Nature words in Esperanto: tree, river, mountain, sky

In Esperanto a tree is arbo, a river rivero, a mountain monto, a flower floro and the sun suno. Nature words are ordinary nouns ending in -o, and a few word parts multiply them: arbo plus -ar- gives arbaro "forest", and rivero plus -et- gives rivereto "stream". Pronunciation guides show the stressed syllable in capitals; it is always the second-to-last (see the alphabet).

#Landscape and water

ReVo defines monteto as a low, small mountain, usually with a flat or round top, and altaĵo as a place raised well above the normal ground level. A kampo is first of all level land that is cultivated or can be, and a herbejo is where wild or cultivated grass grows. A marĉo is muddy ground under shallow, still water, and a pado is an unpaved track worn by walkers, riders or cyclists.

#Plants and trees

ReVo defines arbo as a woody perennial plant with a tall trunk that branches at the top, and arbusto as one that branches from the base. A tree can be named after its fruit: ReVo says the tree on which apples grow is a pomujo or pomarbo. Kreskaĵo "a thing that grows" is a synonym of vegetaĵo. Animals have their own page: see animals.

#Sky, sun and the elements

Tero covers three things: the planet, solid ground (as opposed to water) and soil. For the planet as a whole ReVo adds terglobo "the globe of the Earth". Aŭroro is the morning twilight, krepusko the faint light after sunset or before sunrise. Rain, snow, wind and the seasons are on the weather and seasons page.

#How are nature words built?

PMEG uses arbo → arbaro as an example of -ar-, and says -ej- can also mark a natural place where something abounds: herbejo, sablejo, glaciejo. More in suffixes and prefixes.

#Opposites and compounds

The prefix mal- gives opposites, and many nature words are compounds with the main word last: akvofalo is "water-fall", sunleviĝo "sun-rising", sunsubiro "sun-going-under", ĉielarko "sky-arch", marbordo "sea-edge", sunbrilo "sun-shine" and pluvarbaro "rain-forest". Akvofalo has a linking -o- and sunleviĝo has none; see word building for when to use it.

#Verbs for nature

Kreski takes no object. To grow something yourself, use kultivi "to cultivate": Mi kultivas florojn "I grow flowers". ReVo defines flori as bearing flowers, and subiri said of the sun and stars as going below the horizon.

For a trip outdoors you need a few more verbs: promeni "to stroll, walk", piediri "to go on foot", ekskursi "to go on an excursion", grimpi "to climb", tendumi "to camp (to live in a tent)", naĝi "to swim" and ripozi "to rest". See also travel phrases.

#Nature in sentences

Compare the first two sentences. En la arbaro names where the walking happens, while en la arbaron, with the accusative -n, shows movement into the forest (PMEG). The word al already shows direction, so al la maro takes no -n.

#Common questions

#How do you say "tree" in Esperanto?

Arbo, plural arboj. Many trees together are an arbaro "forest", and a small tree is an arbeto. An apple tree is a pomarbo or pomujo.

#How do you say "nature" in Esperanto?

Naturo. The adjective is natura "natural", and sovaĝa means wild, close to nature.

#How do you say "forest" in Esperanto?

Arbaro, from arbo "tree" plus -ar- "a group of many". A primeval forest is a praarbaro, and a dense tropical one a ĝangalo or pluvarbaro.

#How do you say "earth" in Esperanto?

Tero means the planet, solid ground and soil. The planet as a globe is also terglobo.

#How do you say "sunrise" and "sunset" in Esperanto?

Sunleviĝo and sunsubiro. As verbs, say La suno leviĝas "The sun rises" and La suno subiras "The sun sets".

#Sources

• PMEG: AR (arbo → arbaro), ET, EG, EJ (herbejo, sablejo, glaciejo, promenejo)
• PMEG: N por direkto
• ReVo: monto, montaro, monteto, valo, rivero, rivereto, riverego, lago, lageto, maro, insulo, insularo
• ReVo: arbo, arbaro, arbeto, praarbaro, arbusto, pomujo, kampo, herbo, herbejo, dezerto, plaĝo
• ReVo: marĉo, ĝangalo, pado, fonto, sablo, glaĉero, glaciejo
• ReVo: folio, branĉo, radiko, kverko, pino, rozo, betulo, saliko
• ReVo: suno, sunsubiro, luno, stelo, stelaro, ĉielo, nubo, tero, terglobo, aŭroro, krepusko, sunleviĝo, leviĝi, malleviĝi, akvofalo
• ReVo: kreski, kreskaĵo, flori, flui, brili, sunbrilo, subiri, kultivi
• Wiktionary (English), CC BY-SA 4.0, used to check the meanings of tero, herbejo, marĉo and others