Mi jam preparis la portotan jakon por morgaŭ.
I have already prepared the jacket to be worn tomorrow.
Questions & Answers about Mi jam preparis la portotan jakon por morgaŭ.
Why is preparis used if the English meaning is have prepared?
Esperanto does not have a separate present perfect tense like English does. The ending -is covers both ideas:
- I prepared
- I have prepared
Context tells you which English tense sounds best. Here jam makes it clear that the action is already completed, so English often uses have prepared.
What does jam mean here?
Jam means already. It shows that the preparation is finished before now, or before the relevant moment.
So Mi jam preparis... gives the sense of I’ve already prepared...
Why do portotan and jakon both end in -n?
Because jakon is the direct object of preparis, it takes the accusative ending -n.
Since portotan is an adjective describing jakon, it must agree with it. In Esperanto, adjectives match the noun in:
- number
- case
So:
- jako = jacket
- jakon = jacket as direct object
- portota jako = jacket to be worn
- portotan jakon = jacket to be worn, as direct object
What exactly is portotan?