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Esperanto ASAP- Chapter 15(1)
^CAPITRO 15 (DEK KVIN) Parto 1
Prepositions / Prepozicioj




1). Summary

There are a small number of prepositions in Esperanto (about 33) and it is time to learn them by heart (lernu ilin parkere).

In the following list only the meanings of ones new to you are given. Use the list as a revision exercise for the ones you have already met. Remember that prepositions take the nominative case unless they are showing 'motion towards' when the starred ones can take the accusative.








2). Da

This preposition we have already met in connection with quantity e.g.
Kiom da kuko vi povas man^gi? (How much cake can you eat?)

It is always used with expressions of quantity which ask about a substance in general i.e. it is not used if the substance is qualified by la or tiu or by a number.
kilogramo da terpomoj                (a kilogram of potatoes)                (F : pommes de terre)
kilogramo de tiuj terpomoj         (a kilogram of those potatoes)


Al          
Anstataû
Antaû*
Apud*
^Ce*
^Cirkaû* (around)
Da 
De
Dum
Ekster*
El
En* 
^Gis
Inter*
Je
Kontraû*
Krom
Kun
Laû 
Malgraû (in spite of)
Per
Po (at the rate of)
Por
Post*
Preter
Pri
Pro 
Sen (without)
Sub* 
Super*  
Sur*
Tra*
Trans*







When 'of' does not indicate quantity then de is used e.g.
glaso da vino (a glass of wine - not a bottle)
glaso de vino (a glass of wine - not beer)

It is used when a correlative of quantity is omitted as understood e.g.
Bonvolu doni al mi (iom) da viskio (Please give me some whisky.)

Bonvolu followed by an infinitive is an alternative to mi petas for saying 'please. (bonvolu = have the good will to, be so good as)

3). Po

This is another preposition used with quantities- with the meaning of 'at the rate of' e.g
Ni lernas po kvar afiksoj en ^ciu ^capitro. (We learn four affixes in each chapter (at the rate of four affixes)
Li veturigis po sepdek mejloj en horo (He drove at seventy miles per hour)
^Si a^cetis tri oran^gojn po kvardek pencoj (She bought three oranges at forty pence each)

Notice the difference between po and por `

Mi a^cetis kvar bananojn po dudek kvin pencoj
(I bought four bananas at (the rate of) 24 pence i.e. total price 4x24 = 96p )

Mi a^cetis kvar banonojn por dudek kvin pencoj
(I bought four bananas for 24 pence (i.e. total price 24p)

4). De

This is the most over-used preposition in Esperanto. It can mean of, from, off, since, by. e.g.
La ombrelo de Johano (The umbrella of John or John's umbrella)
Mi dancis de la oka ^gis la noktomezo. (I danced from 8 o'clock to midnight)
La ebriulo falis de sur la ^sipo (The drunkard fell off (from on) the ship.) (E : inebriated)


Mi lernas Esperanton de Januaro (I have been learning Eo since January)
and after a passive (see later) it is translated as 'by' e.g.
La leporo estas man^gita de la vulpo (The hare has been eaten by the fox)

Because of this students should aim whenever possible to use alternative expressions rather than those involving de
(It has to be used for the genitive (i.e. to show possession) and to follow the passive meaning 'by'.)

If the word 'of' really means 'out of' then use el e.g.
Pa^go el la libro (A page from (out of) the book)

Look at the problems with the sentence La mono prenita de li.

Does this mean 'the money taken FROM him or 'the money taken BY him'?. Exact opposite meanings!! (More on the -ita passive later).
We would avoid the use of de here by rearranging the sentences
La mono prenita for de li (The money taken away from him)
La mono, kiun li prenis (The money, which he took)


5). Je

This is a preposition with an indefinite meaning i.e. it is used whenever there does not seem to be any other suitable preposition. In fact its normal usages are with dates and times. e.g.
je kioma horo? (At what time?); je la 6a de Aûgusto (on the 6th of August)

There are, however, a few other times when it is used e.g.
je via sano (your health - when toasting someone)
mi vetas je ^cevaloj (I bet on horses)

6). Special use as Prefixes

Prepositions cannot be isolated in Esperanto and so to translate something like 'to put on' we use a compound word (surmeti).

There are occasions, however, when the use of a preposition in forming a compound word alters the meaning slightly e.g.

sub : often conveys the meaning of something undesirable or underhand. e.g.
a^ceti (to buy) suba^ceti (to bribe); aûskulti (to listen to) subaûskulti (to eavesdrop)

el : often conveys the meaning of fully or thoroughly e.g.
uzi (to use) eluzi (to use up, wear out) ; ^cerpi (to extract) el^cerpi (to extract fully, exhaust); trinki (to drink) eltrinki (to drink up)

pri : makes a root somewhat more personal e.g.
^steli (to steal) pri^steli (to steal from, to loot); ser^ci (to search) priser^ci (to search someone)

7). ^Cu ne?

Most languages have the rather strange habit of asking a question by making a statement and then following by asking whether the opposite is true e.g.
You are going, aren't you? or You are not going, are you?. French uses 'n'est-ce pas?' or German 'nicht wahr?'

Esperanto uses ^cu? or ^cu ne? Thus
Vi ne iras, ^cu? (You are not going, are you?)
Vi iras, ^cu ne? (You're going, aren't you?)

8). Unu la alian

This is a useful phrase for one another e.g.
Ni amas unu la alian (We love one another) (one the other)
Similarly
Ili ne parolas unu al la alia (They do not talk to each other)

9). The latter, the former

When we refer backwards through the context to the persons mentioned we reach the latter first and have to move farther through the passage before arriving at the former. Remember that Esperanto uses ^ci to show proximity- so

Mi renkontis Tomason kaj Henrikon. Mi estis ^ce la sama lernejo kiel tiu, kaj la sama universitato kiel ^ci tiu.

I met Thomas and Henry. I was at the same school as the former (Thomas) and the same university as the latter (Henry)


Further Affixes

10). dis-

This prefix indicates spreading or dispersal e.g.

sendi to send                  dissendi  to broadcast, distribute   
rompi to break                disrompi to break to bits (E : rupture)
tran^ci  to cut                  distran^ci to sever, cut up  

As an independent word disigi means to separate.

11). Eks-

This prefix has a similar meaning to the English ex- (former) e.g.

edzo husband                        eksedzo ex-husband
^campiono  champion         eks^campiono former champion

Two useful words are eksigi (to make ex-, to dismiss, sack) and eksi^gi ( to become ex-, to resign, retire)



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