Evitu la truon en la vojo.

Evitu is the volitive form of the verb eviti (to avoid).

In Esperanto, the volitive ending is -u. It is used for:

• commands
• requests
• suggestions
• wishes

So Evitu la truon en la vojo means something like:

• Avoid the hole in the road
• Please avoid the hole in the road

Literally, evitu is like may you avoid.

The -n ending marks the direct object.

Here, the thing being avoided is la truo (the hole), so it becomes la truon:

• truo = a hole
• truon = a hole, as the direct object

In the sentence:

• Evitu = avoid
• la truon = the hole

So the -n shows what is being avoided.

Because en la vojo shows location, not direction toward somewhere.

In Esperanto:

• en la vojo = in/on the road as a place
• en la vojon would suggest movement into the road

Here the hole is already located there, so Esperanto uses:

• en la vojo = in the road / on the road

This is a very common point: the -n can mark direction after a preposition, but only when there is movement toward something.

Yes. In English, we usually say on the road, but Esperanto often says en la vojo for something physically in the body of the road, such as a hole.

So:

• English: the hole in the road
• Esperanto: la truo en la vojo

If you said sur la vojo, that would more strongly suggest something on top of the road’s surface, like a box or a person standing there.

A hole is understood as being in the road, so en is natural.

Because Esperanto uses la for each noun that is definite.

Here both nouns are definite:

• la truon = the hole
• la vojo = the road

So Esperanto says:

• Evitu la truon en la vojo

This is normal. Esperanto does not usually drop the article the way English sometimes does in short phrases.

The base form is eviti, which means to avoid.

Esperanto verb endings are very regular:

• eviti = to avoid
• evitas = avoids / is avoiding
• evitis = avoided
• evitos = will avoid
• evitus = would avoid
• evitu = avoid! / should avoid
• evitante = avoiding

So evitu comes directly from eviti.

By itself, evitu does not show singular vs. plural.

It can be used for:

• you singular
• you plural
• polite/formal you

Esperanto does not change the verb form the way some languages do for different kinds of you.

If the subject were stated, it would usually be vi:

• Vi evitu la truon en la vojo.

But in commands, the subject is often omitted.

Yes, depending on context.

Truo literally means hole. If the hole in the road is specifically a pothole, English might naturally translate it as:

• Avoid the pothole in the road.

Esperanto itself just says truo here, so the exact English choice depends on the situation.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, because endings show the grammatical roles.

The most neutral order is:

• Evitu la truon en la vojo.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• La truon en la vojo evitu.
• En la vojo evitu la truon.

These are understandable because truon still has the -n marking it as the object.

Still, the original order is the most straightforward for learners.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

eh-VEE-too la TROO-on en la VOY-o

A few helpful points:

• e is like e in bet
• i is like ee in see
• u is like oo in food
• j is pronounced like English y
• stress is always on the second-to-last syllable

So:

• evitu → eh-VEE-too
• truon → TRU-on
• vojo → VOY-o

It is pronounced in two syllables: tru-on.

That is because truo contains two vowels that belong to separate syllables:

• u
• o

So:

• truo = TRU-o
• truon = TRU-on

This sometimes feels unusual to English speakers, but it is normal in Esperanto.

That would sound unnatural here.

Esperanto normally uses la when talking about a specific thing the listener can identify:

• the hole
• the road

Since this sentence is clearly about a particular hole in a particular road, la is the natural choice:

• Evitu la truon en la vojo.

Without la, it would sound more like:

• Avoid a hole in a road

which is much less likely in this situation.

It does, but Esperanto uses the -u ending for that function instead of having a completely separate verb form.

So the command form is built very regularly:

• eviti → evitu
• iri → iru (go!)
• veni → venu (come!)

This regularity is one of the nice features of Esperanto grammar.