Dentoplako restas inter la dentoj.

the

Breakdown of Dentoplako restas inter la dentoj.

• resti: to remain
• dento: the tooth
• inter: between

Questions & Answers about Dentoplako restas inter la dentoj.

What does dentoplako mean literally, and how is it built?

Dentoplako is a compound word:

• dento = tooth
• plako = plaque

So dentoplako literally means tooth-plaque, i.e. dental plaque.

In Esperanto compounds, the main idea usually comes at the end. So plako is the basic noun, and dento- tells you what kind of plaque it is.

Why is the verb restas used here instead of estas?

Restas comes from resti, which means to remain, stay, continue to be.

So:

• estas = is
• restas = remains / stays

Using restas gives the idea that the plaque continues to be there between the teeth, not just that it is there in a neutral sense.

Why does restas end in -as?