Ne pumpu la aertubon ĝis vi trovos la truon.

Do not pump the inner tube until you find the hole.

Breakdown of Ne pumpu la aertubon ĝis vi trovos la truon.

• vi: you
• la: the
• trovi: to find
• ne: not

Questions & Answers about Ne pumpu la aertubon ĝis vi trovos la truon.

Why is pumpu used here instead of pumpas or pumpi?

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

So:

• pumpas = is pumping / pumps
• pumpi = to pump
• pumpu = pump! / do pump

Because the sentence is telling someone what not to do, Esperanto uses the -u form:

• Ne pumpu = Don’t pump

This is the normal way to make a negative command in Esperanto.

How does Ne pumpu mean Don’t pump?

In Esperanto, you usually make a negative command by putting ne before the -u verb form.

So:

• Pumpu! = Pump!
• Ne pumpu! = Don’t pump!

This is very straightforward and regular. English uses don’t + verb, but Esperanto uses ne + -u form.

Why does aertubon end in -n?