Breakdown of Se la raporto estos preta post unu horo, nia estro subskribos ĝin tuj.
esti
to be
ĝi
it
se
if
nia
our
Questions & Answers about Se la raporto estos preta post unu horo, nia estro subskribos ĝin tuj.
What does se mean here?
Se means if. It introduces a condition:
Se la raporto estos preta post unu horo...
= If the report is ready in/after one hour...
So the second part of the sentence depends on that condition being true.
Why are both verbs in the future tense? In English we usually say If the report is ready..., not If the report will be ready...
That is a very common question for English speakers.
In Esperanto, tense is usually chosen more directly by time. Since both actions are in the future, estos and subskribos are perfectly normal:
- estos = will be
- subskribos = will sign
So Esperanto does not have to follow the English pattern if + present, main clause + future. It can simply use the future in both parts when both events are future.
How does estos preta work?
This is the normal Esperanto way to say will be ready:
- esti = to be
- estos = will be
- preta = ready
So:
- la raporto estas preta = the report is ready
- la raporto estos preta = the report will be ready
Preta is an adjective describing la raporto.
Why is it preta and not some other form like preton or ?