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T126
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^LECIONO 3.
-(3 = tri)
-
.
-In this lesson you'll learn the last tricks you'll need for having your
-first little Esperanto conversation.
-The most important topic in this lesson is "questions" - after all, a
-conversation without questions is almost impossible!
.
-Let's flash back to the beginning of our course, when the first parti-
-cipants got to know each other.
-Two girls meet:
)Saluton! Kiel vi nomi{as? -- Mi nomi{as Gila.
-These two sentences are easy to translate, aren't they?
.
-'Hello! What's your name?' - 'My name is Gila.'
-
-Gila asks back:
(Kaj ki\2el vi\6 nomi{as?
-The answer is:
)Mi nomi{as Ute.
-Please repeat these and the following sentences and translate them at once.
.
-The sentences say in English:
-'And what's YOUR name?' - 'My name is Ute.'
-
-Ute asks:
)De kie vi venas?
-Gila answers:
(Mi venas el Israelo. Kaj de ki\2e vi\6 venas?
-Ute:
)Mi venas el Germanio.
-
-And your translation should look like this:
-Ute: 'Where do you come from?'
-Gila: 'I come from Israel. And where do you come from?'
-Ute: 'I come from Germany.'
.
-Ute continues asking:
)Kie vi lo{as en Israelo?
-"lo{i" means 'to live [at a certain place]'.
-"en" - you have probably guessed it already - means 'in'.
-Can you translate the sentence?
.
-'Where do you live in Israel?'
-Does anything strike you?
.
-There's no equivalent for 'do' in this sentence. The question is just made
-up of the interrogative "kie" plus sentence as it would be if it were a
-statement: "Vi lo{as en Israelo" - 'You live in Israel'. After all, the
-word "kie" is sufficient to show that the sentence is a question.
-Questions are always formed in this way. This implies, that there must
-always be an interrogative word; but that will be treated some lines below.
-
-Gila answers:
(Mi lo{as en Te\2l-Avi\5%v\F.
-'I live in Tel-Aviv.'
-How can Ute now ask Gila where she lives?
.
(Kie vi lo{as en Germanio?
-
-Ute answers:
)Mi lo{as en Dresden.
-
-Where one's home country and home town is, is naturally often asked on an
-international youth meeting.
-Two more examples:
)De kie vi venas, Mariola? -- Mi venas el Pollando.
)Kie vi lo{as en Pollando? -- Mi lo{as en Gda\5nsk.
-
>De kie vi venas, Franeesko? -- Mi venas el Italio.
-Oops! There's a new letter here: "e". The sentence again:
+
>De kie vi venas, Franeesko? -- Mi venas el Italio.
>Kaj kie vi lo{as en Italio? -- Mi lo{as en Torino.
-
-Now I'll ask you:
>Kaj ki\2e vi\6 lo{as?
-Answer in Esperanto, please.
.
-In your answer you have to insert the city, town or village you live in,
-of course:
<*Mi lo{as en --
.
-Generally speaking, there are two groups of questions:
-Some examples:
-Group 1:                           Group 2:
-'What's your name?                 'Can I find something to read here?'
-'Whose pencil is this?'            'Would you give me a lift?'
-'Why on earth have you had your    'Does the bus really come every 10
- hair cut so short?'                minutes?'
-'When can we meet again?'          'Is there a news stand in this street?'
-
-Do you notice a difference between the two groups? (Take a look at the
-beginnings of the sentences in group 1!)
-All questions in group 1 begin with an interrogative word.
-All questions in group 2 don't have an interrogative.
-If you try to answer every question with 'yes' or 'no', another distinc-
-tion will make itself clear.
.
-In group 1 this is impossible, whereas in group 2 it's always possible.
-Thus, in the 1st group we have the 'interrogative word questions'
-and in the 2nd group we have the 'yes-or-no questions'.
.
-
-To which group do the Esperanto questions, which we know so far, belong:
^Kiel vi nomi{as?
^De kie vi venas?
