Learn Hardcore Esperanto: Mi skribas artikolon pri amikoj.

In Esperanto, nouns take “-o” as the basic noun ending, but the direct object of a sentence must be marked with an extra “-n” to indicate the accusative case. Since artikolon is the object of the verb skribas (“write”), it gets the “-n” ending to show that role.

Why is amikoj written without an “-n” even though it follows the preposition pri?

In Esperanto, prepositions like pri always take their objects in the nominative case. This means that even though amikoj is part of a prepositional phrase (“about friends”), it remains unchanged—only direct objects receive the accusative ending. That’s why it’s amikoj and not amikojn.

What does the verb skribas tell us about the tense and action in this sentence?

The verb skribas comes from the root skribi (“to write”) and ends in “-as,” which is the marker for the present tense in Esperanto. This tells us that the action (“writing”) is taking place in the present.

Why is there no word like “an” before artikolon as we would have in English?

Esperanto does not have an indefinite article like English does. It uses the definite article la when necessary, but there is no equivalent for “a” or “an.” The absence of an indefinite article means a sentence like Mi skribas artikolon pri amikoj naturally expresses “I write an article about friends” without any extra word.

How is the plural formed in Esperanto, as seen in amikoj?

In Esperanto, the plural is formed by adding “-j” to the noun’s root. The singular amiko (meaning “friend”) becomes amikoj in the plural, indicating “friends.” The noun ending “-o” remains, with “-j” attached to show plurality.