Li estas amiko.

He is a friend.

Breakdown of Li estas amiko.

• esti: to be
• amiko: the friend
• li: he

Questions & Answers about Li estas amiko.

Why isn’t there an indefinite article (like “a” in English) before amiko?

Esperanto doesn’t use articles in the same way English does. There’s a definite article (la) for “the,” but there’s no counterpart for “a” or “an.” So you simply say amiko (“friend”) without an article.

What does the ending -o on amiko indicate?

In Esperanto, nouns typically end with -o. This helps you instantly recognize that amiko is a noun. Verbs will usually end with -as, -is, or -os, and adjectives with -a, etc.

Can I rearrange the words and still have the same meaning?

Word order in Esperanto is generally flexible, so Li estas amiko and Amiko li estas still convey the same idea. However, it’s very common in Esperanto to keep the subject–verb–object order (subject = Li, verb = estas, object/predicate noun = amiko) for clarity.

Does Li always mean “he,” or is it used differently?

Li is the masculine third-person pronoun, usually referring to “he” or “him.” For “she,” you’d use ŝi, and for singular “they,” some speakers use ri in practice, though there’s no officially mandated nonbinary pronoun in standard Esperanto grammar.