Breakdown of La patrino preparas manĝon por la infanoj.
por
for
infano
the child
patrino
the mother
prepari
to prepare
Questions & Answers about La patrino preparas manĝon por la infanoj.
Why is there la at the beginning of la patrino and also in la infanoj?
La is the definite article in Esperanto, meaning the.
So:
- la patrino = the mother
- la infanoj = the children
Esperanto has only one article, la. It does not change for singular/plural, gender, or case.
Also, Esperanto normally has no indefinite article. So:
- patrino = a mother or just mother
- la patrino = the mother
Why is patrino used for mother instead of just patro?
Because patro means father, while patrino means mother.
This is built with the feminine suffix -in-:
- patr- = parent/father root
- patro = father
- patrino = mother
This is a very common Esperanto pattern:
- frato = brother
- fratino = sister
- avo = grandfather
- avin(o) = grandmother
So patrino is literally female parent/father-root noun, which gives mother.
What does the ending -as in preparas mean?