Ŝi kontrolas la tripiedon same kiel la kameraon.

Because they are both direct objects of the verb kontrolas.

In Esperanto, the direct object normally takes the accusative ending -n:

• la tripiedo = the tripod
• la tripiedon = the tripod as the thing being checked
• la kamerao = the camera
• la kameraon = the camera as the thing being checked

So Ŝi kontrolas la tripiedon same kiel la kameraon means she is checking both of those things.

Same kiel means in the same way as or just like.

So the sentence is not merely listing two objects with and. It is saying that she checks the tripod in the same way that she checks the camera, or that both receive the same kind of checking.

Compare:

• Ŝi kontrolas la tripiedon kaj la kameraon. = She checks the tripod and the camera.
• Ŝi kontrolas la tripiedon same kiel la kameraon. = She checks the tripod the same way as the camera / just like the camera.

Because kaj and same kiel do different jobs.

• kaj simply joins two items: the tripod and the camera
• same kiel adds the idea of similarity or equal treatment: the tripod, just like the camera

So same kiel is more specific. It suggests that the action applies to the tripod in the same manner or to the same extent as it applies to the camera.

Here, same is an adverb.

It does not change its ending, because adverbs in Esperanto usually end in -e and do not agree with nouns. It modifies the relationship expressed by kiel.

So:

• sama = same, as an adjective
• same = similarly, in the same way, as an adverb

That is why we say:

• la sama kamerao = the same camera
• same kiel la kamerao = in the same way as the camera

La is the definite article, meaning the.

It appears before both tripiedon and kameraon because both are being referred to as specific, identifiable objects:

• la tripiedon = the tripod
• la kameraon = the camera

Repeating la is normal and expected here. Esperanto does not usually drop it in this kind of structure.

Not usually in this sentence.

Although kontroli can sometimes resemble English control, it very often means to check, to inspect, or to examine.

So here Ŝi kontrolas la tripiedon most naturally means:

• She checks the tripod
• She inspects the tripod

If you translated it as controls, that could sound misleading in English.

Ŝi means she.

Si is a special reflexive pronoun used only when the object refers back to the subject, as in herself, himself, themselves, etc.

Here, the subject is simply she, so Esperanto uses ŝi:

• Ŝi kontrolas... = She checks...

You would use si in a sentence like:

• Ŝi vidas sin. = She sees herself.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible because the accusative -n helps show what the object is.

For example, these are grammatically possible:

• Ŝi kontrolas la tripiedon same kiel la kameraon.
• La tripiedon ŝi kontrolas same kiel la kameraon.

However, the original order is the most neutral and natural for a learner:

• subject + verb + object

So while word order can change for emphasis, the given sentence is the simplest standard form.

Ŝi is pronounced roughly like shee in English.

A few details:

• ŝ sounds like English sh
• i sounds like ee

So:

• ŝi ≈ shee

This is one of the very common Esperanto words, so it is worth memorizing early.

Because Esperanto spelling is phonetic and regular.

Esperanto generally uses:

• k for the k sound
• c for the ts sound

So English camera becomes kamerao in Esperanto, spelled the way it is pronounced according to Esperanto rules.

The same principle appears in many borrowed words: Esperanto adapts them to its own sound-and-spelling system.

Yes. Tripiedo is built from:

• tri = three
• piedo = foot

So tripiedo literally means three-footed thing, which is exactly what a tripod is.

This is very typical of Esperanto word-building. Once you know the parts, many words become easier to understand and remember.

In this sentence, la kameraon is the normal form, because it is understood as another direct object of kontrolas.

So the structure is basically:

• She checks the tripod
• the same way she checks the camera

That is why kameraon also takes -n.

Using la kamerao without -n would usually sound wrong here to most learners and speakers, because it would break the parallel object structure after kontrolas.