Ŝi turnis la aparaton.

Ŝi is the Esperanto third-person singular pronoun for she.

The letter ŝ is pronounced like sh in shoe. So ŝi sounds like shee.

A few related pronouns:

• li = he
• ĝi = it
• ili = they

In Esperanto, verb endings show tense very clearly.

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

So:

• turnas = turns / is turning
• turnis = turned
• turnos = will turn

That means Ŝi turnis la aparaton is in the past tense because of -is.

The dictionary form is turni, which means to turn.

Esperanto dictionary forms for verbs always end in -i.
So:

• turni = to turn
• turnis = turned
• turnas = turns / is turning

When learning vocabulary, you usually memorize the -i form.

The -n ending marks the direct object.

In this sentence:

• Ŝi = the subject, the person doing the action
• turnis = the action
• la aparaton = the thing being turned

So aparato becomes aparaton because it receives the action.

This is one of the most important patterns in Esperanto:

• La hundo vidas la katon. = The dog sees the cat.
• La kato vidas la hundon. = The cat sees the dog.

The -n helps show who is doing what, even if the word order changes.

La is the definite article, meaning the.

So:

• aparato = a device / device
• la aparato = the device

Esperanto has only one article: la. It does not change for gender, number, or case, although the noun after it can change:

• la aparato
• la aparaton
• la aparatoj
• la aparatojn

If the meaning given to the learner is the device, then la is exactly what you would expect.

No, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, because endings do a lot of the grammatical work.

The most neutral order is:

• Ŝi turnis la aparaton.

But these can also be grammatical:

• La aparaton ŝi turnis.
• Turnis ŝi la aparaton.

Because aparaton has -n, you still know it is the object.

That said, the normal beginner-friendly order is still subject + verb + object.

It often means to turn in the physical sense, like rotating or changing direction. But depending on context, it can also be used in broader ways, much like English turn.

For example, context might tell you whether she:

• rotated the device
• turned the device around
• adjusted a knob or control

If English uses turn on or turn off, Esperanto often uses more specific verbs such as:

• ŝalti = switch on
• malŝalti = switch off

So turnis la aparaton usually suggests actual turning or rotating unless the context indicates another meaning.

Because Esperanto verbs do not change according to person or number.

So:

• mi turnas = I turn
• vi turnas = you turn
• ŝi turnas = she turns
• ili turnas = they turn

The verb ending only shows tense or mood, not the subject.

This is one reason many learners find Esperanto grammar easier than English grammar.

No. As written, it means she turned the device.

If you want to say she turned herself, Esperanto normally uses sin, the reflexive pronoun:

• Ŝi turnis sin. = She turned herself.

So:

• Ŝi turnis la aparaton. = She turned the device.
• Ŝi turnis sin. = She turned herself.

To make nouns plural in Esperanto, add -j.

So:

• aparato = device
• aparatoj = devices

If the plural noun is also a direct object, it gets both endings:

• aparatojn = devices, as a direct object

Examples:

• Ŝi turnis la aparaton. = She turned the device.
• Ŝi turnis la aparatojn. = She turned the devices.

Yes. Adjectives in Esperanto agree with the noun in number and case.

For example:

• la granda aparato = the large device
• la grandan aparaton = the large device, as a direct object

If plural:

• la grandaj aparatoj = the large devices
• la grandajn aparatojn = the large devices, as direct objects

So if you expand your sentence, the endings have to match:

• Ŝi turnis la grandan aparaton.

Yes, aparato is a standard Esperanto word meaning apparatus, device, or sometimes equipment, depending on context.

It can sound a little formal in English if translated as apparatus, but in Esperanto it is perfectly normal. In many contexts, device is the most natural English translation.

So la aparaton could refer to:

• a machine
• an instrument
• a piece of equipment
• an electronic device

The exact English wording depends on context.