La katido nek miaŭas nek gratas la meblojn nokte.

Katido means kitten.

It is built from:

• kato = cat
• -id- = a young one, offspring, descendant
• -o = noun ending

So katido is literally young cat.

This -id- ending is very useful in Esperanto. For example:

• hundo = dog → hundido = puppy
• bovo = ox/cow → bovido = calf

La is the Esperanto word for the.

So:

• La katido = the kitten
• la meblojn = the furniture / the pieces of furniture

Esperanto has only one definite article, la. It does not change for gender, number, or case.

Unlike English, Esperanto has no indefinite article. So:

• katido = a kitten / kitten
• la katido = the kitten

Nek ... nek ... means neither ... nor ....

So:

• La katido nek miaŭas nek gratas la meblojn nokte.
• The kitten neither meows nor scratches the furniture at night.

It links two negative alternatives:

• nek miaŭas = does not meow
• nek gratas = nor does it scratch

This is the normal Esperanto way to say neither X nor Y.

Because nek ... nek ... already carries the negative idea.

In Esperanto, you do not need an extra ne here.
So this is correct:

• La katido nek miaŭas nek gratas la meblojn nokte.

Adding ne would usually be unnecessary or awkward for this basic pattern.

A good way to think of it is:

• ne = not
• nek ... nek ... = neither ... nor

Since nek already does the negative job, ne is not required.

The ending -as marks the present tense in Esperanto.

So:

• miaŭi = to meow
• miaŭas = meows / is meowing

and

• grati = to scratch
• gratas = scratches / is scratching

Esperanto verb endings are very regular:

• -as = present
• -is = past
• -os = future
• -us = conditional
• -u = command / volitive
• -i = infinitive

The -n marks the direct object.

Here, the thing being scratched is the furniture, so mebloj becomes meblojn.

Breakdown:

• meblo = a piece of furniture
• mebloj = pieces of furniture / furniture items
• meblojn = direct object plural

So in the sentence:

• gratas la meblojn = scratches the furniture

This -n is one of the most important endings in Esperanto.

Yes. English furniture is usually an uncountable noun, but Esperanto meblo is a normal countable noun meaning piece of furniture.

So:

• meblo = a piece of furniture
• mebloj = furniture items / pieces of furniture

That is why Esperanto often uses a plural form where English uses an uncountable noun.

So la meblojn literally means the furniture items, but in natural English it is usually translated simply as the furniture.

Nokte means at night or during the night.

It comes from:

• nokto = night
• -e = adverb ending

So nokte is an adverb meaning something like night-time-wise or at night.

This is very common in Esperanto. A noun can often become an adverb with -e:

• tage = by day / during the day
• vespere = in the evening
• somere = in summer

Yes. Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, especially for adverbs.

These are all possible, with slightly different emphasis:

• La katido nek miaŭas nek gratas la meblojn nokte.
• Nokte la katido nek miaŭas nek gratas la meblojn.
• La katido nokte nek miaŭas nek gratas la meblojn.

The original version is completely natural. Putting nokte first can emphasize the time.

Because the same subject, la katido, applies to both verbs.

So:

• La katido nek miaŭas nek gratas ...

means:

• The kitten neither meows nor scratches ...

You do not need to repeat la katido before gratas unless you want unusual emphasis or clarity.

English works similarly:

• The kitten neither meows nor scratches the furniture at night.

Yes. Miaŭi is an onomatopoeic verb, based on the sound a cat makes.

So:

• miaŭi = to meow
• miaŭas = meows

Different languages represent animal sounds differently, and Esperanto uses miaŭ for a cat sound.

You would only change the verb endings.

Present:

• La katido nek miaŭas nek gratas la meblojn nokte.
• The kitten neither meows nor scratches the furniture at night.

Past:

• La katido nek miaŭis nek gratis la meblojn nokte.
• The kitten neither meowed nor scratched the furniture at night.

Future:

• La katido nek miaŭos nek gratos la meblojn nokte.
• The kitten will neither meow nor scratch the furniture at night.

Everything else can stay the same.