what does it mean in Esperanto

“What does it mean?” in Esperanto is Kion tio signifas? (KEE-ohn TEE-oh seeg-NEE-fahs), literally “what does that signify?”. Signifi is “to mean”, and kion is kio “what” with the object ending, because the meaning is what tio signifies. You answer in the same way: “House” signifas “domo”, that is, “House” means “domo”.

Other ways to say it

• Kion signifas tio?What does that mean?
• Kion ĝi signifas?What does it mean?
• Kion signifas “house”?What does “house” mean? (PMEG’s example)
• Kion Tom volas diri?What does Tom mean? (what is he trying to say)

How to reply

• “House” signifas “domo”.“House” means “domo”.

Example sentences

• Kion signifas Ramadano?What does Ramadan mean?
• Kion signifas UN?What does UN stand for?

Esperantopedia · Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR

To ask what a person means by their words, ask what they want to say: Kion vi volas diri?

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