La poto staras sola ĉe la fenestro.

the window

Breakdown of La poto staras sola ĉe la fenestro.

• la: the
• ĉe: at
• stari: to stand

Questions & Answers about La poto staras sola ĉe la fenestro.

Why does the sentence use staras instead of just estas?

In Esperanto, stari means to stand or to be standing/upright. It is often used for things that are in an upright position, not just people.

So La poto staras... suggests that the pot is standing there upright, not merely that it exists.

• La poto estas ĉe la fenestro = The pot is at the window.
• La poto staras ĉe la fenestro = The pot is standing by the window.

The second version gives a clearer picture of position.

What does staras mean exactly here? Can a pot really stand?

Yes. In Esperanto, verbs like stari, sidi, and kuŝi are commonly used for the position of objects as well as people.

A native English speaker may find this a little unusual, but it is very normal in Esperanto:

• stari = be standing, be upright
• sidi = be sitting, be placed in a sitting-like position
• kuŝi = be lying, be in a horizontal position

So a pot can absolutely stari if it is upright on a surface.

Why is sola used? Why not an adverb like sole?