Mi tondas la longan branĉon.

The -n ending marks the direct object in Esperanto. That means branĉon is the thing being acted on.

• Mi = I
• tondas = cut/trim/shear
• branĉon = branch, as the object of the action

So Mi tondas la longan branĉon means that I am doing the trimming, and the branch is what gets trimmed.

Adjectives in Esperanto must agree with the nouns they describe. That means they match in:

• number: singular or plural
• case: whether the noun has -n or not

Since branĉon is singular and has the accusative -n, the adjective must match it:

• longa branĉo = a long branch
• longan branĉon = a long branch as the direct object

So longan takes -n because it describes branĉon.

La means the.

Esperanto has one definite article: la. It does not have separate words for a or an. If you want an indefinite idea, you usually just leave the article out.

For example:

• branĉo = a branch / branch
• la branĉo = the branch

So:

• Mi tondas longan branĉon = I trim a long branch
• Mi tondas la longan branĉon = I trim the long branch

Tondas is present tense.

In Esperanto, verb endings are very regular:

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

So:

• tondi = to trim / to shear
• tondas = trim / trims / am trimming / is trimming

Esperanto present tense can cover both simple present and present progressive, depending on context.

The dictionary form is tondi.

Esperanto verbs are usually listed in the infinitive, which ends in -i. So the parts are:

• tond- = the root
• -i = infinitive ending

Then you change only the ending for tense or mood:

• tondi = to trim
• tondas = trims / is trimming
• tondis = trimmed
• tondos = will trim

Not exactly.

• tondi usually means to shear, clip, trim, mow
• tranĉi usually means to cut in a more general sense

So tondi often suggests trimming something like hair, wool, grass, hedges, or branches. In this sentence, it sounds like trimming or pruning a long branch, rather than simply cutting it in any possible way.

Yes, the adjective can come before or after the noun.

Both are possible:

• la longan branĉon
• la branĉon longan

The first one is much more natural in ordinary usage. Esperanto usually places adjectives before the noun, like English does, but the language allows flexibility.

No matter where the adjective goes, it still has to agree with the noun, so it would still be longan.

Yes, Esperanto word order is fairly flexible because the -n ending shows the direct object.

So all of these are grammatically possible:

• Mi tondas la longan branĉon.
• La longan branĉon mi tondas.
• Tondas mi la longan branĉon.

The most neutral and common order is subject–verb–object, as in the original sentence.

Changing the order usually changes emphasis, not the basic meaning.

A helpful rough guide is:

• bran like English brahn
• ĉ sounds like ch in church
• o is a pure o sound
• n is pronounced clearly

So branĉon sounds roughly like BRAHN-chon.

A few useful pronunciation notes:

• ĉ = ch
• a = ah
• o = oh
• stress in Esperanto usually falls on the second-to-last syllable

So bran-ĉon is stressed on bran.

In Esperanto, personal pronouns do not change the way English pronouns do for subject and object in most basic cases.

• mi = I / me
• vi = you
• li = he / him
• ŝi = she / her

Instead of changing the pronoun form, Esperanto often uses the sentence structure or the -n marking when needed.

In this sentence, mi is the subject, so it stays simply mi.

It would not be wrong, but it is less natural in ordinary speech.

Esperanto allows:

• Mi tondas la longan branĉon
• Mi tondas la branĉon longan

Both mean the same thing. The first version is the normal, neutral one. Putting longan after the noun can sound more literary, emphatic, or stylistically marked.

Here is the breakdown:

• Mi — personal pronoun
• tondas — verb, present tense
• la — definite article
• longan — adjective, singular accusative
• branĉon — noun, singular accusative

This is a very typical Esperanto pattern:

subject + verb + article + adjective + noun

You would make both the noun and its adjective plural, and if they are still the direct object, they also keep -n.

So:

• branĉo = branch
• branĉoj = branches
• branĉon = branch (object)
• branĉojn = branches (object)

And the adjective must match:

• longa = long
• longaj = long (plural)
• longan = long (object, singular)
• longajn = long (object, plural)

So the plural sentence would be:

Mi tondas la longajn branĉojn.