Ne metu pneŭon sur la radon ĝis la flikaĵo estos preta.

to be

Breakdown of Ne metu pneŭon sur la radon ĝis la flikaĵo estos preta.

• la: the
• ne: not
• ĝis: until

Questions & Answers about Ne metu pneŭon sur la radon ĝis la flikaĵo estos preta.

Why is metu used here instead of metas or meti?

Metu is the -u form, which is used for commands, requests, instructions, and similar ideas.

So:

• meti = to put
• metas = puts / is putting
• metu = put! / let ... put / should put

Because this sentence is giving an instruction, Esperanto uses metu. With ne, it becomes a negative command:

• Ne metu = Don’t put

Why does pneŭon end in -n?

The -n marks the direct object.

Here, the thing being put is the tire, so pneŭon is the object of metu:

• meti ion = to put something
• here, that something is pneŭon

So pneŭon means a tire or the tire, depending on context.

Why is it sur la radon and not sur la rado?