Mi kandidatiĝos, krom se la posteno estas partatempa.

It is made of several parts:

• kandidat- = candidate
• -iĝ- = become, get into a state, or take on the role of
• -os = future tense ending

So kandidatiĝi means to become a candidate or to put oneself forward / apply / run depending on context.
Then kandidatiĝos means will become a candidate / will apply / will run.

This is a very typical Esperanto pattern: a root + -iĝ- + a tense ending.

In practice, learners are much more likely to meet kandidatiĝi.

• kandidatiĝi = to become a candidate, to put oneself forward
• kandidati is much less standard and may sound less natural in many contexts

The -iĝ- part is helpful because it clearly shows a change into the role of candidate. That is why Mi kandidatiĝos is a very natural way to say this.

krom se means unless.

Literally, it is something like:

• krom = apart from, except
• se = if

So krom se la posteno estas partatempa means unless the position is part-time.

This is a very common structure in Esperanto. You can think of it as an exception clause.

Esperanto often uses the present tense in a condition clause when English would also often use the present:

• Mi kandidatiĝos, krom se la posteno estas partatempa.

This is normal because the clause after se or krom se states the condition itself, not a separate future event marked in the same way as the main verb.

It works much like English:

• I will apply unless the position is part-time.

We do not normally say unless the position will be part-time.

So estas is exactly what you would expect here.

Because it describes the position (la posteno), which is a noun.

• partatempa = part-time, as an adjective
• partatempe = part-time, as an adverb

In the sentence, the idea is the position is part-time, so the adjective partatempa agrees with the noun idea.

Compare:

• La posteno estas partatempa. = The position is part-time.
• Mi laboras partatempe. = I work part-time.

So -a is correct here, not -e.

It is a compound word:

• part- = part
• temp- = time
• -a = adjective ending

So partatempa literally means part-time.

Esperanto makes compound words very freely, and this is a good example of how compact that can be.

La is the definite article, meaning the.

So la posteno means the position or the post. It suggests a specific job or position that is already known from context.

If you said posteno without la, it would sound more like a position or any position, depending on context.

Not exactly.

• posteno = a post, position, job opening, role
• laboro = work, labor, employment, the work itself

In this sentence, posteno is a good choice because it refers to the specific position being applied for, not work in general.

So it is closer to position than to work.

The comma separates the main clause from the conditional exception clause.

• Mi kandidatiĝos = main clause
• krom se la posteno estas partatempa = exception/condition clause

Esperanto punctuation is often fairly logical and clause-based, so this comma is natural and helpful for readability.

Yes. Esperanto word order is flexible, although some orders are more neutral than others.

The given sentence is the most straightforward:

• Mi kandidatiĝos, krom se la posteno estas partatempa.

You could also say:

• Krom se la posteno estas partatempa, mi kandidatiĝos.

That puts more focus on the condition first. Both are grammatical.

Because it is the subject of estas, not the direct object of another verb.

In Esperanto, the -n ending usually marks the direct object. But here:

• la posteno is the thing that is part-time
• partatempa describes la posteno

So there is no object here, and no -n is needed.

Not in this exact form, unless you wanted a different meaning.

The sentence as written is a normal real future statement:

• Mi kandidatiĝos... = I will apply / I’ll run...
• ...krom se la posteno estas partatempa. = unless the position is part-time.

If you changed it to estus, it would sound more hypothetical or less direct, and you would usually also change the main verb:

• Mi kandidatiĝus, krom se la posteno estus partatempa.

That would mean something like I would apply unless the position were part-time.

So estas matches the original sentence’s straightforward, real situation.

It can be either, depending on context.

kandidatiĝi basically means to put oneself forward as a candidate. So it can be used for:

• applying for a job or position
• standing as a candidate in an election
• putting yourself forward for some role

That is why context matters. The presence of la posteno here strongly suggests a job or position rather than a political election.