La temperamento de la katido estas trankvila.

to be

Breakdown of La temperamento de la katido estas trankvila.

• la: the
• de: of
• trankvila: calm

Questions & Answers about La temperamento de la katido estas trankvila.

What does de mean in this sentence?

Here de shows a relationship like English of or 's.

So:

• la temperamento de la katido = the temperament of the kitten
• In natural English, that is often simply the kitten's temperament

Esperanto often uses de where English uses a possessive form.

Why is la used twice?

Because each definite noun phrase gets its own la.

• la temperamento = the temperament
• la katido = the kitten

So La temperamento de la katido literally has the before both nouns, just as English can say the temperament of the kitten.

If you removed the second la, de katido would sound less definite, more like of a kitten or kitten-related depending on context.

What does katido mean exactly, and how is it formed?

Katido means kitten.

It is built from:

• kat- = cat
• -id- = offspring / young one / descendant
• -o = noun ending

So katido is literally a young cat.

This is a very common Esperanto word-building pattern.

Why does trankvila end in ?