Mi havas katon.

I have a cat.

Breakdown of Mi havas katon.

• mi: I
• havi: to have
• kato: the cat

Questions & Answers about Mi havas katon.

Why does kato become katon instead of just kato?

In Esperanto, the -n ending indicates the direct object of a sentence (the thing being had, in this case). So when you say Mi havas katon, you’re literally saying I have cat where the object (cat) is marked with -n. Without the -n, you’d be saying something more like I have cat without clearly specifying that the cat is the direct object in the way Esperanto grammar requires.

Why don’t we need an article like a or the in Mi havas katon?

Esperanto does not use an indefinite article like a. The definite article la exists, but the indefinite one does not. If you want to emphasize that you're talking about a specific cat, you could say Mi havas la katon (I have the cat), but for a general statement (I have a cat), you simply say Mi havas katon.

What form is the verb havas, and why is it spelled that way?

Havas is the present tense form of the verb havi (to have). In Esperanto, verbs have consistent endings that indicate tense:
• -as for the present tense
• -is for the past tense
• -os for the future tense
So you use havas when saying I have, he/she/it has, they have, etc., whenever it’s a present-tense statement.

Why isn’t there any conjugation change for Mi, Vi, etc.?

Esperanto verbs do not change depending on the subject. Whether it’s I, you, he/she, or they, the verb remains in the -as form for present tense. This is part of Esperanto’s goal to have a straightforward and consistent grammar, so Mi havas, Vi havas, Li havas, etc., all use havas.