Kio estas la nomo de la aktoro?

Kio means what.

In this sentence, Kio estas la nomo de la aktoro?, you are asking for a thing: the actor’s name. That is why kio is used.

A useful difference is:

• kio = what (asking about a thing, idea, or identity in a broad sense)
• kiu = which one / who (asking to identify a specific person or item from a known set)

So:

• Kio estas via nomo? = What is your name?
• Kiu estas la aktoro? = Who is the actor? or Which one is the actor?

Esperanto often forms simple questions by putting a question word at the beginning, just as English does.

So:

• Kio = what
• estas = is
• la nomo de la aktoro = the name of the actor

Literally, it is:

• What is the name of the actor?

This matches English fairly closely. Esperanto does not need do for this kind of question, so you do not say anything like What does be...

Estas means is / am / are.

It is the present tense form of esti = to be.

One very important feature of Esperanto is that the verb does not change depending on the subject:

• mi estas = I am
• vi estas = you are
• li estas = he is
• ili estas = they are

So in this sentence, estas simply means is.

La means the.

In la nomo, it is used because the speaker is asking for a specific thing: the name.

So:

• nomo = name
• la nomo = the name

Esperanto uses la as its definite article, and unlike English, it never changes form.

De la aktoro means of the actor.

Breaking it down:

• de = of / from
• la aktoro = the actor

So:

• la nomo de la aktoro = the name of the actor

This is a very common Esperanto way to show possession or relationship.

For example:

• la libro de Maria = Maria’s book
• la pordo de la domo = the door of the house

Esperanto usually shows possession with de.

So English:

• the actor’s name

is commonly expressed in Esperanto as:

• la nomo de la aktoro

This is one of the most normal and straightforward ways to express possession in Esperanto.

In practice, English speakers should get used to de as a very common possession structure.

In Esperanto, nouns end in -o.

So:

• aktoro = actor
• nomo = name

This is one of the most basic patterns in Esperanto grammar:

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

That final -o helps you immediately recognize aktoro and nomo as nouns.

Aktoron would be the accusative form, marked by -n.

In this sentence, la aktoro is part of a de phrase: de la aktoro = of the actor. It is not the direct object of the sentence, so there is no -n.

Also, the main structure is:

• Kio = the thing being asked about
• estas = is
• la nomo de la aktoro = the complement

No direct object is involved here, so no accusative is needed.

By default, aktoro traditionally means actor.

If you specifically want to say actress, Esperanto often uses:

• aktorino = actress

That -in- element marks feminine forms.

So:

• aktoro = actor
• aktorino = actress

Depending on the speaker and context, some people may use masculine/feminine distinctions more or less often, but aktorino is the standard specific word for actress.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Kio ≈ KEE-o
• estas ≈ ES-tahs
• la ≈ lah
• nomo ≈ NO-mo
• de ≈ deh
• la ≈ lah
• aktoro ≈ ahk-TO-ro

So the whole sentence sounds roughly like:

KEE-o ES-tahs lah NO-mo deh lah ahk-TO-ro

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• Esperanto stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable.
• Each vowel is pronounced clearly.
• kio has two vowel sounds: ki-o, not one merged sound.

Usually, you would say de la aktoro, not de aktoro, if you mean a specific actor.

So:

• de la aktoro = of the actor
• de aktoro would sound less natural here unless you mean something more general or unusual

Because the English meaning is the name of the actor, the Esperanto sentence normally includes la before aktoro.

Yes, Esperanto has somewhat flexible word order, but this sentence in its given form is the most natural and clear for learners:

• Kio estas la nomo de la aktoro?

Because Esperanto marks grammar in other ways, some variation is possible, but question words like kio normally come first in direct questions.

So while word order can sometimes vary, this is the standard version you should learn first.

Yes, the pattern is very common:

• Kio estas la nomo de ... ? = What is the name of ... ?

For example:

• Kio estas la nomo de ĉi tiu urbo? = What is the name of this city?
• Kio estas via nomo? = What is your name?

However, for people, Esperanto speakers also often use more direct expressions depending on context, such as asking who someone is. But grammatically, Kio estas la nomo de la aktoro? is perfectly clear and natural.