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Hodiaŭ mi estas laca.

Hodiaŭ mi estas laca.
Today I am tired.

Breakdown of Hodiaŭ mi estas laca.

mi
I
esti
to be
hodiaŭ
today
laca
tired
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Questions & Answers about Hodiaŭ mi estas laca.

What does each individual word in Hodiaŭ mi estas laca mean?

Broken down word by word:

  • Hodiaŭ = today
  • mi = I
  • estas = am / is / are (the present tense of esti “to be”)
  • laca = tired (an adjective)

So the structure is literally: Today / I / am / tired.

Why do we need estas? Why not just say Hodiaŭ mi laca?

In Esperanto, you normally must use the verb esti (“to be”) when linking a subject to an adjective or noun.

  • Mi estas laca. = I am tired.
  • Li estas kuracisto. = He is a doctor.

Leaving out estas (Hodiaŭ mi laca) is ungrammatical in standard Esperanto. The verb esti is required to form “X is Y” sentences, just as in English, except that Esperanto uses the same form estas for am / is / are.

Why does laca end in -a?

In Esperanto, almost all adjectives end in -a:

  • laca = tired
  • bela = beautiful
  • granda = big
  • rapida = fast

So laca is the adjective form of the root lac- (tiredness / fatigue). When you describe someone or something with an adjective, you put the -a ending on the root.

Example:

  • laca viro = a tired man
  • laca hundo = a tired dog
  • Mi estas laca. = I am tired.
Does laca change form if the subject changes? For example, “We are tired”?

It changes for number (singular/plural), not for the person (I/you/he/we etc.).

  • Singular subject: Mi estas laca. = I am tired.
  • Plural subject: Ni estas lacaj. = We are tired.

Adjectives agree with the noun or pronoun they describe:

  • laca = singular (one person/thing)
  • lacaj = plural (more than one)

So:

  • Vi estas lacaj. (talking to several people) = You are tired.
  • Ili estas lacaj. = They are tired.

For this sentence, mi is singular, so laca is singular.

What kind of word is hodiaŭ? Why doesn’t it end in -e like other adverbs?

Hodiaŭ is an adverb of time meaning today.

Many adverbs in Esperanto are formed by adding -e to a root, e.g.:

  • rapida (fast, adj) → rapide (quickly, adv)
  • bona (good, adj) → bone (well, adv)

However, some common adverbs are built-in words, not made by adding -e:

  • hodiaŭ = today
  • hieraŭ = yesterday
  • morgaŭ = tomorrow
  • tre = very
  • jam = already

These are just basic adverb roots you memorize. Hodiaŭ is one of these irregular-looking but completely regular-in-use adverbs.

Why isn’t there a word for “am” separate from “is” and “are”? Why is it always estas?

Esperanto simplifies the verb “to be”:

  • mi estas = I am
  • vi estas = you are
  • li/ŝi/ĝi estas = he/she/it is
  • ni estas = we are
  • ili estas = they are

The verb does not change according to person or number; it only changes for tense:

  • estas = am / is / are (present)
  • estis = was / were (past)
  • estos = will be (future)

So estas is simply “to be in the present”, for all persons.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Mi estas laca hodiaŭ instead?

Yes. Word order is quite flexible in Esperanto, especially with short, clear sentences like this.

These all mean the same thing:

  • Hodiaŭ mi estas laca.
  • Mi estas laca hodiaŭ.
  • Hodiaŭ mi laca estas. (grammatically correct but sounds a bit unusual/poetic)

The most natural everyday versions are:

  • Hodiaŭ mi estas laca.
  • Mi estas laca hodiaŭ.

Changing the position of hodiaŭ can slightly change what you’re emphasizing (see below), but there is no change in basic meaning.

Is there any difference in emphasis between Hodiaŭ mi estas laca and Mi estas laca hodiaŭ?

The basic meaning is the same, but there can be a small nuance in emphasis:

  • Hodiaŭ mi estas laca.
    Slightly emphasizes today: “As for today, I’m tired” (maybe in contrast to other days).

  • Mi estas laca hodiaŭ.
    Slightly emphasizes I am tired (today), more like a neutral statement about your current state.

In everyday conversation, they’re almost interchangeable; the difference is subtle and often not important.

Can I drop mi, like in Spanish where you can often leave out the subject?

Generally no. In Esperanto, you normally keep the pronoun:

  • Mi estas laca. = I am tired.
  • Estas laca. is incomplete; it sounds like something is missing (who is tired?).

You can sometimes drop a pronoun in very informal speech when it’s crystal clear from context (e.g., answering a direct question), but the normal, correct form is to include mi.

How do I pronounce Hodiaŭ mi estas laca, especially hodiaŭ and c?

Pronunciation (approximate):

  • Hodiaŭ: ho-dee-ah-oo (said smoothly: ho-di-aŭ; stress on di: ho-DI-aŭ)
    • ŭ is a short w-like sound, often sounding like the u in English “cow” or the w in “how”.
  • mi: like English “me”
  • estas: ES-tas (stress on the first syllable)
  • laca: LA-tsa (stress on LA)
    • Esperanto c is always like ts in English “cats”.

Stress rule: in Esperanto, you normally stress the second-to-last syllable of the word:

  • ho-DI-aŭ
  • ES-tas
  • LA-ca
How would I say “I was tired today” or “I will be tired today” using this sentence as a base?

You only need to change the tense of esti:

  • I was tired today.
    → Hodiaŭ mi estis laca.
    (estis = was/were)

  • I will be tired today.
    → Hodiaŭ mi estos laca.
    (estos = will be)

So the pattern is:

  • Mi estas laca. = I am tired.
  • Mi estis laca. = I was tired.
  • Mi estos laca. = I will be tired.