Breakdown of Li kreis belan kanton por la filmo, kaj ni volas aŭskulti ĝin nun.
bela
beautiful
li
he
la
the
ni
we
por
for
kaj
and
voli
to want
krei
to create
kanto
the song
filmo
the movie
aŭskulti
to listen
ĝin
it
nun
now
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Questions & Answers about Li kreis belan kanton por la filmo, kaj ni volas aŭskulti ĝin nun.
What does Li mean in this sentence, and how are subject pronouns generally used in Esperanto?
Li translates as "he". In Esperanto, subject pronouns work much like in English. They are typically used to clarify who is performing the action, though sometimes they can be omitted if the context is clear.
Why do belan and kanton have an -n ending, and what does that signify?
The -n ending marks the accusative case in Esperanto. Since "belan kanton" functions as the direct object of the verb "kreis" (created), both the noun (kanton) and its adjective (belan) take the accusative ending. This agreement clarifies which words are being acted upon.
How does the verb kreis indicate past tense, and what is the standard pattern for forming past tense verbs in Esperanto?
The verb kreis is the past tense form of "krei" (to create). In Esperanto, the past tense is consistently formed by replacing the verb’s ending with -is. That means all regular verbs in the past tense end in -is, making it easy to identify the tense.
Why is la filmo not marked with an -n ending like kanton?
La filmo follows the preposition por (for). In Esperanto, nouns governed by most prepositions—unless indicating direction or motion—remain in the nominative case and do not take the accusative -n ending. Thus, la filmo stays unchanged.
What does ĝin refer to in this sentence, and why is it in the accusative case?
Ĝin is a pronoun referring back to "belan kanton" (the beautiful song). It is in the accusative case because it serves as the direct object of the verb "aŭskulti" (to listen to), consistent with Esperanto’s rule that direct objects take the -n ending.
How does the placement of nun at the end of the sentence affect its meaning, and could it be positioned differently?
Nun means "now" and, placed at the end of the sentence, it adds a sense of immediacy to the action "ni volas aŭskulti ĝin" (we want to listen to it). While Esperanto generally offers flexible word order, positioning nun at the end emphasizes that the listening should happen immediately, though it could be moved if the speaker wished to adjust the emphasis.