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Learn Hardcore Esperanto: La rentgenbildo montras la makzelon. - The X-ray image shows the jaw.

Hardcore Esperanto
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/La rentgenbildo montras la makzelon.

La rentgenbildo montras la makzelon.

La rentgenbildo montras la makzelon.

The X-ray image shows the jaw.

Breakdown of La rentgenbildo montras la makzelon.

the X-ray image

Questions & Answers about La rentgenbildo montras la makzelon.

Why does makzelon end in -n?

The -n marks the direct object in Esperanto.

In this sentence:

La rentgenbildo = the subject, the thing doing the showing
montras = shows
la makzelon = the object, the thing being shown

So makzelo becomes makzelon because it is what the X-ray shows.

A very literal breakdown is:

La rentgenbildo = the X-ray image
montras = shows
la makzelon = the jaw

This -n ending is called the accusative.

Why does both nouns have la?

Because la means the, and Esperanto uses it much like English for definite nouns.

So:

La rentgenbildo = the X-ray image
la makzelon = the jaw

Unlike English, Esperanto has:

a definite article: la
no indefinite article: there is no separate word for a/an

So:

rentgenbildo = an X-ray image / X-ray image
la rentgenbildo = the X-ray image

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What does montras mean grammatically?

Montras is the present-tense form of the verb montri, meaning to show.

Esperanto verb endings are very regular:

-i = infinitive: montri = to show
-as = present: montras = shows / is showing
-is = past: montris = showed
-os = future: montros = will show

So montras tells you the action is in the present.

Why is rentgenbildo one word?

Because Esperanto very commonly forms compound words by joining roots together.

Here:

rentgen- = X-ray
bildo = picture/image

So rentgenbildo literally means something like X-ray image.

This is extremely normal in Esperanto. Instead of using many separate words, Esperanto often builds one clear compound noun.

How do I know la rentgenbildo is the subject and not la makzelon?

The main clue is the -n ending.

la rentgenbildo has no -n, so it is the subject
la makzelon has -n, so it is the direct object

In English, word order is usually what tells you who does what. In Esperanto, the accusative -n often makes that clear even if the word order changes.

Could the word order be different?

Yes. Because makzelon has the accusative -n, Esperanto can be more flexible with word order than English.

For example, these still mean essentially the same thing:

La rentgenbildo montras la makzelon.
La makzelon montras la rentgenbildo.

The first is more neutral and natural for a learner. The second is possible because -n still shows that makzelon is the object.

What is the basic dictionary form of makzelon?

The dictionary form is makzelo.

Esperanto nouns normally end in -o, so:

makzelo = jaw
makzelon = jaw, as a direct object
makzeloj = jaws
makzelojn = jaws, as direct objects

A useful rule is: if you see a noun ending in -on, try removing the -n to find the base form.

Why does makzelo end in -o?

Because -o is the standard noun ending in Esperanto.

This is one of the most regular parts of the language:

-o = noun
-a = adjective
-e = adverb

So makzelo is clearly a noun just from its ending.

How would I say an X-ray shows a jaw?

Esperanto has no separate word for a/an, so you would simply leave out la:

Rentgenbildo montras makzelon.

That is the general pattern:

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

That said, in real usage, whether this sounds natural depends on context. Often people would choose wording based on what exactly they mean.

How is rentgenbildo pronounced?

A rough pronunciation guide is:

RENt-gen-BEEL-do

A few useful points:

g is always a hard g, like in go
e is like e in met
i is like ee in see
stress in Esperanto usually falls on the second-to-last syllable

So rentgenbildo is stressed on bil: rent-gen-BIL-do

Is montras singular because the subject is singular?

No. Esperanto verbs do not change according to person or number.

So the same present-tense form works with all subjects:

mi montras = I show
vi montras = you show
li montras = he shows
ili montras = they show

That means montras does not specifically mean singular. It is just the present tense form.

What would the plural version of this sentence look like?

You would add -j for plural, and keep -n on the direct object.

For example:

La rentgenbildoj montras la makzelojn.

Breakdown:

rentgenbildo = X-ray image
rentgenbildoj = X-ray images
makzelo = jaw
makzelojn = jaws, as direct objects

If a word is both plural and accusative, the ending is -jn.

Do adjectives have to agree here?

There are no adjectives in this sentence, but yes—if you added one, it would have to agree with the noun in number and case.

For example:

La klara rentgenbildo montras la makzelon. = The clear X-ray image shows the jaw.
La klara rentgenbildo montras la malsanan makzelon. = The clear X-ray image shows the unhealthy jaw.

If the noun is accusative, the adjective also gets -n:

la malsanan makzelon

This agreement is a very important Esperanto pattern.

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