##Kie vi lo{as?   # ?
.
-They all are 'interrogative word questions'.
-In many languages interrogatives begin with (more or less strictly) with
-a certain letter or letter group. In English it's 'wh-' (who, when, why
-...). Can you guess what the mark for interrogatives in Esperanto is?
.
-The words begin with "ki-" (always).
-
-Now, as you come across your the first 'yes-or-no questions' in Esperanto,
-you will notice something peculiar:
-
-Mariola asks a boy:
)du vi venas el Italio?
-He answers:
>Jes, mi venas el Italio.
-('Do you come from Italy?' -- 'Yes, I come from Italy.')
)du vi nomi{as Lui{i?
>Jes, mi nomi{as Lui{i.
-('Are you called Lui{i?' -- 'Yes, I'm called Lui{i.')
-Does actually anything strike you?
.
-They begin with the word "eu". Yet this "eu" doesn't seem to have any
-meaning!
-
-This is a rule: Every 'yes-or-no question' in Esperanto begins with the
-word "eu". This word doesn't have any meaning in itself, but it replaces
-- so to speak - the missing interrogative.
.
-
-Why is there such a word?
-Let's compare some English questions and statements:
-'Is this the reception?'       'This is the reception.'
-'Will he come home tonight?'   'He will come home tonight.'
-'Can we help you?'             'We can help you.'
-What distinguishes them from one another?
.
-The word order. And what do you know about word order in Esperanto?
.
-There are almost no rules of word order; that is, the reordering of words
-rarely changes the meaning of a sentence; in particular word order can't
-convert a statement into a question.
-Here we have a situation similar to the distinction of subject and object.
-We need a mark that says to us: 'Attention! A 'yes-or-no question
-follows!', just this "eu".
-Don't worry, that's about the last rule caused by the free word order.
.
-Enough theory! Let's put these new possibilities to practical use:
-
-Mariola:
)Saluton! Kiel vi nomi{as?
-Ferenc:
>Mi nomi{as Fe\5renc.
-Mariola:
)du vi venas el Hungario?
-Ferenc:
>Jes, mi venas el Hungario.
-Now repeat the above sentences aloud and translate them!
.
-'Hello! What's your name?'
-'My name is Ferenc.'
-'Do you come from Hungary?'
-'Yes, I come from Hungary.'
--Mariola:
)du vi venas el Bu\5dape%s\S\Ht*?
-Ferenc:
>Ne, mi venas el De\5brece\1n.
-
-Can you guess the meaning of "ne!"? And hence of the two sentences?
.
-'Do you come from Budapest?'
-'No, I come from Debrecen.'
-
-Mariola:
)du vi atas sporton?
-Ferenc:
>Jes, mi atas sporton. Mi ludas tenison.
.
-'Do you like sport?' - 'Yes, I like sport. I play tennis.'
-Mariola:
)du vi atas muzikon?
-Ferenc:
>Jes, mi atas muzikon.
-Mariola:
)du vi ludas muzikinstrumenton?
-Ferenc:
>Jes. Mi ludas gitaron.
.
-'Do you like music?' - 'Yes, I like music.'
-'Do you play an instrument?' - 'Yes. I play the guitar.'
-As you see, with the help of the "eu" question you can have quite long
-conversations!
.
-
--- The infinitive --
-
-We have already briefly encountered the infinitive in lesson 2. An infini-
-tive is the basic form of a verb; it's independent of any personal pro-
-nouns (I, you, he, she, it, ...). Infinitives in English are, for example,
-'to live', 'to play'.
-
-In Esperanto all infinitives end in "-i"!
-
-"Mi atas muzikon" means - you surely remember - 'I like music'.
-So what does "ati" mean?
.
-"ati" means 'to like'.
.
-
-Perhaps you can also find out
#what # Mi atas ludi tenison # means.#
-Literally: 'I like to play Tennis'. In English, we are more likely to say
-'I like playing tennis.'
