Breakdown of Mi aĉetas libron, sed mi ne scias kiel legi ĝin.
mi
I
libro
the book
kiel
how
sed
but
scii
to know
aĉeti
to buy
legi
to read
ĝin
it
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Questions & Answers about Mi aĉetas libron, sed mi ne scias kiel legi ĝin.
Why does the noun libro appear as libron in the sentence?
In Esperanto the ending -n marks the direct object. Here, libron (book‑ACC) shows that the book is what is being bought by the subject.
What does aĉetas mean and how is it formed?
Aĉetas means “buy” in the present tense. It comes from the root aĉet- combined with the standard present tense ending -as, so mi aĉetas translates to “I buy.”
Why is there no article before libron?
Esperanto does not have an indefinite article like “a” or “an.” When you want to refer to something in a general or nonspecific way – as in “a book” – you simply use the noun with its appropriate ending, which in this case is libron for the object.
How is the subordinate clause kiel legi ĝin structured?
The clause kiel legi ĝin means “how to read it.” Kiel is an interrogative word meaning “how,” and it introduces an indirect question clause. The verb legi is kept in its infinitive form after scias (“know”), which is common in Esperanto for expressions of knowing how to do something. The pronoun ĝi (“it”) functions as the object of legi.
How is negation expressed in this sentence?
Negation is expressed by the word ne, which directly precedes the verb it negates. In mi ne scias, ne means “not,” so the phrase translates as “I do not know.”
What is the function of the conjunction sed in the sentence?
Sed means “but” and is used to contrast two ideas. In the sentence, it connects the positive statement mi aĉetas libron (“I buy a book”) with the contrasting notion mi ne scias kiel legi ĝin (“I do not know how to read it”).