La hundo dormas sub la tablo.

In Esperanto, nouns normally end in -o. So hundo means dog and tablo means table.

This is one of the most regular parts of Esperanto grammar:

• -o = noun
• -a = adjective
• -e = adverb
• -i = infinitive verb form

So when you see hundo, you can immediately recognize it as a noun.

The ending -as marks the present tense in Esperanto. So dormas means is sleeping or sleeps.

Esperanto verb endings are very regular:

• -as = present
• -is = past
• -os = future
• -us = conditional
• -u = command / jussive
• -i = infinitive

So:

• dormas = sleeps / is sleeping
• dormis = slept / was sleeping
• dormos = will sleep

La is the Esperanto word for the. It does not change for gender, number, or case in normal use.

It appears twice because English would also usually use the twice here:

• the dog
• the table

So:

• la hundo = the dog
• la tablo = the table

Esperanto has only one definite article, la, and it is the same in all situations.

In Esperanto, the verb itself already shows the tense, so you do not need a separate helping verb like English is in this sentence.

English says:

• The dog is sleeping

Esperanto says:

• La hundo dormas

The -as ending already tells you the action is in the present, so no extra word like is is needed.

Sub is a preposition meaning under or below.

So:

• sub la tablo = under the table

Prepositions in Esperanto work very much like English prepositions. They show relationships such as place, direction, time, and so on.

Examples:

• sur la tablo = on the table
• sub la tablo = under the table
• apud la tablo = beside the table

Because this sentence describes location, not movement toward something.

In Esperanto, the -n ending is often used for:

1. the direct object
2. direction toward a place

Here the dog is already sleeping under the table, so this is a location:

• sub la tablo = under the table

If there were movement toward that position, you could use -n:

• La hundo kuras sub la tablon = The dog runs under the table

So:

• tablo = location
• tablon = direction toward that location

Because la hundo is the subject of the sentence, not the direct object.

In La hundo dormas sub la tablo:

• la hundo = the thing doing the action
• dormas = the action
• sub la tablo = where the action happens

The -n ending usually marks the direct object, but sleep does not take a direct object here. The dog is simply doing the action of sleeping.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible, although subject + verb + other information is the most neutral pattern.

The most ordinary version is:

• La hundo dormas sub la tablo

But other orders are possible, especially for emphasis or style:

• Sub la tablo dormas la hundo = Under the table sleeps the dog
• Dormas la hundo sub la tablo = The dog is sleeping under the table

Even though Esperanto allows flexibility, beginners should usually stick to the basic order until they feel comfortable.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• La = lah
• hundo = HOON-doh
• dormas = DOR-mahs
• sub = soob
• la = lah
• tablo = TAH-bloh

A few useful points:

• Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable
• Each letter has a consistent sound
• u sounds like oo in food
• o sounds like o in a clear pure vowel, not like the English diphthong in many accents

So the stress goes like this:

• HUN-do
• DOR-mas
• TA-blo

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Esperanto -as simply marks the present tense. English often makes a distinction between:

• sleeps
• is sleeping

Esperanto often does not need to make that distinction unless context requires it. So dormas can be understood as:

• sleeps
• is sleeping

In this sentence, English would most naturally say is sleeping, but Esperanto uses the same basic present-tense form.

No. Hundo simply means dog and does not inherently mean male.

Basic Esperanto nouns are generally not marked for grammatical gender. If you need to specify sex, Esperanto has ways to do that, but the plain noun is usually neutral in ordinary use.

So hundo just means dog unless more information is added.