Mi ne volas plendi pri la laboro hodiaŭ.

I do not want to complain about work today.

Breakdown of Mi ne volas plendi pri la laboro hodiaŭ.

• mi: I
• la: the
• hodiaŭ: today
• voli: to want

Questions & Answers about Mi ne volas plendi pri la laboro hodiaŭ.

Why is ne placed before volas?

In Esperanto, ne normally goes directly before the word or idea it negates.

So:

Mi ne volas plendi pri la laboro hodiaŭ
means that the wanting is negated: I do not want to complain...

Compare that with:

Mi volas ne plendi pri la laboro hodiaŭ
This would mean something more like I want not to complain... or I want to avoid complaining...

Both are possible, but they are not quite the same. The original sentence is the most natural way to say it.

Why does plendi end in -i?

The ending -i is the infinitive ending in Esperanto. It is the basic dictionary form of the verb, like to complain in English.

So:

• volas = want
• plendi = to complain

After voli, Esperanto normally uses an infinitive:

• Mi volas manĝi = I want to eat
• Mi volas iri = I want to go
• Mi volas plendi = I want to complain

Why is pri used here?

Pri is the usual preposition for about, concerning, or regarding.

The verb plendi is commonly used with when you say what someone is complaining about: