Mi havas amikon.

I

Breakdown of Mi havas amikon.

• amiko: the friend
• havi: to have

Questions & Answers about Mi havas amikon.

Why does amikon have an -n at the end instead of just amiko?

In Esperanto, the direct object takes the -n ending (known as the accusative ending). Since amiko is the direct object in Mi havas amikon, it becomes amikon.

Why isn’t there an article like a or the before amikon?

Esperanto uses la to mean the, but it does not have an indefinite article equivalent to a in English. When there’s no need for the, you simply use the noun without an article.

Could I switch the word order and say Mi amikon havas instead of Mi havas amikon?

Yes. Esperanto word order is flexible. Mi amikon havas is grammatically correct, but the most common and natural-sounding order is subject – verb – object, which is Mi havas amikon.

How is havas formed from the verb havi?

In Esperanto, the ending -as is used for the present tense. The infinitive form of the verb is havi (to have). When you say havas, that means have/has in the present tense.