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Questions & Answers about Mi trinkas varman teon.
What is the subject of the sentence, and how do I know it?
The subject is Mi, which means I in English. In Esperanto, the subject typically appears at the beginning of the sentence and performs the action described by the verb.
Why do both varman and teon end with an -n?
In Esperanto, the -n ending marks the accusative case, indicating the direct object of the verb. Since teon is what is being drunk, it takes the -n. The adjective varman, which describes teon, must agree in case with the noun, so it also receives the -n.
How is the verb trinkas conjugated, and does it change with different subjects?
Trinkas is the present tense form of the verb trinki (to drink). In Esperanto, verbs are not conjugated for person or number; they have a single form for each tense. This means that regardless of whether the subject is mi, vi, li, ŝi, ni, or ili, the verb remains trinkas in the present tense.
Does word order matter in Esperanto in the same way it does in English?
While Esperanto commonly follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) order—as seen in Mi trinkas varman teon—the language features flexible word order. This flexibility stems from the grammatical case endings (like -n for the accusative), which clearly mark the role each word plays in the sentence.
Could the adjective varman be placed after the noun teon, and would that change the meaning?
Yes, adjectives in Esperanto can be positioned either before or after the noun they modify without changing the meaning. Both varman teon and teon varman are grammatically correct; however, the more common placement is before the noun.