Esperanto lesson 10: word building, prefixes and suffixes

In this lesson you learn the trick that makes Esperanto vocabulary grow fast: building words from parts. A root plus a prefix or suffix plus an ending gives a new word you can understand without a dictionary: lern·ej·o "learn + place + noun" = "school". You will learn eight of the most useful affixes – mal-, -ej-, -ist-, -in-, -et-, -eg-, -ul- and -an- – and see how one root grows into a whole family of words.

#Dialogue

The congress has an evening of games. Juma, who ran the online group from Lesson 1, hosts a word game.

Kie and kiu also join two parts of a sentence: la lokon, kie oni lernas – "the place where people learn"; la personon, kiu instruas – "the person who teaches".

#New words

#Grammar

#How word building works

An Esperanto word is made of a root, optional affixes and an ending. The ending tells you the word class – -o noun, -a adjective, -e adverb, -i verb – and the affixes add meaning. The Fundamento (rule 11) says new words are formed by joining existing parts. Read more on the word building page.

lernrootlearn

ejsuffixplace

oendingnoun

lernejoschool

kongresrootcongress

ansuffixmember, inhabitant

oendingnoun

kongresanocongress participant

malprefixopposite

sanroothealthy

ulsuffixperson

ejsuffixplace

oendingnoun

malsanulejohospital

#Eight affixes to start with

Esperanto has 10 official prefixes and 31 suffixes. These eight cover a large share of everyday words. See the full lists of prefixes and suffixes.

What does the affix mean?

Match each Esperanto word with its meaning.

• • mal-
    Answer

    the opposite
  • -ej-
    Answer

    place for
  • -ist-
    Answer

    profession
  • -et-
    Answer

    small, weaker
  • -eg-
    Answer

    big, stronger
  • -ul-
    Answer

    person with that quality

  Meanings: the opposite · person with that quality · small, weaker · place for · big, stronger · profession

#Change the ending, change the word class

The same root can become a noun, adjective, adverb or verb just by changing the ending.

kantonoun

-okantonoun-ikantiinfinitive-akantaadjective-ekanteadverb

One root, four endings

Choose the right ending.

1. a song

   kant

   Ending for kant-

   -o-a-e-i
   Answer

   kanto

2. Ana likes to sing.

   Ana ŝatas kant.

   Ending for kant-

   -o-a-e-i
   Answer

   Ana ŝatas kanti.

3. The work is interesting.

   La 1labor estas 2interes.

   Ending for labor-

   1labor--o-a-e-i

   Ending for interes-

   2interes--o-a-e-i
   Answer

   La laboro estas interesa.

4. Tomo cooks well.

   Tomo kuiras bon.

   Ending for bon-

   -o-a-e-i
   Answer

   Tomo kuiras bone.

5. a healthy boy

   1san 2knab

   Ending for san-

   1san--o-a-e-i

   Ending for knab-

   2knab--o-a-e-i
   Answer

   sana knabo

#One root, a whole family

Learn the root san- "healthy" and you already understand a family of words. Our Esperanto dictionary shows the parts and the word family of every entry.

The suffix -iĝ- in saniĝi means "to become": you have already met it in renkontiĝi, nomiĝi, komenciĝi and turniĝi.

#Affixes can stand alone

Because affixes are roots in their own right, they can take endings and become words: malo "the opposite", ejo "a place", eta "tiny", ega "enormous", ino "a female". The adverb ege "extremely" is especially common: ege bona – "extremely good".

Build one word

Type the answer. For ĉ, ĝ, ŝ, ŭ you can type cx, gx, sx, ux.

1. a place for eating (manĝi + -ej-)

   Answer

   manĝejo

2. a small table (tablo)

   Answer

   tableto

3. a cook – someone whose job is cooking (kuiri)

   Answer

   kuiristo

4. a very strong wind, a gale (vento)

   Answer

   ventego

5. a member of the family (familio)

   Answer

   familiano

#Practice

Lesson 10 practice

1. What does malbela mean?

   very beautifuluglybeautiful place
   Answer

   ugly

2. Which suffix means "place"?

   -ej--et--eg-
   Answer

   -ej-

3. Translate with one word: "a female teacher"

   Answer

   instruistino

4. What is a dometo?

   a big housea small housea housewife
   Answer

   a small house

5. What does mal·san·ul·ej·o mean?

   hospitaldoctormedicine
   Answer

   hospital

6. Translate with one word: "huge, very big"

   Answer

   grandega

7. Which word means "a congress participant"?

   kongresistokongresanokongresejo
   Answer

   kongresano

8. Translate with one word: "a young person"

   Answer

   junulo

9. What is the opposite of nova?

   Answer

   malnova

10. Which word names a profession?

    lernejoinstruistolernanto
    Answer

    instruisto

CheckTry again

#Culture corner

Esperanto has its own literature, written and translated since 1887. Writers such as Kálmán Kalocsay, Julio Baghy and the Scottish poet William Auld wrote original poetry and novels, and Auld translated The Lord of the Rings (1995–97). Nobody has counted all Esperanto books; one overview estimates about 10,000 titles by around 2000. Explore Esperanto literature.

#Common questions

#How many affixes does Esperanto have?

There are 10 official prefixes and 31 official suffixes, plus six suffixes for participles. You don't need them all at once; the eight in this lesson cover a large part of everyday speech.

#Can I invent my own words?

Yes, within limits. If a combination is clear and no common word already exists, people will understand it. If a well-known word already exists, use it: everybody understands malsanulejo "hospital" (hospitalo is also found).

#Is malbona really the normal word for "bad"?

Yes. Malbona "bad" is the standard word, as is malgranda "small". Learners sometimes find mal- words strange at first, but every speaker uses them.

#Sources

• Fundamento de Esperanto – grammar in English (rule 11, compound words)
• PMEG: Vortfarado – principoj (word-building principles)
• PMEG: Prefiksoj (list of ten)
• PMEG: Sufiksoj (list of 31)
• PMEG: MAL
• Universala Vortaro (Fundamento, 1905)
• Wikipedia: William Auld
• Wikipedia: Translations of The Lord of the Rings
• EBSCO Research Starters: Esperanto