-
-You are now better able to talk about your hobbies, and equally understand
-the following conversation:
-Mariola:
)du vi atas muzikon?
-Gila:
(Jes, mi atas muzikon. Mi ludas gitaron.
-Mariola:
)du vi a\5tas ludi gita\3ron?
-Gila:
(Jes, mi atas ludi gitaron!
-
-Can you translate the sentence "Mi atas ludi gitaron!"?
.
-I like playing the guitar.
-
-You ought to learn another important word:
-"voli" means 'to want'.
>Mi volas ludi gitaron.
-is in English:
.
-I want to play the guitar.
-
-Do you see any difference between the Esperanto and the English sentence?
.
-In the former there's no equivalent to 'to'.
-This 'to' belongs to the verb 'play'; in English, we put a 'to' before the
-infinitive on some occasions, in others we don't. In Esperanto there's
-no such word.
-
-"lerni" means 'to learn' and "povi" 'can' ('to be able').
-Now translate Gila's question:
(Kie mi povas lerni ludi gitaron?
-'Where can I learn to play the guitar?
-
-It's about time you tried to get to know some people yourself.
-A fair-haired boy is standing next to you. Why not say hallo to him and
-ask him what his name is?
.
-You ask him:
>Saluton! Kiel vi nomi{as?
-The boy answers:
<Saluton. Mi nomi{as Roberto.
-"Roberto" sounds Italian, doesn't it? Ask him if he comes from Italy (in
-spite of his fair hair).
.
>du vi venas el Italio?
-He laughs and answers:
<Ne, mi estas polo!
<Mi nomi{as Ro\5bert, sed mi atas la Esperanto-nomon Roberto!
-"esti" means 'to be', and "sed" means 'but'. You don't know the word
-"polo" yet, but you know the country's name "Pol-lando".
-Can you guess what Roberto has said?
-'No, I'm a Pole. My name is Robert, but I like the Esperanto name
-"Roberto"!'
-Remember: In Esperanto there's no indefinite article (a, an). When you
-translate the sentence "Mi estas polo" to English, you have to insert the
-word 'a' yourself (or you translate more freely: 'I'm Polish').
-
-Meanwhile it has got late, and you are growing hungry. While you are talk-
-ing with Roberto, the following is announced through the loudspeaker of
-the youth hostel:
##Vesperman{o!# - 'dinner!' (litarally: 'evening meal')#
-"man{o" being the word for 'meal', what could the Esperanto word for
-'to eat' be (the verb in infinitive form)?
.
>*man{i.
-It has to end in "-i", like every infinitive.
-You can treat EVERY Esperanto word this way, changing the part of speech
-(as long as it makes sense)!
-
-Ask Roberto, if he would like something to eat.
.
>du vi deziras man{i?
-
-He answers:
<Jes%, je\5s. du vi volas man{i kun mi?
-"kun" means 'with'. Can you translate the sentence?
.
-Roberto says: 'Yes, yes. Do you want to eat with me?'
-
-You realise that unfortunately neither of you knows where dinner is
-served. You decide to look for a sign. In the corridor there are a lot of
-them:
.
^DISKEJO
^MANzEJO
^DORMEJO
^TRINKEJO
^DUEJO
-What strikes you when you look at these words?
.
-All of them end in "-ejo".
-Can you find a word that might mean 'dining room'?
.
&man{ejo         looks as if it's akin to
&man{o           ('meal').
-
-This construction is typical for Esperanto. There are quite a few "word
-construction syllables", which can be put either in front of the word or
-- as here - between its root and the ending:
-"man{-" (something that concerns eating)
-+ "-ej-" (word construction syllable)
-+ "-o"   (noun ending)
-Can you guess what the syllable "-ej-" means? Let's follow the sign
-"dormejo" and see if you're right. ("dormi" means 'to sleep')
.
-We end up at a dormitory, a room for sleeping.
-"-ej-" means: 'room', 'place'.
.
&lavi            means 'to wash'. So what is the meaning of
&lavejo          ?
.
