La princo repagis la prunton.

• La = the
• princo = prince
• repagis = repaid / paid back
• la = the
• prunton = loan

So the sentence breaks down very directly as The prince repaid the loan.

The -n marks the direct object in Esperanto.

In this sentence:

• la princo is the one doing the action
• la prunton is the thing being repaid

So:

• princo = subject
• prunton = object

Without the -n, prunto would just be the basic dictionary form. With -n, it means the loan as the thing affected by the verb.

Because princo is the subject, not the object.

Esperanto normally marks:

• the subject with no special ending
• the direct object with -n

So:

• La princo = the prince did the action
• La prunton = the loan received the action

Repagis can be analyzed as:

• re- = again / back
• pag = pay
• -is = past tense verb ending

So repagis literally means something like paid back or repaid.

This is a very common Esperanto pattern: prefixes often add meaning very neatly.

-is is the Esperanto ending for the past tense.

So:

• pagas = pays / is paying
• pagis = paid
• repagis = repaid / paid back

Esperanto verbs always keep the same form regardless of the subject, so you do not change the verb for I, you, he, they, etc.

Because both nouns are definite in this sentence:

• la princo = the prince
• la prunton = the loan

Esperanto uses la as its definite article, and it does not change for gender, number, or case. Even though prunton has -n, the article stays la, not something different.

Yes. Because Esperanto marks the object with -n, word order is more flexible than in English.

For example, these would still mean basically the same thing:

• La princo repagis la prunton.
• La prunton repagis la princo.

The -n on prunton tells you it is the object, even if it comes first.

That said, the original order is the most neutral and easiest for learners: subject + verb + object.

In normal use, prunto means a loan.

Depending on context, English might say:

• loan
• borrowed sum
• debt to be repaid

But in this sentence, the most natural translation is the loan.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• La = lah
• princo = PRIN-tso
• repagis = reh-PAH-gis
• la = lah
• prunton = PROON-ton

A few helpful points:

• c in Esperanto is always like ts
• stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable
  • PRIN-co
  • re-PA-gis
  • PRUN-ton

In Esperanto, ordinary nouns usually end in -o, no matter whether they refer to male, female, or non-gendered things.

So:

• princo = prince
• princino = princess

Here, princo is specifically male because that word means prince. But the noun ending itself, -o, is just the normal noun ending.

Not quite.

• pagis = paid
• repagis = paid back / repaid

Re- adds the idea of returning payment, settling what was owed, or paying back something previously received. In a sentence about a loan, repagis is more precise than just pagis.

Not exactly in the strictest sense.

Prunto is more specifically a loan.
English debt is broader. A debt can come from many things, not just a loan.

So if the sentence specifically says prunton, it is best to think of the loan rather than the more general debt.

The pattern is:

La + noun + verb + la + noun-n

More specifically:

• La princo = subject noun phrase
• repagis = past-tense verb
• la prunton = direct object noun phrase

This is a very typical Esperanto sentence structure and a good model to remember.