Esperanto Language Blog

In my opinion, the most difficult part about learning Esperanto is tackling all the correlatives. They are quite logical in their construction (as is all of Esperanto!), and you could easily form them if you had a small, pocket-sized table on you. But, there are still a good number of them, and sometimes they can be difficult to recall because of their similarity.

One trick I’ve used to help me remember the ki- correlatives is to place them with another word, to help with the question you’re trying to ask. By recalling these compound words, you can more easily remember the necessary correlative, as well as have a quick and useful phrase memorized. The two I use most often (and the only two I can recall off the top of my head right now) are “kiudirekte” and “kiamaniere.”

Kiudirekte estas la hospitalo? – Which way is the hospital?
Kiamaniere gxin vi faris? – How (what kind of way) did you do it?

Not only are these words nice and specific – they also can help you recall the ki- correlatives. “Kiu” more or less means “which one,” which we can easily deduce from “kiudirekte,” which at a glance might make you think “which direction.” Similarly, “kiamaniere” brings to mind “what kind of” and “manner.”

Maybe this trick will help you remember your correlatives, too!

Most Esperantists will tell you, if they’ve studied other languages, that Esperanto is one of the easiest lingvoj to learn. Its vocabulary isn’t necessarily easier – there are still a whole lot of words out there! – but its logical verb conjugation and complete lack of irregulars makes remembering the grammar rules clean and simple. So, it’s easy to start learning it at any age…But when would it be best to learn it?

From my experiences as a student of other languages, I think it would be helpful if kids learned Esperanto as early as elementary school. By introducing them early on in their lives to foreign languages, and doing so with a simple (and thus less intimidating or discouraging!) language, it might be possible to foster better language understanding. As a result, studying other languages like Spanish or French later on in life will be considerably easier for them, having already built both confidence and language skills by means of studying Esperanto.

Audience, what do you think? When would be the optimal time to teach Esperanto to someone?

Someone recently posted a comment asking about good ways to begin learning Esperanto. It’s a great question – after all, everyone must start at the beginning when learning a new language! I already posted a brief comment specifically for that person’s benefit, but since there might be more of you out there with the same question, I figured I would mention a few things about beginner’s content.

From my personal experience, I highly recommend any postal course you can find for Esperanto. I used the free course from ELNA (Esperanto League of North America), since I live in Usono. From what I’ve heard, there are similar courses offered the world over. One free course can be found here. You only pay the cost of the envelopes for sending in your responses, and for a return envelope. I found the pace of the postal course to be perfect. The sender paces your language learning over a series of 10-15 lessons, and the speed is quite casual – you simply send in for the next lesson when you’re done with your current set.

If you would rather not wait for the mail to come in order to learn more Esperanto, there are some products offered by Transparent Language that are particularly helpful for intermediate or slightly-above-beginner levels. Transparent Language’s products are phenomenal for learning vast amounts of new vocabulary. Once you learn the basics of grammar, a TL Esperanto program can greatly increase your skills.

Lastly, I can recommend lernu.net. They have a good deal of content for beginners, as well as online tests for when you feel you’re ready for them.

Once you feel confident enough in your Esperanto skills, move on to books and poetry! Immersion is the key to mastering any language. Bonan sxancon!