-'washroom'.
-
-Let's find out what's in the other rooms. "dui" means 'to have a shower'.
-And
>duejo...
-'shower room'.
-
-"disko" means 'disk, record'. And
>diskejo...
-'discotheque'.
-
-"trinki" means 'to drink'. And
>trinkejo...
-'bar'.
-
-Now construct some words yourself:
-"baki" means 'to bake'. Hence the word for 'bakery' is ...
.
>bakejo.
-
-"lerni" - we know that already - means 'to learn'. 'school':
.
>lernejo.
-
-"gimnastiko" means 'gymnastics'. 'gymnasium, sports hall':
.
>gimnastikejo.
-
-And 'football pitch':
.
>futbalejo.
-As you can see, "-ejo" (and the other word construction syllables too)
-are amazingly versatile, so that countless words needn't be learnt.
-
-By the way: There are endings like this in most other languages too, in-
-cluding English, e.g. '-less' for 'without something' in words like
-'thoughtless', 'senseless'. But: They can only be appended only to certain
-words; we can't express, say, 'safe, without danger' with a word 'danger-
-less'. On the other hand, these endings often have several meanings:
-'-er', for example, can be used for 'somebody with a certain job' ('gar-
-dener'), 'somebody with a certain capability' ('He's a good singer'),
-'a tool for' ('computer') and 'more' ('greater'). So it's necessary for a
-foreign speaker to learn each of these words anyway.
-
-The word construction system in Esperanto, however, always works - you can
-rely on!
.
-Now two exercises for the other word construction possibility:
-We just had the word "gimnastiko". So what is 'to do gymnastics' in
-Esperanto?
.
^*gimnastiki.
-and 'to play football'?
.
^*futbali.
-("ludi futbalon" is just as correct, of course.)
.
-
-But now let's come back to the situation: You two, you and Roberto, have
-found the sign "<= MANzEJO" in the corridor, but you aren't IN the dining
-room yet. So you follow the arrow to the left, and Roberto asks a girl:
<Kie estas la man{ejo?
-What does that mean?
.
-'Where is the dining room?'
-
-The girl points with her finger at a door at the end of the corridor and
-simply says:
)Tie!
-What might that mean?
.
-'(Over) there!'
-You surely see the similarity between "kie?" ('where?') and "tie"
-('there'), don't you?
-It's like that with all interrogative words and the respective answer
-words in Esperanto.
-Thus: The simplest answer to "Kie?" is "Tie!".
.
-The girl could also have answered with a complete sentence: 'The dining
-room is over there!'
-What would that be in Esperanto?
.
)Ti\6e estas la man{e\3jo!
-Any other word order is just as correct, but in this way we put an extra
-emphasis on the word "tie" by placing it at the beginning of the sentence.
-
-Finally having arrived in the dining room, Roberto sees two free places at
-a table. He asks:
<du tie estas loko?
-Perhaps you can guess what that means. Try!
.
-Literally: 'Is there a place?' ("loko" means 'place'), wanting to say:
-'Is this place free?'.
-
-The answer is:
+
>Jes, tie estas ankora loko.
-"ankora" means 'still'. And the whole sentence?
-'Yes, these seats are still free.'
-Here we have a new letter, "". It denotes a short "u" that doesn't form
-a separate syllable. It exists in two combinations: #a. e##
.
-
-Now we have reached the end of the 3rd lesson.
-
1
-SUMMARY:
.
-New sentence-forms:
~Kie vi lo{as en Germanio?
^du vi atas muzikon?
~Mi atas ludi gitaron.
~Kie mi povas lerni ludi gitaron?
^Mi estas polo.
^Kie estas la man{ejo?
~Tie estas la man{ejo!
.
-
-Grammar:
-There are two groups of questions: questions with an interrogative word
-(e.g. 'where?'), which can't be answered with 'yes' or 'no'; and the
-yes-or-no questions without an interrogative.
