Ni kuiras paston.

Ni by itself means we.

In Esperanto, you do not need a separate word for are unless you are actually using the verb to be. Here, the main verb is kuiras = cook / are cooking, so ni kuiras already means we cook or we are cooking.

• ni = we
• kuiras = cook / are cooking

So Ni kuiras paston is a complete sentence.

The ending -as marks the present tense in Esperanto.

So:

• kuiri = to cook
• kuiras = cook / cooks / am cooking / is cooking / are cooking

Esperanto uses the same present-tense ending for all persons:

• mi kuiras = I cook / I am cooking
• vi kuiras = you cook / you are cooking
• li kuiras = he cooks / he is cooking
• ni kuiras = we cook / we are cooking

Unlike English, the verb does not change depending on the subject.

The -n ending marks the direct object.

In this sentence, pasto is the thing being cooked, so it gets -n:

• Ni kuiras paston = We cook pasta.

This is one of the most important grammar features in Esperanto:

• subject = no -n
• direct object = -n

Compare:

• La hundo manĝas viandon. = The dog eats meat.
• Ni kuiras paston. = We cook pasta.

The basic dictionary form is pasto.

The -n is added only because it is the direct object in this sentence.

So:

• pasto = pasta
• paston = pasta as a direct object

If you looked the word up in a dictionary, you would search for pasto, not paston.

It can mean either one.

Esperanto present tense often covers both:

• a general present: we cook pasta
• an action happening now: we are cooking pasta

Usually, the context tells you which meaning is intended.

If needed, speakers can add words for clarity, but often the plain present tense is enough.

Esperanto does not have an indefinite article like English a/an.

It does have la for the, but you only use it when you want that definite meaning.

So:

• Ni kuiras paston = We are cooking pasta / We cook pasta
• Ni kuiras la paston = We are cooking the pasta

Without la, the noun is general or indefinite, depending on context.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, because the -n ending helps show what the object is.

The normal order is:

• Ni kuiras paston.

But you could also say:

• Paston ni kuiras.

That might sound more marked or emphatic, like It is pasta that we are cooking.

For learners, it is best to start with the usual order:

• subject + verb + object

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Ni ≈ nee
• kuiras ≈ KOO-ee-rahs
• paston ≈ PAHS-ton

A few helpful points:

• Esperanto stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable
• kuiras has three syllables: ku-I-ras
• paston has two syllables: PAS-ton

So the stress goes on:

• kuIras
• PASton

The infinitive is kuiri, meaning to cook.

Esperanto verbs have very regular endings:

• -i = infinitive → kuiri = to cook
• -as = present → kuiras = cook / is cooking
• -is = past → kuiris = cooked
• -os = future → kuros = will cook

So kuiras is just the present-tense form of kuiri.

It is singular.

In Esperanto:

• singular noun: no -j
• plural noun: add -j

So:

• pasto = pasta
• pastoj = pastas
• paston = pasta (object)
• pastojn = pastas (object, plural)

In this sentence, paston is singular direct object.

No, that would be incorrect here.

Because pasta is the direct object, it must take -n:

• correct: Ni kuiras paston
• incorrect: Ni kuiras pasta

In Esperanto, adjectives often end in -a, so leaving off the -n can make the form look wrong or incomplete in this sentence.

Yes, pasto is the normal Esperanto word for pasta.

In a sentence like Ni kuiras paston, it usually means pasta as food in a general sense, not necessarily one specific shape or type.

If you wanted to be more specific, you could name a particular kind of pasta, but pasto is the ordinary general word.