Breakdown of La patrino volas, ke la knabino restu hejme hodiaŭ.
hodiaŭ
today
voli
to want
resti
to stay
ke
that
Questions & Answers about La patrino volas, ke la knabino restu hejme hodiaŭ.
Why is there a comma before ke?
In Esperanto, a comma is commonly used before ke when it introduces a subordinate clause. Here, ke la knabino restu hejme hodiaŭ is the content of what the mother wants, so it is set off with a comma.
So the structure is:
- La patrino volas = The mother wants
- ke la knabino restu hejme hodiaŭ = that the girl stay home today
The comma helps show the boundary between the main clause and the ke-clause.
What does ke mean here?
Ke means that and introduces a clause.
In this sentence, it connects volas with the idea being wanted:
- La patrino volas = The mother wants
- ke la knabino restu hejme hodiaŭ = that the girl stay home today
This is very similar to English that, although English often omits that in everyday speech. Esperanto usually keeps ke.
Why is it restu and not restas, restos, or resti?