Breakdown of Li alportas naskiĝateston pro tio, ke la legitimilo eksvalidiĝis.
li
he
la
the
ke
that
tio
that
Questions & Answers about Li alportas naskiĝateston pro tio, ke la legitimilo eksvalidiĝis.
Why does naskiĝateston end in -n?
Because it is the direct object of alportas. In Esperanto, the direct object usually takes the accusative ending -n.
- Li alportas naskiĝateston. = He brings a birth certificate.
- The thing being brought is naskiĝatesto, so it becomes naskiĝateston.
Why is naskiĝatesto one word?
Esperanto very often makes compound words by putting roots together. Here:
- naskiĝ- = birth
- atest- = attestation, certificate
- -o = noun ending
So naskiĝatesto literally means something like birth-attestation, i.e. birth certificate. In Esperanto, this kind of compound is extremely common and natural.
Could you also say naskiĝa atesto instead of naskiĝatesto?
Yes, it would be understandable, because naskiĝa means related to birth. But naskiĝatesto is the more compact and more lexicalized expression, like a standard name for the document.
A useful rule of thumb is:
- compound noun = often feels more like a fixed term
- adjective + noun = often feels a bit more descriptive
What exactly does alportas mean? Why not just portas?