Questions & Answers about La vespermanĝo estas bufedo.
Why is vespermanĝo one word instead of two?
Esperanto very often builds new words by compounding smaller ones into a single word.
- vesper- = evening
- manĝo = meal, eating
So vespermanĝo is literally evening-meal.
This is completely normal in Esperanto. The main idea usually comes at the end, so manĝo is the core noun, and vesper- tells what kind of meal it is.
Other similar examples:
- matenmanĝo = breakfast
- tagmanĝo = lunch / midday meal
What does the ending -o mean in vespermanĝo and bufedo?
The ending -o marks a noun in Esperanto.
So:
- vespermanĝo is a noun
- bufedo is also a noun
This is one of the most regular parts of Esperanto grammar:
- -o = noun
- -a = adjective
- -e = adverb
- -i = infinitive verb
Because both words are things or concepts, they end in -o.
Why is there la before vespermanĝo?