Ĉu via taso estas sur la tablo?

Ĉu is the marker for a yes-no question in Esperanto. It does not mean what, whether, or if exactly by itself in every context, but in a sentence like this it tells you: this is a question that can be answered with yes or no.

So:

• Via taso estas sur la tablo. = Your cup is on the table.
• Ĉu via taso estas sur la tablo? = Is your cup on the table?

Unlike English, Esperanto does not usually make this kind of question by changing word order.

Because Esperanto normally forms yes-no questions with ĉu, not by inversion.

English:

• Your cup is on the table.
• Is your cup on the table?

Esperanto:

• Via taso estas sur la tablo.
• Ĉu via taso estas sur la tablo?

The basic word order stays the same. This is very common and very regular in Esperanto, which makes question formation easier.

Via means your. It is a possessive form, used before a noun:

• via taso = your cup
• via libro = your book

In Esperanto, possessives like mia, via, lia, ŝia, nia, ilia work a lot like determiners in English. You usually just put them before the noun.

Also, when you already have a possessive like via, you normally do not add la:

• via taso = your cup
• not usually la via taso

Because Esperanto nouns are very regular.

• Every singular noun ends in -o
• Plural adds -j
• There is no grammatical gender for ordinary nouns

So:

• taso = cup
• tasoj = cups

The noun itself does not change for masculine or feminine, and it stays taso here because it is singular.

No. Esperanto verbs do not change according to person or number.

The verb esti means to be, and its present tense form is always estas:

• mi estas = I am
• vi estas = you are
• li estas = he is
• ili estas = they are

So in this sentence, estas simply means is/are, depending on the subject.

Because nothing here is a direct object, and there is no motion toward a place.

In this sentence:

• via taso is the subject
• estas is the verb
• sur la tablo tells location

So no accusative is needed.

This is an important contrast:

• La taso estas sur la tablo. = The cup is on the table.
  
  • location only, so no -n
• Mi metas la tason sur la tablon. = I put the cup onto the table.
  
  • tason is the direct object
  • tablon shows motion onto the table

Because la is the definite article, meaning the.

• sur la tablo = on the table

In Esperanto, la is used when the speaker means a specific thing that is identifiable in context. In a sentence like this, the table is usually a particular table both speaker and listener can identify.

Also, Esperanto has only one article: la. There is no separate word for a/an.

Because possessives usually replace the article.

So:

• via taso = your cup
• la tablo = the table

Using via already makes the noun specific, so you normally do not say la via taso.

This is similar to English: we say your cup, not the your cup.

Sur means on, upon, or on top of, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• sur la tablo = on the table

It usually indicates contact with the surface of something. So the cup is resting on the table, not merely above it.

A useful comparison:

• sur la tablo = on the table
• super la tablo = above the table

So if the cup is physically on the table, sur is the right preposition.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, but the given version is the most neutral and natural:

• Ĉu via taso estas sur la tablo?

You may sometimes see variations for emphasis, but beginners should stick with the standard order unless they have a reason to change it.

For example, moving parts around can sound marked or emphatic rather than neutral.

A simple answer would be:

• Jes. = Yes.
• Ne. = No.

You can also answer more fully:

• Jes, ĝi estas sur la tablo. = Yes, it is on the table.
• Ne, ĝi ne estas sur la tablo. = No, it is not on the table.

Notice that negation uses ne before the verb:

• ne estas = is not

A rough pronunciation guide is:

CHOO VEE-ah TAH-so ES-tahs soor lah TAH-blo

A few key points:

• ĉ sounds like ch in church
• v is like English v
• a, e, i, o, u have stable vowel sounds
• stress in Esperanto is almost always on the second-to-last syllable

So:

• via → VEE-a
• taso → TA-so
• estas → ES-tas
• tablo → TA-blo

Usually yes, if you mean an ordinary cup.

Taso is the normal word for cup as a drinking vessel. Depending on context, English may distinguish between cup, mug, goblet, and so on more specifically than Esperanto does in everyday use.

But for a basic sentence like this, taso is exactly what learners should expect.

Because Esperanto question formation is much simpler than English in this respect.

English often needs do:

• Do you know?
• Does he work?

Esperanto does not. It just uses ĉu and keeps the verb in its normal form:

• Ĉu vi scias? = Do you know?
• Ĉu li laboras? = Does he work?

So here:

• Ĉu via taso estas sur la tablo?

There is no need for an equivalent of English do.

Vi can mean either you singular or you plural, depending on context, and via works the same way:

• via taso can mean your cup addressed to one person
• it could also be your cup addressed to more than one person, depending on what is meant

Esperanto normally does not distinguish singular you from plural you unless extra wording is added.