Skribu la poentaron sur la papero.

The ending -u is the Esperanto volitive ending. It is used for commands, requests, instructions, and wishes.

So skribu means something like:

• write!
• please write
• do write

In this sentence, it is telling someone to write the score on the paper.

Compare:

• skribi = to write
• skribas = writes / is writing
• skribu = write!

Not necessarily. Esperanto -u can sound like a direct command, but it can also be softer, like an instruction or polite request. The tone depends a lot on context and voice, just like in English.

So Skribu la poentaron sur la papero could mean:

• a firm command
• a classroom instruction
• a polite request, depending on situation

If someone wants to sound extra polite, they might add words like bonvolu.

The -n marks the direct object.

Here, the thing being written is la poentaro, so it becomes la poentaron.

You are doing the action of writing the score, so the score gets the -n.

A very literal breakdown is:

• Skribu = write
• la poentaron = the score
• sur la papero = on the paper

So the -n helps show what receives the action.

Poento means point or score point.

The middle part -ar- is a suffix meaning a collection or set of things.

So:

• poento = a point
• poentaro = a collection/total of points, so score

This is a common Esperanto word-building pattern. For example:

• arbo = tree
• arbaro = forest

So poentaro is built very logically.

Esperanto uses la as its definite article, meaning the.

So:

• la poentaron = the score
• la papero = the paper

It is normal to use la before both nouns if both are definite.

Also, Esperanto has no indefinite article. There is no separate word for a/an. So learners often notice la, but the bigger thing to remember is:

• la = the
• no article = a/an or just an unspecified noun, depending on context

Because sur means on, and writing happens on the surface of the paper.

• sur la papero = on the paper
• en la papero = in the paper

Using en here would sound wrong if you mean writing on a sheet of paper. In English we also say write on the paper, not write in the paper, unless we mean something like a newspaper or a written document in a different sense.

So sur is the natural choice for physical paper.

After a preposition like sur, you normally do not use -n, because the preposition already shows the relationship.

So:

• sur la papero = on the paper

You can sometimes add -n after a preposition to show direction toward a place or surface:

• sur la tablon = onto the table

But in this sentence, the paper is just the location/surface where the writing appears, so sur la papero is the normal form.

Yes. Esperanto word order is fairly flexible because grammar is shown by endings like -n and by prepositions like sur.

The most neutral order here is:

• Skribu la poentaron sur la papero.

But other orders are possible, such as:

• Skribu sur la papero la poentaron.

That still works, because la poentaron is clearly the direct object.

Even so, the original order is the most natural for a basic instruction.

It can be either. Esperanto does not change the verb form for singular you versus plural you.

So skribu can mean:

• write! (to one person)
• write! (to several people)

If needed, the speaker can add a word to make it clear:

• Vi skribu = you write
• Ĉiuj skribu = everyone write

But by itself, skribu works for both singular and plural.