Ŝi fleksos la genuon, krom se la artiko doloros.

She will bend the knee unless the joint hurts.

Breakdown of Ŝi fleksos la genuon, krom se la artiko doloros.

• la: the
• se: if
• ŝi: she
• dolori: to hurt

Questions & Answers about Ŝi fleksos la genuon, krom se la artiko doloros.

Why does genuon end in -n?

Because la genuon is the direct object of fleksos. In Esperanto, the direct object takes the accusative ending -n.

• Ŝi fleksos la genuon = She will bend the knee.
• The thing being bent is the knee, so it gets -n.

The basic noun is genuo. With the accusative ending, it becomes genuon.

Why is la artiko not marked with -n?

Because la artiko is the subject of doloros, not the object.

In la artiko doloros:

• la artiko = the joint
• doloros = will hurt / will ache

So the joint is the thing that hurts. Subjects do not take -n.

Compare:

• La artiko doloros. = The joint will hurt.
• Ŝi fleksos la artikon. = She will bend the joint.

In the second sentence, artikon would take -n because it is the object.

What does krom se mean?