Duono de la teksaĵo estas silko.

to be

Breakdown of Duono de la teksaĵo estas silko.

• la: the
• de: of
• teksaĵo: the textile; woven material

Questions & Answers about Duono de la teksaĵo estas silko.

Why is it duono and not duona?

Because duono is a noun meaning half or one half.

In this sentence, duono is the main word of the subject:

Duono de la teksaĵo = half of the textile/fabric

By contrast, duona is an adjective meaning half- or partial, and it has to modify another noun:

• duona horo = half an hour
• duona pano = half a loaf

So here, duono is correct because we are naming a thing: a half.

What does de la teksaĵo mean here?

It means of the textile/fabric.

Esperanto commonly uses de to show the whole that a fraction belongs to:

• duono de la kuko = half of the cake
• triono de la klaso = a third of the class
• parto de la mono = part of the money

So duono de la teksaĵo literally means half of the textile/fabric.

Why is there la before teksaĵo?

Because la shows that we are talking about a specific textile/fabric, not fabric in general.

So:

• la teksaĵo = the textile/fabric, the one already known in context
• teksaĵo = textile/fabric in a general or indefinite sense

In a sentence like this, la usually means the speaker and listener both know which material is being discussed.