Archive by Author
A deeper look at Mem and Si – Esperanto words for self part 2 Posted by Tomaso on Feb 19, 2018
In January, we took a look at mem and si – two words that are often misused. This month, by request, we take a closer look at some trickier cases. Me and my big mouth At the end of last month’s blog post I quipped that we could probably do an entire post on the use…
I Myself See Myself – mem kaj si – The Two “selfs” in Esperanto Posted by Tomaso on Jan 15, 2018
There are two concepts in Esperanto which new learners often mix up – not because they are all that similar to each other – but because they both translate approximately to “himself” (herself, themselves, et cetera.) These are the particle mem and the reflexive pronoun si. Mem-o to myself It’s all for emphasis Of these…
Je – The Esperanto Wildcard Preposition Posted by Tomaso on Dec 11, 2017
Ĵokera Prepozicio? Continuing our series on Esperanto prepositions, this month we’re going to take a closer look at the preposition je. This is often described as a “wildcard”, but it’s not always clear to new learners exactly what is meant by this. One thing for sure is that it cannot “take the place of any…
De kaj Da – How do you say “a glass of water” in Esperanto? Posted by Tomaso on Nov 27, 2017
How do you say “a glass of water” in Esperanto? In last month’s blog post we talked about prepositions – how to use them in general. This time we’re going to take a closer look at two specific prepositions that are often confused. These are de and da. If you’re having problems with these two words, don’t feel…
Keys to understanding Esperanto prepositions Posted by Tomaso on Oct 23, 2017
Prepositions in Esperanto Using prepositions correctly is very important to speak Esperanto well. It’s also important for communication. The rules involved are pretty simple, but they’re different from English, so it makes sense to pay attention to their use. What is a preposition A preposition is a word, usually a small word, which is used…
Plants and Animal Names in Esperanto Posted by Tomaso on Sep 11, 2017
Lions and Tigers and Bears Esperanto is an international language. That means it’s usually pretty easy to talk about concepts that are basically international. Anywhere you go, it’s safe to assume that people will be familiar with certain plants and animals, so we really don’t hesitate over words for animals like leono (lion), tigro (tiger)…
Get out there and speak! (Part 2) Posted by Tomaso on Aug 14, 2017
Speaking is essential to learning In last month’s blog post, we talked about how important it is to speak a language to learn it. There are advantages to many of the new methods of online learning, but so many of the new tools neglect the speaking portion. To really flower, you’ve got to take charge of…