Breakdown of Ĉu vi ŝatas la ruĝan aŭ la verdan jakon por hodiaŭ?
vi
you
la
the
por
for
hodiaŭ
today
aŭ
or
jako
the jacket
ruĝa
red
verda
green
ŝati
to like
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Questions & Answers about Ĉu vi ŝatas la ruĝan aŭ la verdan jakon por hodiaŭ?
What does ĉu indicate at the beginning of the sentence?
ĉu is a question particle used to form yes/no questions in Esperanto. It signals that the sentence is asking for a confirmation or denial, similar to adding "do" at the beginning of an English question.
Why do the adjectives ruĝan and verdan have an -an ending instead of just -a?
Adjectives in Esperanto normally end in -a. However, when an adjective modifies a direct object noun, it agrees in case by adding -n to become -an. In this sentence, jako is in the accusative case as it is the object of ŝatas, so the adjectives become ruĝan and verdan to match.
What does aŭ mean in this context?
aŭ means "or". It is used here to present a choice between two options—in this case, the red jacket and the green jacket.
What is the function of por hodiaŭ in the sentence?
por hodiaŭ translates as "for today". It specifies that the action (choosing a jacket) is intended for the current day.
How does the noun jako change in this sentence and why?
jako means "jacket". Since it is the direct object of the verb ŝatas, it takes the accusative ending, changing to jakon. This is a typical feature in Esperanto where direct objects add -n.
How does the word order in Esperanto compare to English in this sentence?
The basic word order is quite similar to English (subject–verb–object). However, Esperanto uses the particle ĉu at the beginning to indicate a yes/no question, which is different from the inversion or intonation used in English.