Breakdown of Dum la paŭzo mi trinkas akvon, kaj mia frato legas la novajn vortojn en silenta angulo de la koridoro.
mi
I
akvo
the water
la
the
en
in
Questions & Answers about Dum la paŭzo mi trinkas akvon, kaj mia frato legas la novajn vortojn en silenta angulo de la koridoro.
Why is it trinkas and legas instead of something like is drinking and is reading?
In Esperanto, the simple present tense often covers both the English simple present and present progressive.
So:
- mi trinkas akvon can mean I drink water or I am drinking water
- mia frato legas can mean my brother reads or my brother is reading
If the context already makes it clear that this is happening right now, plain -as is enough.
Why does akvon end in -n?
The -n ending marks the direct object in Esperanto.
Here, akvo is the thing being drunk, so it becomes:
- akvo = water
- akvon = water as the direct object
So:
- mi trinkas akvon = I drink/am drinking water
This is one of the most important features of Esperanto grammar.
Why do both novajn and vortojn have endings?