Breakdown of La inspektoro kontrolas la plafonon.
la
the
kontroli
to check
inspektoro
the inspector
plafono
the ceiling
Questions & Answers about La inspektoro kontrolas la plafonon.
Why is there la twice in La inspektoro kontrolas la plafonon?
Because Esperanto uses la for the, and each definite noun normally gets its own article.
So:
- la inspektoro = the inspector
- la plafonon = the ceiling
Just like in English, you say the inspector checks the ceiling, not the inspector checks ceiling.
Unlike English, Esperanto has only one definite article: la. It does not change for gender, number, or case.
Why does plafonon end in -n?
The final -n marks the direct object. That means plafonon is the thing being checked.
- La inspektoro = the inspector (subject: the one doing the action)
- kontrolas = checks / is checking
- la plafonon = the ceiling (direct object: the thing receiving the action)
This -n ending is called the accusative ending.
So:
- plafono = ceiling
- plafonon = ceiling as the direct object
Why doesn’t inspektoro also have -n?