Dum tiu periodo ni marŝis multe.

we

Breakdown of Dum tiu periodo ni marŝis multe.

• dum: during
• tiu: that
• multe: a lot

Questions & Answers about Dum tiu periodo ni marŝis multe.

What does dum mean in this sentence?

Here dum means during.

So Dum tiu periodo = During that period.

A useful extra point: dum can also mean while when it introduces a whole clause.

• Dum tiu periodo ni marŝis multe. = During that period, we walked a lot.
• Dum ni marŝis, pluvis. = While we were walking, it was raining.

So dum can work with either:

• a noun phrase: dum tiu periodo
• a clause: dum ni marŝis

Why is it tiu periodo and not tiun periodon?

Because dum is a preposition, and after ordinary prepositions Esperanto normally uses the basic form without -n.

So:

• dum tiu periodo = during that period

Not:

• dum tiun periodon

The -n ending is not used here because dum already shows the relationship.

A related point: Esperanto can sometimes express duration without a preposition, and then you may see -n:

• Ni marŝis tiun periodon. = We walked for that period.
  This is possible in Esperanto, but dum tiu periodo is clearer and more usual for learners.