Mia frato kuras en la parko, dum mia fratino legas libron en la hejmo.

My brother runs in the park, while my sister reads a book at home.

Breakdown of Mia frato kuras en la parko, dum mia fratino legas libron en la hejmo.

• libro: the book
• la: the
• en: in
• kuri: to run
• parko: the park
• mia: my
• legi: to read
• hejmo: the home
• frato: the brother
• dum: while
• fratino: the sister

Questions & Answers about Mia frato kuras en la parko, dum mia fratino legas libron en la hejmo.

What does dum mean here, and is it always translated as “while”?

In this sentence dum links two actions that happen at the same time, so it means “while”:

• Mia frato kuras en la parko, dum mia fratino legas libron…
  → My brother runs in the park, while my sister reads a book…

But dum more generally means “during / while” and can also be used before a noun:

• dum la somero = during the summer
• dum la leciono = during the lesson

When it joins two full clauses (two verbs), it usually translates as “while”. When it’s followed by a noun, it’s more like “during”.

Why is it kuras and not something like estas kuranta, since English uses “is running”?

Esperanto normally doesn’t use a separate continuous/progressive tense the way English does. The simple present -as already covers both:

• Mia frato kuras
  = My brother runs
  = My brother is running

You can say Mia frato estas kuranta, but:

• it sounds heavier and is usually used only when you really want to emphasize the ongoing nature of the action,
• in everyday Esperanto, kuras is almost always enough.

So kuras is the natural choice here, even though English needs “is running.”

Why does libron end with -n instead of just libro?

The -n ending marks the accusative case, which is used mainly for:

1. Direct objects (the thing directly affected by the verb)
2. Some expressions of direction (not relevant here, but important elsewhere)

In the sentence:

• Mia fratino legas libron.

Ask: “She reads what?” → libro (book) is the direct object, so it gets -n:

• libro (book) → libron (book as direct object)

Subject: mia fratino (no -n)
Verb: legas
Direct object: libron (with -n)

Why does kuras look the same for “my brother runs” and “they run”? Where is the subject–verb agreement?

In Esperanto, verbs do not change according to the person or number of the subject. The ending -as always means present tense, regardless of who is doing the action.

Examples:

• Mi kuras – I run / I am running
• Vi kuras – You run / you are running
• Li / ŝi / ĝi kuras – He / she / it runs
• Ni kuras – We run
• Ili kuras – They run

So you don’t need to memorize different verb forms for each person. Only the tense changes (-as, -is, -os, etc.), not the person.

Why is it en la parko and not just en parko?

Both are possible, but they’re slightly different:

• en la parko = in the park (a specific park that the speaker has in mind)
• en parko = in a park (in some park, not specified which)

In English you would also naturally say “in the park” if you’re talking about a concrete, known location, so en la parko is the most natural translation in this context.

Esperanto uses la roughly like English “the”, to mark something as definite or already known in the situation.

Why does the sentence say en la hejmo instead of something like hejme? Which is more natural?

Both are grammatically correct, but they’re not quite the same:

• en la hejmo = literally “in the home”
  – focuses a bit more on the place as a noun (the home as a location)

• hejme = “at home” (adverb)
  – is usually the more natural, everyday way to say someone is at home

Many speakers would find this version more idiomatic:

• Mia frato kuras en la parko, dum mia fratino hejme legas libron.

Or:

• …dum mia fratino legas libron hejme.

So en la hejmo is correct and understandable, but hejme is typically more fluent for “at home.”

What’s the difference between hejmo and domo?

• hejmo = home (the idea of home, where you live and feel at home)
• domo = house / building (a physical structure)

Examples:

• Mi iras hejmen. – I’m going home. (concept of home)
• La domo estas granda. – The house is big. (the building)

In your sentence, hejmo is appropriate because we mean “at home,” not “in the house as a building.” Saying en la domo would focus more on the physical house as a structure.

Can I change the word order and start with the dum clause?

Yes. Esperanto word order is quite flexible. You can say:

• Dum mia fratino legas libron en la hejmo, mia frato kuras en la parko.

This keeps the same meaning:

• While my sister reads a book at home, my brother runs in the park.

The comma is still helpful to show the separation between the two clauses, but the order can be reversed without a problem.

Why do we repeat mia in mia frato and mia fratino? Could we just say Mia frato… dum fratino legas…?

You need to repeat mia if you want to say “my sister” as well:

• mia frato = my brother
• mia fratino = my sister

If you say just fratino, it means “a sister” (in general) or could be understood as “some sister,” not clearly yours.

So:

• Mia frato kuras en la parko, dum mia fratino legas libron…
  = My brother … while my sister …

Without mia before fratino, the sentence would sound incomplete or ambiguous.

Why is there a comma before dum? Is it required?

The comma is stylistically normal and recommended, but not absolutely required by strict grammar rules.

Here, the sentence has two full clauses:

1. Mia frato kuras en la parko,
2. dum mia fratino legas libron en la hejmo.

The comma helps show that these are two separate but related clauses linked by dum (“while”). It improves clarity and reflects normal written style, so it’s good practice to keep it here.

How would I say “My brother is running to the park” instead of “in the park”?

To show movement toward a place, you usually use al (“to”) or the -n ending on location words. Here are two natural options:

• Mia frato kuras al la parko.
  = My brother is running to the park.

or, with directional -n on the location:

• Mia frato kuras en la parkon.
  (literally “runs into the park” – movement into the park area)

Compare:

• en la parko = in the park (location)
• al la parko / en la parkon = to the park / into the park (direction)

Could dum here be replaced by kiam, like “…kiam mia fratino legas libron…”? Would the meaning change?

You can use kiam, but it shifts the nuance slightly:

• dum mia fratino legas libron
  – emphasizes simultaneity: while my sister is reading a book

• kiam mia fratino legas libron
  – more like “when my sister reads a book”; it can still imply the actions overlap in time, but it doesn’t highlight the “during the whole time” aspect as clearly as dum.

In this context, dum is the best choice if you want to stress that the two actions are happening at the same time.