Mi amas vin.

I love you.

Breakdown of Mi amas vin.

• mi: I
• vi: you
• ami: to love

Questions & Answers about Mi amas vin.

Why is the subject word in the sentence spelled as "mi"?

In Esperanto, "mi" is the standard pronoun for "I," pronounced like the English word "me" but spelled with the letter "i." It always refers to the speaker, just as "I" does in English.

What does the -as ending in "amas" indicate?

The -as ending marks the present tense in Esperanto. So amas means "love" in the present tense (e.g. "I love," "you love," "they love"). Verbs in Esperanto use -as for present, -is for past, and -os for future.

Why do we use "vin" instead of "vi"?

"Vin" is the accusative (direct object) form of "vi." In Esperanto, whenever a noun or pronoun is the direct object of a verb, it takes the -n ending, which in this case changes vi (you) to vin (you as the object).

Is word order important in "Mi amas vin"? Could we say "Vin mi amas"?

Esperanto allows flexible word order thanks to the accusative -n. While Mi amas vin is the most common order, Vin mi amas is also grammatically correct. The subject is still mi and the direct object is still vin because of the -n ending. However, most learners stick to the subject-verb-object structure for clarity.