Questions & Answers about La lando estas respubliko.
Why is there la before lando?
La is the definite article, meaning the.
So la lando = the country.
Esperanto has only one article, la. It does not change for gender, number, or case in normal use. Unlike English, there is no separate word for a/an.
Why does lando end in -o?
In Esperanto, nouns normally end in -o.
So:
- lando = country
- respubliko = republic
This noun ending is one of the most basic patterns in the language. It helps you recognize word classes very quickly.
Why is it estas and not esti?
Esti is the infinitive, meaning to be.
Estas is the present-tense form, meaning is / am / are depending on the subject.
So:
- esti = to be
- estas = is, am, are
In this sentence, the subject is la lando, so estas means is:
- La lando estas respubliko. = The country is a republic.