Breakdown of Mi lernas novajn vortojn, ekzemple domo kaj fenestro.
mi
I
domo
the house
fenestro
the window
lerni
to learn
vorto
the word
kaj
and
nova
new
ekzemple
for example
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Questions & Answers about Mi lernas novajn vortojn, ekzemple domo kaj fenestro.
Why does novajn end with an -n instead of just novaj?
In Esperanto, adjectives must agree with the nouns they modify. Since vortojn (the plural of vorto, meaning "word") is in the accusative case as the direct object of lernas ("learns"), the adjective novaj takes the accusative ending -n, becoming novajn.
Why is vortojn written with an -n at the end?
The -n ending marks the accusative case, which is used for direct objects in Esperanto. Here, vortojn is the object of the verb lernas, so it carries the accusative ending to indicate its role in the sentence.
What is the function of ekzemple in this sentence?
The word ekzemple means "for example." It introduces examples—domo ("house") and fenestro ("window")—that clarify what kinds of new words the speaker is learning.
Why aren’t domo and fenestro in the accusative case like vortojn?
Domo and fenestro are provided as illustrative examples rather than acting as direct objects. They explain what the new words might be. Because they’re not directly governed by the verb lernas, they remain in the nominative form.
Do adjectives in Esperanto always need to match the case of the nouns they modify?
Yes, adjectives in Esperanto must agree with the nouns they modify. When a noun is in the accusative case—as vortojn is—the accompanying adjective also takes the accusative -n ending. That’s why novaj becomes novajn in this context.
Is the use of the comma before ekzemple similar to English punctuation rules, and is it necessary?
The comma before ekzemple functions much like it does in English; it separates the main clause from the example phrase for clarity. While Esperanto punctuation can be flexible, using a comma here helps make the sentence’s structure clearer.
How flexible is word order in Esperanto, and does this sentence follow a specific pattern?
Esperanto’s clear case markings allow for a more flexible word order compared to English. Nevertheless, this sentence follows the typical Subject-Verb-Object order—Mi ler¿nas vortojn—which, combined with the examples introduced by ekzemple, makes the meaning immediately clear to the reader.