Breakdown of Dum la ekskurso la vetero estis jen varma, jen malvarma.
esti
to be
la
the
varma
warm
vetero
the weather
Questions & Answers about Dum la ekskurso la vetero estis jen varma, jen malvarma.
What does dum mean here?
Dum means during. It introduces a time phrase: dum la ekskurso = during the excursion / during the trip.
In this sentence, it tells you when the weather kept changing.
Why is it la ekskurso and not just ekskurso?
La means the, so la ekskurso refers to a specific excursion that speaker and listener already have in mind.
- dum la ekskurso = during the excursion
- dum ekskurso would sound more general, like during an excursion or while on an excursion
So here la makes the situation definite and specific.
Why is there also la in la vetero?
Esperanto uses la for definite nouns, just like English uses the. Here la vetero means the weather, meaning the weather in that particular situation.
This is very natural, just like English:
- the weather was warm
- la vetero estis varma
What is ?