Log inSign up

Mi trinkas akvon el glaso, dum ŝi metas lakton en mian tason.

Mi trinkas akvon el glaso, dum ŝi metas lakton en mian tason.
I drink water from a glass, while she puts milk into my cup.
FromLesson 9inHardcore Esperanto

Questions & Answers about Mi trinkas akvon el glaso, dum ŝi metas lakton en mian tason.

Why is akvon ending in -n, but glaso is not?

Because akvon is the direct object of trinkas: it is the thing being drunk.

In Esperanto, direct objects normally take the accusative ending -n:

  • Mi trinkas akvon = I drink water

But el glaso is a prepositional phrase:

  • el = out of, from

After a preposition like el, the noun usually does not take -n. So:

  • el glaso = from a glass

So the contrast is:

  • akvon = direct object
  • glaso = object of a preposition
Why do both mian and tason end in -n?

There are two things happening here.

First, tason has -n because en can take the accusative when it shows movement into something:

  • en mia taso = in my cup
  • en mian tason = into my cup

Since the milk is being put into the cup, Esperanto uses en mian tason.

Second, mian also gets -n because adjectives and possessives agree with the noun they describe. Since tason is accusative, mian must match it:

  • mia taso
  • mian tason

So mian tason is correct agreement.

What is the difference between en mian tason and en mia taso?

This is a very common Esperanto point.

  • en mia taso = in my cup, inside my cup, location
  • en mian tason = into my cup, movement toward the inside

Esperanto often uses:

  • preposition + no -n for location
  • preposition + -n for direction or movement

So in this sentence:

  • ŝi metas lakton en mian tason = she puts milk into my cup

If the milk were already there, you might say:

  • La lakto estas en mia taso = The milk is in my cup
What does dum mean here?

Here dum means while.

It connects two actions that happen at the same time:

  • Mi trinkas akvon el glaso, dum ŝi metas lakton en mian tason.
  • I drink water from a glass, while she puts milk into my cup.

So dum is introducing a clause.

A useful extra point:

  • with a clause, dum means while
  • with a noun phrase, it can mean during

For example:

  • dum ŝi laboras = while she works
  • dum la tago = during the day
Why is there no word for a or an?

Because Esperanto has no indefinite article.

So:

  • glaso can mean a glass
  • taso can mean a cup
  • lakto can mean milk in a general sense

Esperanto only has one article, la, which means the.

So:

  • glaso = a glass / glass
  • la glaso = the glass

In your sentence, el glaso simply means from a glass unless the context makes it specific.

Does Mi trinkas mean I drink or I am drinking?

It can mean either one.

The Esperanto present tense ending -as covers both:

  • simple present: I drink
  • present progressive: I am drinking

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, because of dum and the parallel action, English would often translate it as something ongoing:

  • I am drinking water from a glass, while she is putting milk into my cup

But Esperanto does not need a special separate form for am drinking.

How do you pronounce ŝi?

ŝi is pronounced roughly like shee.

More exactly:

  • ŝ sounds like English sh
  • i sounds like ee

So:

  • ŝi = she

This is one of Esperanto’s special letters with a diacritic. The letter ŝ always has the same sound, which makes pronunciation very regular.

Is metas lakton natural, or should it be a different verb because milk is liquid?

Metas is grammatically fine and understandable.

  • meti = to put, place
  • ŝi metas lakton en mian tason = she puts milk into my cup

However, because milk is a liquid, a more specific verb could be:

  • verŝi = to pour

So a more natural version in many situations might be:

  • ŝi verŝas lakton en mian tason = she pours milk into my cup

So:

  • meti = general and acceptable
  • verŝi = more specific for liquids
Can the word order be changed?

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible because endings and prepositions show the grammatical roles.

For example, this is also fine:

  • Dum ŝi metas lakton en mian tason, mi trinkas akvon el glaso.

The meaning stays clear because:

  • akvon is marked as the object
  • en mian tason shows direction
  • el glaso shows source

That said, the basic order in your sentence is very natural and beginner-friendly.

Why is it el glaso and not de glaso?

Because el specifically means out of / from inside something.

When you drink from a glass, the liquid comes out of the glass, so el is the natural choice:

  • trinki el glaso = drink from a glass

de usually means from in other senses, such as origin, possession, or separation from a person or thing, but not usually out of the inside of a container.

So for containers:

  • el glaso
  • el taso
  • el botelo

are the normal choices.

More from this lesson

ŝlosilosakoMi metas la ŝlosilon en mian sakon antaŭ ol mi iras al la laboro.monujopoŝobretoMia monujo ne estas en mia poŝo, do mi serĉas ĝin sur la breto.apud
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Esperanto grammar?”
Esperanto grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Esperanto

Master Esperanto — from Mi trinkas akvon el glaso, dum ŝi metas lakton en mian tason to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Esperanto freeBrowse the full course