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Questions & Answers about Mi kuras vespere en la urbo.
What does the pronoun Mi represent in the sentence?
Mi is the subject of the sentence and means "I" in English.
How is the present tense indicated in the verb kuras?
In Esperanto, all verbs in the present tense end with -as. Thus, kuras shows that the action (running) is happening in the present, and this form is the same for all subjects.
How is the adverb vespere formed and what does it signify?
The adverb vespere comes from the adjective vespera by adding the -e ending to form an adverb. It means "in the evening", functioning to tell us when the running takes place.
What is the structure of the prepositional phrase en la urbo and what role does it play?
En la urbo consists of the preposition en (meaning "in"), the definite article la ("the"), and the noun urbo ("city"). This complete phrase provides the location of the action.
Why is the word order in Esperanto considered flexible, as seen with this sentence?
Esperanto marks grammatical roles clearly through word endings and particles. Although Mi kuras vespere en la urbo follows a typical Subject-Verb-Adverbial/Prepositional order, elements can be rearranged for emphasis without changing the basic meaning.
How does Esperanto simplify verb conjugation as illustrated by kuras?
Esperanto uses a single, invariant ending (-as for the present tense) for all subjects when conjugating verbs. This means that regardless of whether the subject is I, you, or they, the verb kuras remains unchanged, making conjugation straightforward.
Is including the subject pronoun necessary in Esperanto sentences, and why might it be included here?
While context can sometimes allow the subject pronoun to be omitted in Esperanto, it is often included—especially for learners—to ensure clarity. In this sentence, Mi clearly indicates who performs the action, which is particularly helpful for beginners.