Learn Hardcore Esperanto: Kutime mi iras al la oficejo kvin tagojn en la semajno, kvankam mi preferas resti hejme. - Usually I go to the office five days a week, although I prefer to stay at home.

kutima = usual, customary (describes a noun)
- kutima horo = the usual time
- kutima tagordo = the usual agenda
kutime = usually (describes a verb / the whole sentence)
- Kutime mi iras… = Usually I go…
- Li kutime laboras hejme. = He usually works at home.

In Kutime mi iras al la oficejo…, you’re describing how / in what manner you go (you go usually), so you need the adverb kutime, not the adjective kutima.

Why is it al la oficejo and not al la oficejon?

al already expresses the idea of “to / towards,” so you normally don’t add an extra -n to show direction.

al la oficejo = to the office
al la domo = to the house
Iri al la lernejo = to go to the school

The accusative -n to show direction is used when there is no preposition indicating motion, for example:

Mi iras hejmen. = I go home. (no al, so -n shows direction)
Li saltis la barilon. = He jumped over the fence. (direction/goal via -n)

But when you use a clear directional preposition like al or ĝis, you simply say al la oficejo, not al la oficejon.

Why is kvin tagojn in the accusative (with -n)?

The accusative -n is often used for duration of time.

Mi laboris du horojn. = I worked for two hours.
Ŝi restis tri tagojn. = She stayed for three days.

So in:

…kvin tagojn en la semajno…

kvin tagojn means for five days (duration). The -n shows that those five days are the length of time during which the action happens.

You could think of it as “I go… for five days (per) week.” The kvin tagojn part is a standard “time duration” accusative.

What does en la semajno add, and is it necessary? Could I just say kvin tagojn semajne?

en la semajno literally means in the week and here it clarifies the unit: five days in the week.

kvin tagojn en la semajno ≈ five days a week

You have several options:

kvin tagojn en la semajno – clear and fairly literal.
kvin tagojn semajne – also common; semajne means per week / weekly.
kvin tagojn ĉiu(se)majne – more explicit five days every week.

They’re all understandable. kvin tagojn en la semajno is a natural, slightly more “spelled‑out” version.
kvin tagojn semajne is a bit more compact and also very idiomatic.

Why do we say la oficejo and la semajno when in English we say “the office” but usually not “the week” (“five days a week”)?

Esperanto uses la more consistently than English.

la oficejo = the office (a specific office, usually your workplace)
la semajno = the week (the usual weekly cycle)

In English, a week in “five days a week” is more like a generic pattern, so the article changes. In Esperanto, we often still use la for these generic, well‑defined things (the usual week, the known office).

So:

Mi iras al la oficejo kvin tagojn en la semajno.
Literally: I go to the office five days in the week
Natural English: I go to the office five days a week.

Using la here is standard and feels natural in Esperanto.

What does kvankam mean exactly, and is the word order like in English “although…”?

kvankam means although / even though and it introduces a concessive clause—something that contrasts with the main statement.

Structure:

[Main clause], kvankam [contrasting clause].
Kutime mi iras al la oficejo…, kvankam mi preferas resti hejme.

This mirrors English:

Usually I go to the office…, although I prefer to stay at home.

You can also put the kvankam‑clause first:

Kvankam mi preferas resti hejme, mi kutime iras al la oficejo…
= Although I prefer to stay at home, I usually go to the office…

Word order inside each clause stays normal S‑V‑O; kvankam just links the two clauses logically, like English although.

Why is resti in that form? What is it grammatically?

resti is the infinitive form of the verb to stay.

After verbs like ŝati (to like), povi (to be able), devi (must), voli (to want), preferi (to prefer), Esperanto normally uses the infinitive:

Mi ŝatas legi. = I like to read / reading.
Li volas iri. = He wants to go.
Ni devas labori. = We must work.

So:

mi preferas resti hejme = I prefer to stay at home.

preferas is the conjugated verb (present tense), and resti is the infinitive complement, just like “to stay” in English.

What is the difference between hejme, hejmen, and hejmo, and why is hejme used here?

These three forms express different ideas:

hejmo – the noun home as a place.
- Mi havas hejmon. = I have a home.
hejme – adverb: at home (location).
- Mi estas hejme. = I am at home.
- Mi volas resti hejme. = I want to stay at home.
hejmen – directional form: to home / homeward.
- Mi iras hejmen. = I am going home.

In mi preferas resti hejme, “stay” expresses remaining in a place, not movement towards it. So you need the “at” meaning, hejme, not the directional hejmen.

Why is the present tense (iras, preferas) used for a habitual action? Shouldn’t there be some special habitual tense?

In Esperanto, the simple present tense covers:

current actions: Mi legas nun. = I’m reading now.
general truths: Akvo bolas je 100 gradoj.
habitual actions: Mi kutime iras al la oficejo.

You show that something is habitual with adverbs of frequency and context:

ĉiam = always
ofte = often
foje = sometimes
kutime = usually

So Kutime mi iras… clearly signals a repeated, habitual action. No special tense is needed.

Can kutime appear in other positions in the sentence, and does the meaning change?

Yes, kutime is quite flexible. Most of the time, the meaning stays the same; only the emphasis or rhythm changes slightly:

Kutime mi iras al la oficejo… – neutral; adverb at the start (very common).
Mi kutime iras al la oficejo… – also very natural; adverb after the subject.
Mi iras kutime al la oficejo… – possible, but sounds a bit less typical.
Mi iras al la oficejo kutime… – possible, with a bit of end‑focus on “usually.”

All these basically mean: I usually go to the office…
The safest, most neutral versions are Kutime mi iras… and Mi kutime iras….

Is the comma before kvankam necessary?

It is strongly recommended to separate the two clauses with a comma, because:

kutime mi iras al la oficejo kvin tagojn en la semajno
kvankam mi preferas resti hejme

They are two full clauses linked by kvankam. In Esperanto punctuation practice, you usually put a comma between such clauses, especially when the linking word (kvankam, sed, tamen, ke, etc.) is not at the very beginning of the sentence.

So:

Kutime mi iras al la oficejo kvin tagojn en la semajno, kvankam mi preferas resti hejme.

is the standard, correct way to punctuate this.