Mi pagis du eŭrojn.

I

Breakdown of Mi pagis du eŭrojn.

• pagi: to pay
• du: two
• eŭro: the euro

Questions & Answers about Mi pagis du eŭrojn.

Why is it pagis and not pagas?

Because -is is the Esperanto ending for the past tense.

• pagas = pays / is paying
• pagis = paid
• pagos = will pay

So Mi pagis means I paid.

Why does eŭrojn end in -jn?

It has two endings added to the noun:

• -j = plural
• -n = accusative

So:

• eŭro = euro
• eŭroj = euros
• eŭrojn = euros as the direct object

In this sentence, the euros are the thing that was paid, so Esperanto marks them with -n.

Why does Esperanto use -n here? English does not say I paid two euros with any special ending.

Esperanto often marks the direct object with -n, even when English does not mark it.

In Mi pagis du eŭrojn:

• Mi = the subject, the person doing the action
• pagis = the action
• du eŭrojn = the direct object, what was paid

This -n helps show the role of the word in the sentence and allows freer word order.

Why does du not change form?