Lesson 4 / 24

Verbs in the present

Use -as for everyone, and the infinitive -i after another verb.

The ending -as is present for I, you, she, they — no extra person mark. Infinitive is -i: lerni, paroli, sidi, stari, kuŝi. Complementary infinitive: Mi volas lerni. Mi povas kompreni.

Morning at the table

Read the story. Click a word to see what it means.

Lina sidas ĉe tablo. manĝas .

In the morning Lina sits at the table. She eats bread and drinks tea.

Tomaso staras apud fenestro. legas libron foje .

Tomaso stands beside the window. He reads a book and sometimes smiles.

kato kuŝas seĝo. . !

The cat lies on the chair. It sleeps. It does not work!

lernas, parolas, komprenas. bona.

We learn, we speak, we understand. Life is good.

Read this aloud

Kion vi faras? What are you doing?
Mi sidas kaj legas. Mi volas lerni Esperanton. I sit and read. I want to learn Esperanto.
Ĉu vi komprenas? Do you understand?
Jes, mi povas kompreni, sed mi parolas malrapide. Yes, I can understand, but I speak slowly.

sidi, stari, kuŝi

These three are postures, not helpers: Petro sidas (sits), staras (stands), kuŝas (lies). English “is sitting” is just sidas.

Words in this lesson

legi to read

sidi to sit

stari to stand

kuŝi to lie (be lying)

kompreni to understand

povi to be able to

sed but

matene in the morning

pano bread

teo tea

trinkas drinks

ridetas smiles

dormas sleeps

laboras works

vivo life

Practice

Write the Esperanto. Enter checks your answer.

I want to learn.

volas + infinitive -i.

They sit and read.

Same -as for they.

Can you understand?

Ĉu + povi + -i.

She drinks tea.

trinki → trinkas; tea takes -n as object.

The cat sleeps.

dormi → dormas.

Build the word

Type the Esperanto verb (present).

to sit → he/she sits

Infinitive sidi, present -as.

to eat → they eat

Same -as for every person.

to read → I read

legi → legas.

to sleep → it sleeps

dormi → dormas.

Complete the sentences

Fill the missing verb ending.

Ŝi manĝ____ panon.

Present tense is -as for everyone.

La kato kuŝ____ sur la seĝo.

Still -as.

Ni parol____ Esperanton.

We speak: same -as.

Ĝi ne labor____.

Negation: ne + verb -as.