-ar-

-ar-: A Group of Things

Level 3

-ar- turns one thing into a group of many.

How It Works

One thingWith -ar-Meaning
arbo (tree)arbaroforest
vorto (word)vortarodictionary
ŝafo (sheep)ŝafaroflock of sheep
homo (person)homarohumankind

A word with -ar- counts as one thing, even though it holds many. A forest is granda in the singular, and only several forests, arbaroj, would be grandaj.

Read the parts: arb (tree) + -ar- (group) + -o (noun) gives arbaro (forest).

Many groups are not a plain pile of the same thing: a vortaro holds words and also their meanings. Learn such words as a whole and use the parts to remember them.

Examples (4)

  1. Ni promenas en la arbaro apud la rivero.

    We are walking in the forest beside the river.

    Arbaro is a group of many trees.

  2. Mi serĉas vorton en la vortaro.

    I am looking for a word in the dictionary.

    Vortaro is a collection of words; vorton is the object.

  3. La ŝafaro de Lars estas sur la monto.

    Lars's flock of sheep is on the mountain.

    Ŝafaro is a group of sheep.

  4. La homaro bezonas pacon.

    Humankind needs peace.

    Homaro means all people together.

Common Mistakes

  • Making the adjective plural because the group has many members.

    La arbaro estas belaj.
    La arbaro estas bela.

    Arbaro is one forest, so the adjective stays singular. Only arbaroj, more than one forest, would take -j.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-ar-Level 3-ar-: A Group of Things

Learn This First

The ending -ar- names a group.