#In Esperanto every yes-or-no question begins with #eu.##
-Otherwise it could not be recognized as such; the usual word order for
-questions is the same as for statements.
-
-The infintive (basic form of verbs) always ends in "-i".
-It stands on its own, the English 'to' is not translated:
##Mi volas lerni.# - I want to learn.#
-
-Most of the Esperanto words are derived using a 'unit construction
-system': They consist of a word root (e.g. "man{-" = 'something concern-
-ing eating'), an ending (e.g. "-o" = noun), and sometimes one or more
-word construction syllables (e.g. "-ej-", see below).
-The word construction syllable "-ej-" denotes a place or room, where some-
-thing happens or can be found. It's placed between the word root and the
-ending (e.g. "man{-ej-o").
-The word construction syllables can be used without restriction. This
-means that learning countless words by heart is unnecessary as many words
-can be derived through the use of word construction syllables!
.
-
-Interrogatives ('question words') and the respective 'answer words' are
-akin to each other; namely the former begin with "ki-", whereas the latter
-begin with "ti-". For example,
>*Tie!
-is the simplest answer to the question "Kie?"
-
-New letters: e and :
>*eu, Franeesko, ankora.
.
-
-New words:
##ankora        # - still
&baki            - to bake
&bakejo          - bakery
&disko           - disk, record
&diskejo         - discotheque
&dormi           - to sleep
&dormejo         - dormitory
##dui           # - to have a shower
##duejo         # - shower room
.
&en              - in
&esti            - to be
&futbalejo       - football field (or football hall)
&futbali         - to play football
&gimnastiki      - to do gymnastics
&gimnastiko      - gymnastics
&gimnastikejo    - gymnasium, sports hall
&kun             - with
.
##man{i          # - to eat
##man{o          # - meal
##man{ejo        # - dining room
&lavi            - to wash
&lavejo          - wash room
&lerni           - to learn
&lernejo         - school
##lo{i           # - to live (at a certain place)
&loko            - place, seat
##muzikinstrumento# - musical instrument
&ne              - no
.
&polo            - Pole
&povi            - can, to be able to
&sed             - but
&tie             - there, over there
&trinki          - to drink
&trinkejo        - bar, pub
&vespero         - evening
##vesperman{o    # - dinner
&voli            - to want
##eu             # - (question sign, is not translated)
.
-
-Finally some exercizes again:
-Translate orally and written:
-1. I'd like to have dinner.
-2. Do you want to eat with me?
-3. Yes, yes, but where is the dining room?
-4. I'd like to drink a beer.
-5. Where is the bar "Klaro"? Over there?
-6. An assembly room and a discotheque is over there, but the bar "Klaro"
- isn't.
- (a hint: an assembly room can be described as a ROOM for COMING together
- WITH others)
-7. I'd like to drink a coffee in the caf 'France'.
-8. Is there still a free seat?
-I admit that this time the exercises are somewhat more difficult - you
-don't even know the words for 'to have dinner', 'assembly room' and 'caf'.
-But with some imagination you can still answer all questions, and you will
-see: Already now you can juggle with Esperanto!
.
-Finished?
.
>Mi deziras vesperman{i.
>du vi volas man{i kun mi?
>Jes jes, sed kie estas la man{ejo?
>Mi deziras trinki bieron.
>Kie estas la trinkejo Klaro? du tie?
-(Yes, the "eu" belongs to every 'yes-or-no question', no matter how short
-the sentence is!)
>Kunvenejo kaj diskejo estas tie, sed la trinkejo Klaro ne estas.
>Mi deziras trinki kafon en la kafejo Francio.
>du tie estas ankora loko?
-Any other word order you may have chosen would be just as correct, of
-course!
.
-Now you really deserve a break.
-You are probably astonished at the amount of new words which have occurred
-in this lesson. You should repeat the lesson after a break or after a few
-days.
-(The structure of the Esperanto vocabulary helps a lot, though: 14 words
-of our vocabulary list needn't be memorized because they can be constructed
-regularly when you need them.)
-
.
*
