Ni elektas tapeton kaj kahelojn.

Ni means we.

In Esperanto, verbs do not change for different subjects. So:

• mi elektas = I choose / am choosing
• vi elektas = you choose / are choosing
• li elektas = he chooses / is choosing
• ni elektas = we choose / are choosing

That makes Esperanto much simpler than English in this area.

The ending -as marks the present tense in Esperanto.

So elektas means choose / chooses / am choosing / are choosing / is choosing, depending on context.

The verb stem here is elekt-, and the full infinitive is elekti = to choose.

Useful comparison:

• elekti = to choose
• elektas = choose / is choosing
• elektis = chose
• elektos = will choose
• elektus = would choose

The -n shows the accusative, which usually marks the direct object of the verb.

In this sentence, the things being chosen are:

• tapeton
• kahelojn

So both are direct objects of elektas, and both need the accusative ending.

Compare:

• tapeto = wallpaper

• tapeton = wallpaper, as a direct object

• kaheloj = tiles
• kahelojn = tiles, as direct objects

Because the two nouns differ in number:

• tapeton = singular accusative
• kahelojn = plural accusative

Breaking them down:

• tapet-o-n

  • -o = noun
  • -n = accusative

• kahel-o-j-n

  • -o = noun
  • -j = plural
  • -n = accusative

So kahelojn has both -j and -n because it is plural and also a direct object.

Esperanto often treats things as countable where English may use a mass noun.

So tapeto is a normal noun meaning a wallpaper / wallpaper covering in Esperanto usage. In a sentence like this, elekti tapeton is a natural way to say choose wallpaper.

This is one of those places where Esperanto does not always copy English grammar exactly. Even if English uses an uncountable word, Esperanto may use a regular countable noun.

The dictionary forms are:

• tapeto = wallpaper
• kahelo = tile

In Esperanto, dictionary forms of nouns end in -o.

From there:

• plural adds -j
• accusative adds -n

So:

• tapeto → tapeton
• kahelo → kaheloj → kahelojn

Esperanto has no indefinite article like English a/an.

It does have a definite article: la = the.

So a speaker can say:

• Ni elektas tapeton kaj kahelojn. = We are choosing wallpaper and tiles.
• Ni elektas la tapeton kaj la kahelojn. = We are choosing the wallpaper and the tiles.

If la is missing, the sentence is more general or depends on context. Esperanto often leaves article use simpler than English.

Yes. Each direct object keeps its own proper ending.

So in:

• tapeton kaj kahelojn

both nouns are direct objects of elektas, so both must be marked correctly.

You cannot usually let one noun “share” the ending for both. Each word shows its own grammar:

• tapeton = singular accusative
• kahelojn = plural accusative

Kaj means and.

It works very much like English and to join words, phrases, or clauses:

• pano kaj fromaĝo = bread and cheese
• Mi venis kaj ŝi restis. = I came and she stayed.

In your sentence, it simply joins the two objects:

• tapeton kaj kahelojn

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

The normal, neutral order is:

• Ni elektas tapeton kaj kahelojn.

But other orders are possible for emphasis, for example:

• Tapeton kaj kahelojn ni elektas.

That sounds more marked, like emphasizing what is being chosen. For a learner, the original order is the safest and most natural one to use.

A helpful rough guide is:

• Ni ≈ nee
• elektas ≈ eh-LEK-tahs
• tapeton ≈ tah-peh-TON
• kaj ≈ like kai
• kahelojn ≈ kah-heh-LOYN

A few details:

• j in Esperanto sounds like English y
• oj sounds like oy
• so -ojn is pronounced roughly oyn

Also, Esperanto stress is regular: it falls on the second-to-last syllable. So:

• e-LEK-tas
• ta-PE-ton
• ka-he-LOJN