Breakdown of La infano ludas gaje en la ĝardeno.
la
the
en
in
ĝardeno
the garden
infano
the child
ludi
to play
gaje
happily
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Questions & Answers about La infano ludas gaje en la ĝardeno.
What is the role of la in "La infano ludas gaje en la ĝardeno"?
La is the definite article in Esperanto, equivalent to the in English. It remains unchanged regardless of gender or number, clearly marking the noun it precedes as definite.
Why do both infano and ĝardeno end with -o?
In Esperanto, all nouns end with -o. Infano means child and ĝardeno means garden. When making nouns plural, you add -j (resulting in infanoj and ĝardenoj), but in this singular sentence, the -o ending suffices.
How is the adverb gaje formed, and what function does it serve in the sentence?
Gaje is formed from the adjective gaja (meaning happy) by replacing the -a ending with -e to create an adverb. In Esperanto, adverbs typically end in -e, so gaje means happily and describes how the child plays.
What does the verb ludas mean, and what is its significance in this sentence?
Ludas means plays. It is the main action of the sentence, telling us what the subject (infano/child) is doing. Esperanto verbs are not inflected for person or number, which simplifies the structure considerably compared to English.
How strict is the word order in Esperanto, and could this sentence be rearranged without changing its meaning?
Esperanto has a fairly flexible word order thanks to its clear grammatical endings. Although the standard order (Subject–Verb–Adverbial and Prepositional Phrases) is used here, you could rearrange the sentence—for example, placing gaje before ludas—and the meaning would still be clear, as each word’s function is indicated by its ending or prepositional marker.
What is the significance of the letter ĝ in ĝardeno?
The ĝ is one of Esperanto’s special accented letters, representing a distinct sound similar to the j in jungle. Its correct use is essential for proper pronunciation and to distinguish words from those with different sounds.