Meteorito kuŝas apud la kratero.

the

Breakdown of Meteorito kuŝas apud la kratero.

• kuŝi: to lie
• apud: next to
• meteorito: the meteorite

Questions & Answers about Meteorito kuŝas apud la kratero.

Why is there no word for a before meteorito?

Esperanto has no indefinite article. So a bare noun like meteorito can mean a meteorite (or sometimes just meteorite in a general sense).

So:

• meteorito = a meteorite
• la meteorito = the meteorite

In this sentence, the lack of la makes meteorito sound indefinite: a meteorite.

Why does kratero have la, but meteorito does not?

La is the definite article, meaning the.

So la kratero means the crater, probably a specific crater that is already known from the context. Meanwhile, meteorito without la is indefinite: a meteorite.

This difference is very normal in Esperanto:

• Meteorito kuŝas apud kratero. = a meteorite lies beside a crater
• Meteorito kuŝas apud la kratero. = a meteorite lies beside the crater
• La meteorito kuŝas apud la kratero. = the meteorite lies beside the crater

What do the endings -o and -as mean here?