La intrigo estas interesa.

to be

Breakdown of La intrigo estas interesa.

• la: the
• interesa: interesting
• intrigo: the plot; intrigue

Questions & Answers about La intrigo estas interesa.

What does la mean here?

La is the definite article, meaning the.

So la intrigo means the plot.

A useful point for English speakers: Esperanto has la, but it does not have a separate word for a/an. So:

• la intrigo = the plot
• intrigo = a plot or just plot, depending on context

Why does intrigo end in -o?

In Esperanto, nouns normally end in -o.

So intrigo is a noun because of that -o ending. This is one of the most basic and helpful patterns in the language:

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

That means even if you do not know the word yet, the ending tells you what kind of word it is.

What is estas?

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

So estas means is / am / are, depending on the subject.

Examples:

• Mi estas = I am
• Vi estas = you are
• La intrigo estas = the plot is

Esperanto verbs do not change form for different persons the way English verbs do. The same estas works with all subjects.