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Apenaŭ la luanto transloĝiĝis, la krano komencis liki.

Apenaŭ la luanto transloĝiĝis, la krano komencis liki.
As soon as the tenant moved in, the tap began to leak.
From Lesson 32:Renting and moving into an apartment·Hardcore Esperanto

Questions & Answers about Apenaŭ la luanto transloĝiĝis, la krano komencis liki.

What does apenaŭ mean here?
Literally, apenaŭ means barely or hardly. In this kind of sentence, it often works idiomatically as hardly had ... when ... or no sooner had ... than .... So the idea is that the faucet started leaking almost immediately after the tenant moved.
Why is there no separate word for when or than in the sentence?
Esperanto does not need an extra linking word here. The pattern Apenaŭ ... , ... already shows the relationship between the two events. English often uses Hardly had ... when ... or No sooner had ... than ..., but Esperanto can express the same idea just with apenaŭ plus the two clauses.
Why are both verbs in the simple past tense, even though English might say had moved?

Esperanto often uses the simple past -is where English uses a past perfect like had moved. The order of events is clear from context and from apenaŭ:

  • transloĝiĝis happened first
  • komencis happened right after

So transloĝiĝis is perfectly natural here, even though English translation may need had moved.

How is transloĝiĝis built?

It can be broken down like this:

  • trans- = across, over, from one place/state to another
  • loĝ = live, reside
  • -iĝ- = become, undergo a change
  • -is = past tense

So transloĝiĝis means something like changed residence or moved house.

Why does the verb use -iĝ-?

The suffix -iĝ- shows that the subject undergoes the change itself. In other words, the tenant is the one who changed residence.

This is a very common Esperanto pattern:

  • -ig- = make something/someone become
  • -iĝ- = become, get into a new state

So transloĝiĝis is the natural intransitive idea: the tenant moved. You do not need sin here.

Does transloĝiĝis mean moved in or moved out?

By itself, transloĝiĝi usually means to move residence / relocate, without clearly stating direction. Context tells you whether that is moved in, moved out, or simply moved house.

If you want to make the direction explicit, Esperanto can add more words, such as:

  • transloĝiĝis en la loĝejon = moved into the apartment
  • transloĝiĝis el la loĝejo = moved out of the apartment
What exactly does luanto mean?

Luanto is the person renting something, so here it means tenant.

It comes from:

  • lui = to rent, hire
  • -ant- = active participle, someone doing the action
  • -o = noun ending

So luanto is literally one who rents. In housing context, that is the tenant.

Why is it komencis liki instead of making liki a normal past-tense verb too?

After verbs like komenci, Esperanto normally uses the infinitive:

  • komencis liki = began to leak
  • komencis paroli = began to speak
  • komencis kuri = began to run

So liki stays in the infinitive because it depends on komencis.

What does liki mean exactly?
Liki means to leak. It is used when liquid, gas, or something similar escapes where it should not. So la krano komencis liki means the faucet began leaking.
What does krano mean?
Krano means tap or faucet. Depending on context, it can also mean a valve or spigot, but in an everyday household sentence like this, faucet/tap is the most natural meaning.
Why is there a comma after transloĝiĝis?
The comma separates the opening clause from the main clause. The first part sets the time situation, and the second part gives the main event. This is very similar to English punctuation in a sentence like Hardly had the tenant moved, when the faucet started leaking.
How is transloĝiĝis pronounced?

A useful breakdown is:

trans-lo-ĝi-ĜIS

A few points:

  • ĝ sounds like the j in jam
  • Esperanto stress falls on the second-to-last syllable
  • so the stress is on ĝi, not on the final -is

So the word has a sound roughly like trans-lo-JEE-jis, with the main stress on the JEE part.

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