Names of Cities
Big cities get an -o form that works like any noun.
How It Works
| City | Esperanto |
|---|---|
| London | Londono |
| Paris | Parizo |
| Rome | Romo |
| Berlin | Berlino |
| Moscow | Moskvo |
| Beijing | Pekino |
Where you are: en Parizo. Where you go: al Parizo, or en Parizon for into. A city that is the object takes -n: Ni vizitos Parizon. In an Esperanto sentence, say Londono and not the English spelling.
Smaller places keep their own spelling. A name that ends in a vowel can take -n directly. A name that ends in a consonant takes -on, or no ending when the meaning is clear.
Examples (5)
- Ni vizitos Parizon en majo.
We will visit Paris in May.
Parizo is the object, so it has -n.
- Greta loĝas en Berlino, sed ŝia amiko loĝas en Romo.
Greta lives in Berlin, but her friend lives in Rome.
En is followed by the plain city name.
- La kongreso okazas en Moskvo, kaj Dmitri veturas tien per trajno.
The congress takes place in Moscow, and Dmitri travels there by train.
Moskvo is the plain form after en.
- Kofi iras al Londono, kaj Lucia iras al Romo.
Kofi is going to London, and Lucia is going to Rome.
Al shows the direction, so the city takes no -n.
- Hiro kaj Mei vojaĝas en Pekinon.
Hiro and Mei are travelling to Beijing.
En plus -n shows movement into the city.
Common Mistakes
Putting la before a city name.
Ni vizitos la Parizon.Ni vizitos Parizon.A normal city name needs no la.
Leaving out -n on an object city.
Ni vizitos Parizo.Ni vizitos Parizon.Parizo is the thing we visit, so it takes -n.
How It Connects
Learn This First
City names use the same endings as countries.
Related Patterns
Practice Names of Cities in Bubblegum
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