Questions & Answers about Li pozas dum ŝi redaktas la portreton.
What does dum mean here?
Dum means while or during the time that. It links two actions that happen at the same time.
So in Li pozas dum ŝi redaktas la portreton, the idea is that his posing and her editing are simultaneous.
Why do pozas and redaktas both end in -as?
The ending -as marks the present tense in Esperanto.
- pozas = poses / is posing
- redaktas = edits / is editing
Esperanto uses the same present-tense form for both the English simple present and present progressive, depending on context.
Does li pozas mean he poses or he is posing?
It can mean either one. Esperanto does not normally make a grammatical distinction between those two English forms.
So:
- Li pozas can mean He poses
- or He is posing
In this sentence, because of the context with dum, English will often translate it as He is posing while she is editing the portrait, but Esperanto just uses the normal present tense.
Why is it and not just ?