Breakdown of Mi vidas la floron, poste mi renkontas la amikon.
mi
I
amiko
the friend
vidi
to see
floro
the flower
renkonti
to meet
poste
afterwards
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Questions & Answers about Mi vidas la floron, poste mi renkontas la amikon.
What does the -n ending in floron and amikon indicate in Esperanto?
It marks the accusative case, showing that these nouns are the direct objects of their respective verbs. In this sentence, floron is the object of vidas (I see), and amikon is the object of renkontas (I meet).
What role does the definite article la play in this sentence?
La acts as the only definite article in Esperanto, equivalent to “the” in English. It signals that the noun it accompanies is specific or already known to the speaker and listener.
What is the meaning of the adverb poste and how does it affect the sentence’s structure?
Poste means “afterwards” or “then.” It indicates that the action in the second clause occurs after the action in the first clause, helping to establish the sequence of events.
Why are both verbs vidas and renkontas in the present tense, even though they describe sequential actions?
In Esperanto, the present tense is often used to narrate actions in sequence or describe habitual actions. The sequential order is made clear by the adverb poste, even though both verbs remain in the present tense.
How does the word order in this sentence compare to typical English sentence structure?
The sentence follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order, which is very similar to English. Mi (I) is the subject, vidas (see) and renkontas (meet) are the verbs, and la floron (the flower) and la amikon (the friend) are the objects in their respective clauses.
Is it necessary to repeat the subject mi in the second clause?
No, it isn’t strictly necessary because the subject is understood from the first clause. However, repeating mi can add clarity, especially for beginners, by explicitly marking the subject for each action.
What role does the comma play in the sentence?
The comma separates two independent clauses to indicate a pause and clarify that the sentences describe two distinct actions. It helps signal that after seeing the flower, a new action (meeting the friend) takes place.