Breakdown of La arkitekto montras la skizon al la reprezentanto.
la
the
al
to
montri
to show
arkitekto
the architect
Questions & Answers about La arkitekto montras la skizon al la reprezentanto.
Why does skizon end in -n, but reprezentanto does not?
Because la skizon is the direct object of the verb montras.
In Esperanto, the direct object usually takes the accusative ending -n:
- la skizo = the sketch
- la skizon = the sketch (as the thing being shown)
By contrast, al la reprezentanto means to the representative. The word al already shows that this noun is an indirect object / direction of giving or showing, so reprezentanto does not need -n here.
So:
- montras la skizon = shows the sketch
- al la reprezentanto = to the representative
Why is al used before la reprezentanto?
Al means to. It marks the person who receives the action.
In this sentence:
- the architect is doing the showing
- the sketch is what is being shown
- the representative is the person to whom it is shown
So al la reprezentanto = to the representative.
This is very common in Esperanto with verbs like:
- doni = to give
- sendi = to send
- montri = to show
For example:
- Mi donas la libron al ŝi. = I give the book to her.
- Li montras la planon al la kliento. = He shows the plan to the client.
Could Esperanto leave out al and just use for the representative too?