# Esperanto lesson 5: the accusative -n, food and drink

Source: https://esperantopedia.org/learn/course/lesson-05/
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-08

> The ending -n marks what you see, eat or drink: Mi vidas la katon. Learn the Esperanto accusative, free word order and 20 words for food and drink.

In this lesson you learn the most famous Esperanto ending: *-n*. It marks the direct object – the thing someone sees, eats, drinks, wants or cooks: *Mi vidas la katon* – "I see the cat". Because *-n* shows the object, word order can change without changing the meaning. Along the way you will learn about twenty words for food and drink.

## Dialogue

A video call at dinner time in Kraków – and lunchtime in São Paulo.

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| **Ana:** Saluton, Tomo! Kion vi faras? | Hi, Tomo! What are you doing? |
| **Tomo:** Mi kuiras la vespermanĝon. Kaj vi? | I'm cooking dinner. And you? |
| **Ana:** Mi manĝas mian tagmanĝon: rizon, fazeolojn kaj salaton. | I'm eating my lunch: rice, beans and salad. |
| **Tomo:** Mmm, bongusta tagmanĝo! Mi kuiras fungan supon, kiel mia avino. | Mmm, a tasty lunch! I'm making mushroom soup, like my grandmother. |
| **Tomo:** Ho, mi vidas la katon! Saluton, Kafo! | Oh, I see the cat! Hi, Kafo! |
| **Ana:** Jes. Kafo ŝatas rizon, sed ne fazeolojn! | Yes. Kafo likes rice, but not beans! |
| **Tomo:** Kaj kion vi trinkas? | And what are you drinking? |
| **Ana:** Mi trinkas kafon. | I'm drinking coffee. |
| **Tomo:** Kafon aŭ Kafon? | Coffee, or Kafo the cat? |
| **Ana:** Ha ha! La trinkaĵon, kompreneble, ne la katon! | Ha ha! The drink, of course, not the cat! |
| **Tomo:** Mi trinkas teon kun citrono. | I'm drinking tea with lemon. |
| **Ana:** Kaj la supon vi manĝas kun pano? | And you eat the soup with bread? |
| **Tomo:** Kompreneble! Supon sen pano mi ne manĝas! | Of course! Soup without bread I don't eat! |
| **Ana:** Nun mi volas supon! | Now I want soup! |
| **Tomo:** Do vi devas veni al Krakovo! | Then you'll have to come to Kraków! |

Notice the joke: *kafon* "coffee" and *Kafon* "Kafo (the cat)" sound the same. Both take *-n* because both are objects of *trinkas*.

## New words

| Esperanto | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| *vidi* | to see | |
| *manĝi* | to eat | *manĝo* "meal" |
| *trinki* | to drink | *trinkaĵo* "a drink" |
| *veni* | to come | |
| *tagmanĝo* | lunch | *tago* "day" + *manĝo* "meal" |
| *vespermanĝo* | dinner, supper | *vespero* + *manĝo* |
| *matenmanĝo* | breakfast | *mateno* + *manĝo* |
| *rizo* | rice | |
| *fazeolo* | bean | usually plural: *fazeoloj* |
| *salato* | salad | |
| *supo* | soup | |
| *fungo* | mushroom | *funga supo* "mushroom soup" |
| *pano* | bread | |
| *fromaĝo* | cheese | |
| *pomo* | apple | *terpomo* "potato" ("earth apple") |
| *kafo* | coffee | |
| *teo* | tea | |
| *akvo* | water | |
| *lakto* | milk | |
| *citrono* | lemon | |
| *bongusta* | tasty, delicious | *bona* + *gusto* "taste" |
| *kun* | with | |
| *sen* | without | |
| *aŭ* | or | |
| *kompreneble* | of course | |

:::match Food and drink
pano = bread
akvo = water
fromaĝo = cheese
lakto = milk
pomo = apple
supo = soup
:::

## Grammar

### What *-n* does

The ending *-n* marks the direct object: the person or thing that the action is done to. The subject – who does it – has no *-n*. The full rules are on the [accusative](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/accusative/) page.

| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| *Tomo vidas la katon.* | Tomo sees the cat. |
| *La kato vidas Tomon.* | The cat sees Tomo. |
| *Ana trinkas kafon.* | Ana drinks coffee. |
| *Mi volas supon.* | I want soup. |

Pronouns take *-n* too: *min* "me", *vin* "you", *lin* "him", *ŝin* "her", *ĝin* "it", *nin* "us", *ilin* "them". *La kato vidas min* – "The cat sees me". Question words take it too: *Kion vi trinkas?* – "What are you drinking?"

:::ending Subject or object?
- o on
? Tomo sees the cat.
= Tom[o] vidas la kat[on].
? The cat sees Tomo.
= La kat[o] vidas Tom[on].
? Ana is drinking coffee.
= Ana trinkas kaf[on].
? The soup is tasty.
= La sup[o] estas bongusta.
? I eat bread with cheese.
= Mi manĝas pan[on] kun fromaĝ[o].
:::

### *-n* with plurals and adjectives

When the object is plural, *-n* comes after *-j*: *-ojn*. Adjectives and possessives describing the object take *-n* as well.

| Subject form | Object form |
|---|---|
| *fazeoloj* | *fazeolojn* |
| *mia tagmanĝo* | *mian tagmanĝon* |
| *funga supo* | *fungan supon* |
| *ruĝaj pomoj* | *ruĝajn pomojn* |

:::write Make it the object
? *Mi ŝatas ___.* – *ruĝaj pomoj*
= ruĝajn pomojn
? *Tomo kuiras ___.* – *funga supo*
= fungan supon
? *La kato vidas ___.* – *mi*
= min
? *Ni trinkas ___.* – *la akvo*
= la akvon
:::

### Word order is flexible

Because *-n* marks the object, you can move it without changing who does what. The usual order is subject – verb – object, as in English. Putting the object first gives it emphasis, as in Tomo's *Supon sen pano mi ne manĝas!* See [word order](https://esperantopedia.org/grammar/word-order/).

