La oficiala tarifo estas nova.

La is the definite article, so it means the.

Esperanto has only one article: la. It does not have a separate indefinite article like English a/an. So:

• la tarifo = the tariff
• tarifo = a tariff or just tariff, depending on context

So La oficiala tarifo means the official tariff.

In Esperanto, adjectives normally end in -a.

So:

• oficiala = official
• nova = new

That -a ending tells you the word is describing a noun or functioning as an adjective in the sentence.

This is one of the most regular parts of Esperanto grammar:

• nouns end in -o
• adjectives end in -a
• adverbs end in -e

Because tarifo is a noun, and Esperanto nouns end in -o.

So in this sentence:

• tarifo = tariff

This makes the structure very easy to recognize:

• oficiala = adjective
• tarifo = noun
• nova = adjective

A learner can often understand the job of a word just by looking at its ending.

Estas is the present-tense form of esti, which means to be.

So estas means is / am / are, depending on the subject.

In this sentence:

• La oficiala tarifo estas nova = The official tariff is new

Esperanto uses the same present-tense form estas with all subjects:

• mi estas = I am
• vi estas = you are
• li estas = he is
• ili estas = they are

So there is no change like English am / is / are.

Because there is no direct object here.

The ending -n in Esperanto is mainly used for the accusative, which usually marks the direct object. But this sentence is just:

• subject: La oficiala tarifo
• verb: estas
• predicate adjective: nova

A form of to be does not take a direct object in this kind of sentence. Nova is not an object; it describes the subject.

So nova is correct, not novan.

Because after esti and similar verbs, Esperanto often uses a predicate adjective. That means the adjective describes the subject rather than directly sitting next to the noun.

Here:

• La oficiala tarifo = the subject
• nova = describes that subject

So nova agrees with tarifo even though it is separated from it by estas.

This is similar to English:

• The tariff is new
• new still describes tariff, even though it comes after is

In Esperanto, that adjective still keeps its normal adjective form.

Yes, but that would change the structure and probably the meaning.

Your sentence is:

• La oficiala tarifo estas nova = The official tariff is new

If you put nova before the noun, you get something like:

• La nova oficiala tarifo = the new official tariff

That does not mean exactly the same thing. It turns new into part of the noun phrase instead of making it the main statement.

So:

• La oficiala tarifo estas nova = the tariff is new
• La nova oficiala tarifo = the new official tariff

That difference is very important.

Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, but this sentence uses the most neutral and common order.

The standard pattern here is:

• La oficiala tarifo = subject
• estas = verb
• nova = predicate adjective

So the normal version is:

• La oficiala tarifo estas nova

You can sometimes change word order for emphasis, but beginners should usually stick to the basic pattern. For example, Nova estas la oficiala tarifo is possible, but it sounds more marked or literary. The plain version is better for most situations.

Yes. It is a clear cognate.

Many Esperanto words are based on international roots, so English speakers often recognize them:

• oficiala ≈ official
• tarifo ≈ tariff
• nova ≈ novel/new in the broader Romance-family sense

But Esperanto spelling is its own system, so a familiar word may not look exactly like the English version. That is normal.

Esperanto stress is very regular: it always falls on the second-to-last syllable.

So the stress is:

• o-fi-ci-A-la
• ta-RI-fo
• ES-tas
• NO-va

A rough pronunciation guide for an English speaker:

• La = lah
• oficiala = o-fee-tsee-AH-lah
• tarifo = tah-REE-fo
• estas = ES-tahs
• nova = NO-vah

Also, Esperanto letters are pronounced much more consistently than English ones, which makes reading aloud easier once you know the sound system.