La ludpecoj staras sur la ludtabulo.

The playing pieces are standing on the game board.

Breakdown of La ludpecoj staras sur la ludtabulo.

• la: the
• sur: on
• stari: to stand
• ludtabulo: the game board

Questions & Answers about La ludpecoj staras sur la ludtabulo.

Why does ludpecoj end in -j?

Because -j marks the plural in Esperanto.

• ludpeco = game piece
• ludpecoj = game pieces

In this sentence, there is more than one game piece, so -j is needed.

Why does staras end in -as?

The ending -as shows the present tense.

So:

• staras = stands / are standing

Esperanto verbs do not change for person or number, so the same form is used with singular and plural subjects:

• la ludpeco staras = the game piece stands
• la ludpecoj staras = the game pieces stand / are standing

Why is staras used instead of estas?