La kafejo estas kontraŭ la biblioteko.

Kafejo means café, coffee shop, or a place where people go for coffee.

It is built from:

• kafo = coffee
• -ej- = suffix meaning place
• -o = noun ending

So kafejo literally means a coffee place.

This is a very common Esperanto word-building pattern. For example:

• lerni = to learn → lernejo = school
• kuiri = to cook → kuirejo = kitchen

Estas is the present-tense form of esti, which means to be.

So:

• mi estas = I am
• vi estas = you are
• ĝi estas = it is

In La kafejo estas kontraŭ la biblioteko, estas links the subject (la kafejo) with its location (kontraŭ la biblioteko).

Here, kontraŭ means opposite or across from.

So the sentence means that the café is located on the other side from the library.

But kontraŭ can also mean against, depending on context. For example:

• Mi estas kontraŭ tiu ideo. = I am against that idea.

So this preposition has both a physical sense and a more abstract sense.

Because la biblioteko is not a direct object here. It is part of a prepositional phrase introduced by kontraŭ.

In Esperanto, nouns usually do not take -n after a preposition when they show a fixed location:

• kontraŭ la biblioteko = opposite the library
• en la domo = in the house
• sur la tablo = on the table

You would use -n after a preposition mainly when showing movement toward something:

• Mi iris en la domon. = I went into the house.

But this sentence is about where the café is, not movement, so biblioteko stays without -n.

La is the Esperanto definite article, meaning the.

So:

• la kafejo = the café
• la biblioteko = the library

It is used because both places are understood as specific ones.

A useful point for English speakers: Esperanto has no indefinite article. There is no separate word for a or an.

So:

• kafejo can mean a café or just café depending on context
• la kafejo means the café

Yes. Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, though some orders are more neutral than others.

The most straightforward order is:

• La kafejo estas kontraŭ la biblioteko.

But you could also say:

• Kontraŭ la biblioteko estas la kafejo.

That version puts more focus on the location.

Even though Esperanto allows flexibility, beginners are usually safest using the basic pattern: subject + verb + rest of sentence

A common approximate pronunciation is KON-traow.

A few helpful points:

• aŭ is a diphthong, something like the ow in now
• the stress in Esperanto is always on the second-to-last syllable
• kontraŭ has two syllables: KON-traŭ
• so the stress is on KON

Also, ŭ is not a full vowel. It acts more like a short w-like sound in diphthongs such as aŭ and eŭ.

Usually yes in normal conversation, but not always with perfect one-to-one precision.

Kafejo is a general word for a place connected with coffee, and in many contexts café is the best translation. Depending on context, it could also feel like:

• coffee shop
• café
• coffeehouse

As often happens in language learning, the exact English translation depends on the situation.

Normally, no. Kontraŭ is better understood as opposite or facing/across from, not simply in front of.

If you want in front of, Esperanto more often uses:

• antaŭ = in front of / before

So:

• La kafejo estas antaŭ la biblioteko would mean The café is in front of the library
• La kafejo estas kontraŭ la biblioteko means The café is opposite the library

That is an important difference.

Because Esperanto verbs do not change according to person or number.

So:

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

The verb form stays estas every time in the present tense.

This is one of the features that many learners find easier than English.