Breakdown of La patrino diras, ke lerta infano jam scias zorgi pri sia ĉambro.
infano
the child
scii
to know
ke
that
diri
to say
Questions & Answers about La patrino diras, ke lerta infano jam scias zorgi pri sia ĉambro.
Why is ke used here?
Ke means that and introduces a subordinate clause.
So the sentence is structured like this:
- La patrino diras = The mother says
- ke ... = that ...
- lerta infano jam scias zorgi pri sia ĉambro = a clever child already knows how to take care of his/her room
Esperanto uses ke very regularly for this kind of that-clause.
Why is there a comma before ke?
In Esperanto, a subordinate clause introduced by words like ke is normally separated by a comma.
So:
- La patrino diras, ke ...
This is more regular than in English, where that is sometimes written without a comma.
Why is it la patrino, but just lerta infano and not la lerta infano?
La means the.
- la patrino = the mother, a specific mother
- lerta infano = a clever child or clever children/child in general, depending on context
Without la, infano is indefinite or generic. The sentence is not talking about one specifically identified child, but about a clever child as a type or as an unspecified child.
If you said la lerta infano, that would mean the clever child, referring to a particular child already known in the context.