In the first three sentences below, the arrow always points to the word with *-n*, wherever it stands: Tomo sees the cat. The first is the normal order. The other two put *la katon* first: *La katon vidas Tomo* stresses that it is Tomo who sees it, not someone else, and *La katon Tomo vidas* stresses that it is the cat Tomo sees, not something else. In the last sentence the *-n* has moved to *Tomon*, so now the cat is looking at Tomo.

Tomo vidas la katon. | Tomo sees the cat.
La katon vidas Tomo. | Tomo sees the cat.
La katon Tomo vidas. | Tomo sees the cat.

La kato vidas Tomon. | The cat sees Tomo.

:::order The -n shows the object
? Tomo sees the cat.
= Tomo vidas la katon.
= La katon vidas Tomo.
= La katon Tomo vidas.
= Tomo la katon vidas.
= Vidas Tomo la katon.
= Vidas la katon Tomo.
- kato Tomon
? Ana drinks coffee.
= Ana trinkas kafon.
= Kafon Ana trinkas.
= Kafon trinkas Ana.
= Ana kafon trinkas.
= Trinkas Ana kafon.
= Trinkas kafon Ana.
- kafo
:::

### When there is no *-n*

- **After *esti*.** *La kato estas Kafo* – the cat and Kafo are the same thing, so there is no object.
- **After a preposition.** *kun pano* "with bread", *sen fazeoloj* "without beans". One exception, for direction, comes in [Lesson 9](https://esperantopedia.org/learn/course/lesson-09/).

### Why *saluton* and *bonan tagon* end in *-n*

These greetings are objects of a verb you don't say: *(Mi deziras al vi) bonan tagon* – "(I wish you) a good day". *Saluton* is short for *(Mi donas al vi) saluton* – "(I give you) a greeting". That is why *bona* becomes *bonan*, *tago* becomes *tagon* and *saluto* "a greeting" becomes *saluton*. *Dankon* "thanks" works the same way.

## Practice

:::quiz Lesson 5 practice
? *La kato vidas Tomon.* Who sees whom?
- Tomo sees the cat.
- The cat sees Tomo. *
- They see each other.
? Translate: "I drink coffee."
= {Mi} {trinkas} {kafon}
? Choose: *Ana manĝas ___.*
- *rizo*
- *rizon* *
- *rizoj*
? Choose: *Mi ŝatas ___ pomojn.*
- *ruĝa*
- *ruĝaj*
- *ruĝajn* *
? Which sentence is correct?
- *La supo estas bongustan.*
- *La supo estas bongusta.* *
- *La supon estas bongusta.*
? Translate: "She sees me."
= {Ŝi} {vidas} {min}
? Translate: "We eat bread with cheese."
= {Ni} {manĝas} {panon kun fromaĝo}
? Choose: *Tomo kuiras kun ___.*
- *la avino* *
- *la avinon*
- *la avinojn*
? What does *Supon sen pano mi ne manĝas* mean?
- "I don't eat soup without bread." *
- "The soup doesn't eat bread."
- "I eat bread without soup."
:::

## Culture corner

Esperanto speakers often share meals at home. *Pasporta Servo*, a free hosting network run by the youth organisation TEJO since 1974, lists more than 2,400 hosts in 121 countries. Guests stay for free and speak Esperanto with their hosts – often over dinner. See [where Esperanto is spoken](https://esperantopedia.org/about/countries/).

## Common questions

### Why does Esperanto have the accusative?

It shows the object clearly, so word order can change for emphasis without changing who does what. The *Fundamento* (1905) defines it in rule 2: the accusative is formed by adding *-n* to the nominative.

### Will people understand me if I forget the *-n*?

Usually, from context. But sometimes *-n* changes the meaning: *La hundo ĉasas la katon* means "The dog chases the cat", while *La hundon ĉasas la kato* means "The cat chases the dog".

### Do names take *-n*?

Names that end in *-o*, like *Tomo* or *Kafo*, take *-n* like any noun: *Mi vidas Tomon*. According to PMEG, a name ending in another vowel can take *-n* directly – *Mi vidas Anan* – or go without it when the meaning is clear.

## Sources

- [Fundamento de Esperanto – grammar in English (rules 2 and 8)](https://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_angla.html)
- [PMEG: N-finaĵo – bazaj reguloj](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/rolmontriloj/n/bazaj_reguloj.html)
- [PMEG: N-finaĵo por objekto (the object)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/rolmontriloj/n/objekto.html)
- [PMEG: Vortordo (word order)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/vortordo/index.html)
- [PMEG: Mallongigitaj frazoj (greetings with -n)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/frazospecoj/mallongigitaj_frazoj.html)
- [PMEG: Ne-esperantigitaj nomoj (names and the -n ending)](https://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/propraj_nomoj/ne-esperantigitaj.html)
- [Pasporta Servo](https://www.pasportaservo.org/)
- [TEJO – about TEJO](https://www.tejo.org/en/about-tejo/)