Esperanto ASAP- Chapter 11(1)
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^CAPITRO 11 (DEK UNU) Parto 1
NUMBERS / NUMEROJ
We learnt in the last chapter about cardinal numbers (1,2,3 etc). In this chapter we shall look in more detail at their use.

1). Sums

In order to do simple arithmetic we need the names for + - = . They are + (kaj or plus), - (minus or de), = (estas, faras or egalas al).
In Esperanto, as in English, there are several ways of saying the same thing!

So now for some simple addition (adicio) and subtraction (subtraho).
4 + 7 = 11 kvar kaj sep estas dek unu or kvar plus sep faras dek unu. La solvo estas la sumo.
9 - 2 = 7 naû minus du estas sep or du de naû faras sep. (two from nine makes seven). La solvo estas la diferenco.

For multiplication and division we use the affixes -obl- (times) and -on- (fraction). (E : treble and fraction).

Du/obl/e (double), tri/obl/e (treble), dek-sepoble (17 times- notice the hyphen), ducent kvindek-duoble (252 times)

Du/on/o (a half), tri/on/o (a third), tri kvaronoj (three quarters), dek sep sesdek-kvaronoj (seventeen sixtyfourths!)

Now for the multiplication (multipliko) :

8 x 6 = 48 (okoble ses estas kvardek ok). Kvardek ok is la produto.

and a division (divizio) :

16 ÷ 2 = 8 (duono de dek ses faras ok (Half of sixteen is eight)
or dek ses dividite per du egalas al ok (Sixteen divided by 2 is 8)

We can even simplify this to
dek ses per du egalas al ok (sixteen by two equals eight) Ok is la kvociento. (E: quotient)

Complicated sums are, of course, a mouthful as in any language! (but Esperanto can cope in ANY situation that English can!)

21 ÷ 1721     dudek unu kvindek-seponoj dividite per dek sep trionoj estas dudek unu tricent-dudek-trionoj !! 
57     3     323    
In Esperanto a comma (komo) rather than a point is used for decimals e.g. 2,5 (du komo kvin).
Powers (e.g. Squared, cubed, to the 4th power etc) are given by la dua potenco (2) ,kvara potenco(4) and square roots etc by duapotenca radiko ktp.

2). Numbers as Nouns

Cardinal numbers below a million are not nouns and do not take endings. However they can be converted into nouns by the addition of -o e.g. unuo (a unit), duo (a couple), trio (a trio), oko (an octet), dek-duo (a dozen), dudeko (a score).

They now behave in a similar fashion to the noun numbers miliono, miliardo ktp and so are followed by da e.g.
dek-duo da ovoj (a dozen eggs).

Da is not used following a fraction e.g. Duono de kilogramo (half a kilogram). In mixed fractions, however, da may be used e.g. Unu kaj duono da kilogramoj (one and a half kilograms). However, a change in word order is better unu kilogramo kaj duono (a kilogram and a half).

3). Ordinal Numbers

Similarly by converting them into adjectives with -a or to adverbs with -e we have ordinal numbers :
unua (first) dua (second) tria (third) ducent-kvardek-sepa (247th)

Notice the hyphen first seen above with the affix -on- and needed to show that the ending applies to all parts of the number.

kvare (fourthly) sese (sixthly).

Two other useful affixes exist -op- and -foj-.

-op- is used as a numerical collective e.g. unuope (singly,one at a time), triope (in threes, three at a time), kiom/op/e (how many at a time?)

-foj- indicates how many occasions e.g. dufoje (two times,twice), okfoje (eight times), multfoje (many times), kelkfoje (a few times) (F : quelque)
Fojo also serves as an independent noun e.g. la sesa fojo (the 6th time), la lasta fojo (the last time).


4). Time

To ask the time we basically say 'How many'th hour is it?' i.e.
Kioma horo estas? The answer would be La tria (three o'clock).

As in English there are usually two ways (or more) of saying each time e.g.
3.15 kvindek minutoj post la tria (fifteen minutes after three) or kvarono post la tria (a quarter past three) or
la tria kaj dek kvin (three fifteen)

3.30 duono post la tria (half past three)
3.45 kvarono antaû la kvara (a quarter to four) or kvardek kvin post la tria (three forty five)

atm. (antaûtagmezo) = a.m. ptm. (posttagmezo) = p.m. tagmezo = noon noktomezo = midnight

5). The Date

Tagoj de la semajno (Days of the Week) (F : semaine)

Days : diman^co, lundo, mardo, merkredo, ^jaûdo, vendredo, sabato

Notice that they do not normally take a capital letter.The days are particularly easy for those with a knowledge of French : dimanche, lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi.

A useful expression is En la tri ^jaûda semajno (i.e. in the three Thursday week - equivalent to English 'in a month of Sundays)

Months : (Monatoj en la jaro)

Januaro, Februaro, Marto, Aprilo, Majo, Junio, Julio, Aûgusto, Septembro, Oktobro, Novembro, Decembro.

Months are normally (but not by everybody) written with capitals.

We would write a date as : la 6a (sesa) de Oktobro.

If we wish to say 'on the 6th of October' we use the preposition je. This is an unusual preposition and we will have more to say about it later but we have je la 6a de Oktobro.

In Esperanto it is always possible to leave out a preposition and show its omission by the use of the ending -n.
e.g. la 6an de Oktobro. This is how one would normally date a letter.

We already know that we use an adverbial form e.g. diman^ce for 'on Sundays'. If we want just on one particular Sunday we use je diman^co or diman^con.


je can also be used for 'at' when referring to time e.g. mi trafos la trajnon je 13.21 (I shall catch the train at 13.21)

6). Other Useful Phrases for Time and Season




Christmas  
Kristnasko
B.C.
antaû Kristo (a.K.)
Easter
Pasko
A.D.
post Kristo  (p.K.)
Whitsuntide
Pentekosto
Spring 
printempo (F : printemps)
Weekend
semajnfino
Summer
somero
Leap Year
superjaro
Autumn
aûtuno 
Century
jarcento
Winter
vintro
Millennium
jarmilo


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