-ante, -inte, -onte
Doing While, After, Before
The -e participle adds another action of the subject.
How It Works
| Form | The other action | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -ante | during the main action | Manĝante pomon, li legis. (Eating an apple, he read.) |
| -inte | before the main action | Farinte la taskon, li iris hejmen. (Having done the task, he went home.) |
| -onte | about to start | Skribonte leteron, Ana prenis skribilon. (About to write a letter, Ana picked up a pen.) |
A participle adverb describes the subject of the main verb. In Veninte hejmen, Hiro dormis, the one who came and the one who slept are both Hiro. The participle cannot have a subject of its own. When two different people are involved, use a clause with kiam instead.
The time is measured from the main verb, not from the moment you speak. These forms are common in writing and rarer in speech, where a clause with kiam or dum says the same thing.
Examples (5)
- Ridante, Mei salutis la gastojn.
Laughing, Mei greeted the guests.
Ridante is an action of Mei, and it takes place while she greets.
- Veninte hejmen, Hiro tuj dormis.
Having come home, Hiro slept at once.
Veninte is finished before dormis, and both are Hiro.
- Forironte, Maria adiaŭis siajn amikojn.
About to leave, Maria said goodbye to her friends.
Forironte names the leaving that was about to start.
- Manĝante la tagmanĝon, Pavel legis la gazeton.
While eating lunch, Pavel read the newspaper.
Manĝante keeps its own object, la tagmanĝon, with -n.
- Alveninte al la kongreso, Kofi tuj trovis siajn amikojn.
Having arrived at the congress, Kofi found his friends at once.
Alveninte is an earlier action of Kofi.
Common Mistakes
Giving the participle its own subject.
La infanoj veninte hejmen, li povis trankviliĝi.Kiam la infanoj venis hejmen, li povis trankviliĝi.A participle adverb describes the subject of the main verb and has no subject of its own. Here the children and li are different people, so use a clause with kiam.
Describing the wrong person.
Promenante sur la strato, venis subite ideo al mi.Promenante sur la strato, mi subite ekhavis ideon.Promenante must describe the subject of the main verb. In the first sentence the subject is ideo, and an idea does not walk. In the second, mi is both the walker and the one who has the idea.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Participle adverbs are participles with the adverb ending.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice -ante, -inte, -onte in Bubblegum
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