Mi ŝatas la belan libron.

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Breakdown of Mi ŝatas la belan libron.

• libro: the book
• bela: beautiful
• la: the

Questions & Answers about Mi ŝatas la belan libron.

Why does the adjective belan have an -n ending?

In Esperanto, adjectives must agree with the noun they modify in both number and case. Since libron is in the accusative case (as the direct object of the sentence), its modifying adjective bela takes the -n ending to become belan.

Why does the noun libron end with an -n?

The -n on libron marks it as the accusative form, indicating that it is the direct object of the verb ŝatas. This case marking removes ambiguity about which noun is performing the action.

Why doesn’t the definite article la change its form even though the noun it accompanies is in the accusative?

In Esperanto, the definite article la is invariable. It does not change form regardless of whether it is used with a noun in the nominative or accusative case, unlike nouns and adjectives which receive the -n ending when in the accusative.

How does the -n ending help in determining the roles of the words in the sentence?

The -n ending clearly identifies the direct object, making it easier to distinguish between the subject and the object. Even if the word order changes, the case marking provided by the -n allows you to know who is performing the action and who is receiving it.

What does the letter in represent, and how should it be pronounced?