Breakdown of La prezo de la nova komputilo gravas por mi.
Questions & Answers about La prezo de la nova komputilo gravas por mi.
Why is la used twice in La prezo de la nova komputilo?
The first la goes with prezo: la prezo = the price.
The second la goes with nova komputilo: la nova komputilo = the new computer.
So Esperanto is being very literal here:
- la prezo = the price
- de la nova komputilo = of the new computer
English sometimes uses fewer articles in similar phrases, but in Esperanto each noun phrase can take its own la when it is definite.
What does de mean here?
Here de means of and shows possession or relationship.
So:
- la prezo de la nova komputilo = the price of the new computer
This is a very common way to link two nouns in Esperanto. Other examples:
- la koloro de la domo = the color of the house
- la nomo de la urbo = the name of the city
Why is it nova komputilo and not komputilo nova?
In Esperanto, adjectives usually come before the noun they describe.
So:
- nova komputilo = new computer
You can sometimes place the adjective after the noun, but the normal, neutral order is before it. A learner should generally put adjectives before nouns unless there is a special stylistic reason not to.
Why doesn’t nova end in -n or -j?
Because it is describing a singular noun in the basic form.
- komputilo ends in -o, so it is a singular noun
- nova matches it as an adjective, so it ends in -a
There is no -j because it is not plural, and no -n because it is not in the accusative.
Compare:
- la nova komputilo = the new computer
- la novaj komputiloj = the new computers
- mi aĉetas la novan komputilon = I am buying the new computer
What kind of word is gravas?
gravas is the present-tense form of the verb gravi, which means to be important or to matter.
Breakdown:
- grav- = the root meaning important / weighty
- -i = infinitive, so gravi = to be important
- -as = present tense, so gravas = is important / matters
So La prezo ... gravas means The price ... matters or is important.
Why is it gravas por mi instead of something like estas grava por mi?
Both are possible, but they are built differently.
La prezo ... gravas por mi
- literally: The price matters to me
- here gravas is a verb
La prezo ... estas grava por mi
- literally: The price is important to me
- here grava is an adjective, and estas is the verb to be
Both are natural. The sentence you were given uses the verbal style: gravi.
What does por mi mean here?
Por mi means for me or, in smoother English here, to me.
It shows whose point of view is involved:
- gravas por mi = matters to me / is important to me
This is a common use of por. It does not mean physical direction here; it marks relevance or importance in relation to someone.
Could this sentence use al mi instead of por mi?
Normally, por mi is the better choice here.
- por mi = for me, from my perspective, in relation to me
- al mi usually means to me in a more directional sense
With gravi, Esperanto commonly uses por to express important to someone:
- Tio gravas por mi. = That matters to me.
Using al mi here would sound less standard to most learners and speakers.
Why is there no accusative -n anywhere in the sentence?
Because there is no direct object here.
The sentence is built around the subject:
- La prezo de la nova komputilo = the subject
And the predicate:
- gravas por mi = matters to me / is important to me
Since nothing is being directly acted upon, no accusative is needed.
How do I know that la prezo is the subject?
The verb is gravas, and the thing that matters is la prezo de la nova komputilo.
So that whole noun phrase is the subject:
- La prezo de la nova komputilo = the price of the new computer
If you turn it into a question, it becomes clearer:
- Kio gravas por mi?
- La prezo de la nova komputilo.
That shows that la prezo de la nova komputilo is the subject.
Is komputilo a normal Esperanto word, and how is it built?
Yes. Komputilo is a normal Esperanto noun meaning computer.
It is built from:
- komput- = compute
- -il- = tool/instrument
- -o = noun ending
So literally it is something like a computing tool.
This is a very typical Esperanto word-building pattern. For example:
- tranĉi = to cut
- tranĉilo = a cutting tool, knife
Can the word order be changed?
Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, but the normal order here is the most natural:
- La prezo de la nova komputilo gravas por mi.
You might also hear:
- Por mi gravas la prezo de la nova komputilo.
That version puts more emphasis on por mi or makes the sentence flow differently in context. Because Esperanto has clearer endings than English, word order can vary more, but the neutral style is usually the simplest one.
Does prezo only mean the amount of money, or can it mean value in a broader sense?
In ordinary usage, prezo usually means price in the monetary sense.
So in this sentence, it most naturally refers to how much the new computer costs.
If you wanted to talk about broader value, Esperanto often uses valoro instead.
So:
- prezo = price
- valoro = value
That distinction is useful to remember.
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