Ni parolis pri demokratio.

Ni means we. Esperanto personal pronouns are very regular:

• mi = I
• vi = you
• li = he
• ŝi = she
• ĝi = it
• ni = we
• ili = they

So Ni parolis means we spoke or we were talking.

The verb is paroli, meaning to speak or to talk.

Esperanto verbs always show tense with fixed endings:

• -as = present
• -is = past
• -os = future
• -us = conditional
• -u = command / jussive
• -i = infinitive

So:

• parolas = speak / are speaking
• parolis = spoke / were speaking / talked
• parolos = will speak

In this sentence, parolis is past tense: we spoke or we were talking.

No. Esperanto verbs do not change for person or number.

So you get:

• mi parolis = I spoke
• vi parolis = you spoke
• li parolis = he spoke
• ni parolis = we spoke
• ili parolis = they spoke

The verb form stays the same. This is one of the simplest parts of Esperanto grammar.

Pri is a preposition meaning about or concerning.

So:

• paroli pri io = to talk about something
• Ni parolis pri demokratio. = We talked about democracy.

Many Esperanto prepositions work very directly like English ones, but you still have to learn which preposition goes with which expression. With paroli in the sense of discussing a topic, pri is the normal choice.

Because demokratio is the object of the preposition pri, not the direct object of the verb.

In Esperanto, the ending -n is used mainly for:

1. a direct object
2. motion toward something in some cases

After a preposition like pri, you normally do not add -n.

So:

• Mi legis libron. = I read a book.
  
  • libron gets -n because it is a direct object.
• Mi legis pri demokratio. = I read about democracy.
  
  • demokratio does not get -n because it follows pri.

Demokratio is a noun, and Esperanto nouns end in -o.

Some basic word-class endings are:

• -o = noun
• -a = adjective
• -e = adverb
• -i = infinitive verb

So:

• demokratio = democracy
• demokratia = democratic
• demokrate = democratically

The -o ending tells you immediately that demokratio is a noun.

Yes, basically. Esperanto often uses internationally recognizable roots, especially for abstract or scholarly words.

A native English speaker can often recognize words like:

• demokratio = democracy
• politiko = politics
• kulturo = culture
• religio = religion

Even when the word looks familiar, Esperanto still applies its own regular spelling and endings, such as the noun ending -o.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

nee pah-ROH-lees pree deh-moh-krah-TEE-oh

A few useful points:

• Ni sounds like nee
• parolis has stress on RO
• pri rhymes roughly with tree but with a rolled or tapped r
• demokratio is stressed on TI: de-mo-kra-TI-o

Esperanto stress is very regular: it falls on the second-to-last syllable.

Because Esperanto stress is almost always on the penultimate syllable, meaning the second-to-last syllable.

Break the words up:

• pa-ro-lis → stress on ro
• de-mo-kra-ti-o → stress on ti

This rule is extremely consistent in Esperanto, which makes pronunciation much easier than in English.

Yes. The Esperanto past tense -is does not by itself distinguish between:

• we spoke
• we talked
• we were talking
• we used to talk

The exact English translation depends on context.

So Ni parolis pri demokratio could mean:

• We talked about democracy.
• We were talking about democracy.

Context tells you which is most natural.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, though the normal order here is very natural.

Standard order:

• Ni parolis pri demokratio.

You might also see a different order for emphasis, such as:

• Pri demokratio ni parolis.

That still means basically the same thing, but it emphasizes about democracy.

Because Esperanto marks grammar clearly, word order is often freer than in English.

Because abstract nouns in Esperanto often appear without an article, just as they often do in English.

So:

• pri demokratio = about democracy

Esperanto does have a definite article, la, but it is only used when needed:

• la demokratio de tiu lando = the democracy of that country

In a general abstract sense, demokratio without la is perfectly normal.

Yes, slightly.

• paroli pri = talk about
• diskuti pri = discuss

So Ni parolis pri demokratio is broader and more neutral: we talked about democracy.

Ni diskutis pri demokratio suggests a more deliberate discussion or debate. In many contexts either could work, but parolis is the more general everyday verb.