Questions & Answers about Mi preparas salaton kun tomatoj kaj cepoj por la tagmanĝo.
Why does salato become salaton here?
Because salaton is the direct object of the verb preparas.
In Esperanto, the direct object usually takes the ending -n.
So:
- salato = a salad
- salaton = a salad, as the thing being prepared
In this sentence, the speaker is preparing the salad, so salaton gets -n.
Why don’t tomatoj and cepoj also have -n endings?
Because they are not the direct object of the verb. They are part of the phrase kun tomatoj kaj cepoj = with tomatoes and onions.
The preposition kun means with, and nouns after a preposition normally do not take -n just because they follow that preposition.
So:
- kun tomatoj = with tomatoes
- kun cepoj = with onions
The thing being prepared is salaton, not tomatojn or cepojn.
What does the ending -as in preparas mean?