Mi portas antaŭtukon.

In Esperanto, all present-tense verbs end in -as.

So:

• porti = to wear / to carry
• portas = wear / is wearing / am wearing / carries, depending on context

Because the subject is mi = I, Mi portas means I wear or I am wearing.

Unlike English, the verb does not change for different persons:

• mi portas = I wear
• vi portas = you wear
• li portas = he wears

The ending stays -as for the present tense.

The -n is the accusative ending. It marks the direct object of the verb.

In Mi portas antaŭtukon:

• Mi is the subject: the person doing the action
• portas is the verb
• antaŭtukon is the thing being worn, so it is the direct object

Base noun:

• antaŭtuko = apron

As the direct object:

• antaŭtukon = apron

This is very common in Esperanto. A noun gets -n when it is the direct object.

The basic dictionary form is antaŭtuko.

You can break it down like this:

• antaŭ = before, in front of
• tuko = cloth

So antaŭtuko literally means something like front-cloth, which is why it means apron.

Then the sentence uses antaŭtukon because the noun is the direct object, so -n is added.

Yes. Esperanto makes compound words very freely, and this is a good example.

• antaŭ = in front of, before
• tuko = cloth

Combined:

• antaŭtuko = apron

This kind of word-building is very normal in Esperanto and is one of the language’s most useful features.

Esperanto does not have separate words for a and an.

So antaŭtukon can mean:

• an apron
• sometimes just apron, depending on context

Esperanto does have a definite article:

• la = the

So if you wanted to say the apron, you would say:

• Mi portas la antaŭtukon.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Porti is used for having something on your body or carrying something along with you.

So:

• Mi portas ĉapelon. = I am wearing a hat.
• Mi portas sakon. = I am carrying a bag.

In Mi portas antaŭtukon, the natural meaning is I am wearing an apron.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, partly because the -n ending shows which noun is the direct object.

The normal order is:

• Mi portas antaŭtukon.

But other orders are possible, for example:

• Antaŭtukon mi portas.

That might be used for emphasis, something like It is an apron that I am wearing.

Even if the order changes, the -n still shows that antaŭtukon is the object.

The aŭ is a diphthong, pronounced roughly like ow in now.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Mi ≈ mee
• portas ≈ POR-tahs
• antaŭtukon ≈ ahn-TAUW-too-kon

A few useful pronunciation points:

• every vowel is clearly pronounced
• stress in Esperanto usually falls on the second-to-last syllable
• so antaŭtukon is stressed on tu: an-taŭ-TU-kon

Because Esperanto usually prefers the simple verb form when possible.

• Mi portas antaŭtukon = I wear an apron / I am wearing an apron

That already works well for a present action.

A form like estas portanta is grammatically possible, but it is more cumbersome and usually unnecessary unless you specifically want to emphasize the ongoing action.

So the simple present portas is the normal and natural choice here.

Grammatically, yes. The verb porti can mean both wear and carry.

But in practice, the noun strongly guides the meaning. Since an apron is something people typically wear, the usual interpretation is:

• I am wearing an apron

If the speaker meant carrying an apron in their hands or bag, the context would normally make that clear.

Mi is a personal pronoun, meaning I.

It is the subject of the sentence:

• Mi = the one doing the action
• portas = performs the action
• antaŭtukon = receives the action

So the sentence structure is very straightforward:

• subject + verb + object