solve the problem.
The two sentences organize the same possibility differently. The -ebl- adjective makes the affected thing the topic and packages the passive possibility as its property.
Possibility, Not Active Ability
-Ebl- does not mean that the subject has the skill or permission to perform the action. Legebla infano would mean “a child who can be read,” a strange passive description—not “a child who can read.” For active ability, use povi or a noun such as kapablo.
La infano jam povas legi, sed ŝia manskribo ankoraŭ ne estas facile legebla.
The child can already read, but her handwriting is not yet easily readable.
Mi povas traduki la artikolon, ĉar ĝi estas klare verkita.
I can translate the article because it is clearly written.
The first clause expresses the child’s active ability with povas legi. The second describes writing as a possible object of reading with legebla. English uses can in both directions, so the passive test prevents a common transfer error.
Possibility also does not guarantee actuality. A riparebla phone may never be repaired; a legebla book may remain unread. The adjective states that conditions allow the action.
La dosiero estas restaŭrebla, sed la laboro kostus tro multe.
The file can be restored, but the work would cost too much.
La propono estas farebla, kvankam ni ankoraŭ ne decidis efektivigi ĝin.
The proposal is feasible, although we have not yet decided to carry it out.
Final Endings And Lexicalized Adverbs
The completed stem can take ordinary endings. Legebla describes a readable thing; legeble describes a manner or result such that it can be read; legebleco names readability.
Bonvolu skribi vian adreson legeble sur la formularo.
Please write your address legibly on the form.
La legebleco de la etikedo pliboniĝis post kiam ni pligrandigis la tiparon.
The readability of the label improved after we enlarged the font.
Several frequent -e forms function as sentence adverbs:
- kompreneble: understandably, of course;
- espereble: hopefully;
- supozeble: presumably.
Kompreneble, vi ne devas respondi tuj.
Of course, you do not have to answer immediately.
Espereble la vetero pliboniĝos antaŭ la ekskurso.
Hopefully the weather will improve before the excursion.
La trajno supozeble alvenos ĉirkaŭ la oka.
The train will presumably arrive around eight.
These are established extensions. Kompreneble historically and structurally means “in a way that can be understood,” but convention gives it the discourse meaning “of course.” They are neutral in both speech and writing.
Usually Built On Object-Taking Verbs
Because the meaning is passive, -ebl- normally requires a transitive verb with a possible object. Dormebla is problematic if intended as “able to sleep,” because ordinary dormi has no direct object to become the subject of a passive adjective. Say Eblas dormi ĉi tie or Oni povas dormi ĉi tie.
En la kabano eblas dormi, sed ne estas varma akvo.
It is possible to sleep in the cabin, but there is no hot water.
Oni povas sekure naĝi en ĉi tiu parto de la lago.
One can swim safely in this part of the lake.
Some established forms appear with verbs that usually take prepositional complements. Irebla vojo means a road or route that can be traveled; loĝebla domo means a house fit to live in. These are possible because Esperanto can, in restricted contexts, construe the route or dwelling as the verb’s object. They are conventional and clear, not a general license to attach -ebl- to every intransitive verb.
Post la ŝtormo nur unu montara vojo restis irebla.
After the storm only one mountain road remained passable.
La apartamento estos loĝebla post la riparo de la hejtado.
The apartment will be habitable after the heating is repaired.
The transitive and intransitive verbs page gives the underlying valency distinction.
-Ebl-, -Ind-, And -End-
These three passive suffixes answer different questions:
| Form | Question | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| legebla | Can it be read? | possible to read |
| leginda | Is it worth reading? | deserving to be read |
| legenda | Must it be read? | needing to be read |
La raporto estas legebla, sed ne leginda.
The report is readable, but not worth reading.
La sekurecaj instrukcioj estas ne nur legeblaj, sed ankaŭ legendaj antaŭ la laboro.
The safety instructions are not only readable but also must be read before the work.
Possibility, value, and obligation can coincide, but the suffixes do not entail one another. A difficult classic may be leginda but not easily legebla; an uninteresting regulation may be legenda without being leginda. See -ind- and -end-.
The Independent Root Ebl-
Ebl- also functions as an ordinary root: ebla “possible,” eble “perhaps/possibly,” eblo “a possibility or opportunity,” ebligi “make possible.” Here there need not be a preceding action with passive scope.
La nova horaro ebligos al mi ĉeesti la kurson.
The new schedule will make it possible for me to attend the course.
Eble ni povos fini la laboron hodiaŭ.
Perhaps we will be able to finish the work today.
This distinction explains why attaching a random noun before -ebl- can be ambiguous. In careful writing, prefer a clear verb-derived adjective or a phrase with ebla/eblo. Experimental forms such as ir-eblo with a hyphen have been proposed to mean “an opportunity to go,” but eblo iri is clearer and more conventional.
Negation And Scope
Nelegebla means “not readable, illegible”: ne- negates the completed possibility. Nemalhavebla is built from malhavi “do without”: something that cannot be done without, hence indispensable. Each layer must contribute a meaning.
La subskribo estas preskaŭ nelegebla.
The signature is almost illegible.
Akvo estas nemalhavebla por la vivo.
Water is indispensable for life.
Do not imitate the spelling of an English negative compound without checking scope. The affix stacking and scope page gives the general method.
Common Mistakes
Giving -Ebl- An Active Meaning
❌ Mia sesjara filo estas legebla.
Incorrect for ‘can read’ — legebla means capable of being read.
✅ Mia sesjara filo jam povas legi.
My six-year-old son can already read.
Attaching It Freely To An Intransitive Verb
❌ Mi estas dormebla nun.
Incorrect for ‘I can sleep now’ — dormi normally has no object for passive -ebl-.
✅ Mi povas dormi nun.
I can sleep now.
Confusing Possibility With Worth
❌ La libro estas legebla, do ĝi certe estas leginda.
Incorrect inference — something can be readable without being worth reading.
✅ La libro estas legebla, sed mi ne trovis ĝin leginda.
The book is readable, but I did not find it worth reading.
Copying An English -able Word Mechanically
❌ La seĝo estas komfortebla.
Incorrect coinage — English comfortable is not transparently ‘able to be comforted.’
✅ La seĝo estas komforta.
The chair is comfortable.
Key Takeaways
- -Ebl- expresses passive possibility: the described item can undergo the base action.
- It normally attaches to an object-taking verb; active ability uses povi.
- Established extensions such as irebla, loĝebla, and sentence adverbs must be learned from usage.
- -Ebl-, -ind-, and -end- distinguish possibility, worthiness, and obligation.
- Affix order and the object test keep new formations transparent.
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Start learning Esperanto →Related Topics
- -ind-: Worthiness Of An ActionB1 — Use -ind- to judge something worthy, deserving, or worthwhile as the object of the base action.
- -end-: Obligation Requiring An ActionB1 — Use -end- to describe something that must undergo a required action, and distinguish necessity from possibility and worthiness.
- Root Character and CategoryA2 — Understand how a root's inherent meaning shapes its noun, adjective, adverb, and verb forms.
- Affix Stacking and ScopeB2 — Interpret and build multi-affix Esperanto words by applying each layer in order and keeping the semantic head and participant roles clear.
- Transitive and Intransitive VerbsA2 — Learn which verbs license a direct object, which require another construction, and how Esperanto systematically changes valency.