kie / tie
Where and There
Kie asks where, and tie means there.
How It Works
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| kie | where | Kie vi loĝas? |
| tie | there | Mi loĝas tie. |
| ĉi tie | here | Mi estas ĉi tie. |
Kie means in which place, and tie means in that place. The word en is already inside them, so you do not add it.
Ĉi brings the place close to the speaker. Plain tie is a place away from you, and ĉi tie is the place where you are. The two parts can swap places: tie ĉi means the same.
Without -n these words say where something is. A later topic shows how -n turns them into words for where something goes.
Examples (5)
- Kie vi loĝas, Lucia?
Where do you live, Lucia?
Kie asks for a place and needs no preposition.
- Mi loĝas tie, apud la rivero.
I live there, next to the river.
Tie points at a place that both people know.
- Ni estas ĉi tie en Pollando.
We are here in Poland.
Ĉi tie means in the place where we are.
- Kie estas via valizo, Hans? Ĝi estas tie.
Where is your suitcase, Hans? It is there.
The question and the answer use the pair kie and tie.
- Tie estas multe da homoj.
There are many people there.
Tie can start a sentence, and estas here means there are.
Common Mistakes
Putting a preposition before tie.
Mi loĝas en tie.Mi loĝas tie.Tie already means in that place, so it needs no en.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Kie and tie are the place pair of the table.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice kie / tie in Bubblegum
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