Questions & Answers about Tio estas privata demando.
What does tio mean in this sentence?
Tio means that or that thing. It points to something already mentioned, understood from context, or being indicated in some general way.
So Tio estas privata demando means something like That is a private question.
A useful comparison:
- tio = that
- ĉi tio = this
- ĝi = it
Learners often confuse tio and ĝi. In many cases, tio refers to an idea, statement, or unspecified thing, while ĝi usually stands for a specific noun already established.
Why is the verb estas used here?
Estas is the present-tense form of esti, which means to be.
So:
- esti = to be
- estas = is / am / are
Esperanto uses the same present-tense verb form for all persons:
- mi estas = I am
- vi estas = you are
- li/ŝi/ĝi estas = he/she/it is
- ili estas = they are
Here, Tio estas privata demando literally follows the pattern:
That + is + a private question
Why does end in ?