Which Syllable Is Stressed
Count two vowels back from the end of the word.
How It Works
In every Esperanto word with two or more vowels, one vowel is said louder than the others. It is always the second-to-last vowel. Count from the end: the last vowel is one, the vowel before it is two.
| Word | Said as | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Esperanto | Es-pe-RAN-to | Esperanto |
| amiko | a-MI-ko | friend |
| familio | fa-mi-LI-o | family |
| hodiaŭ | ho-DI-aŭ | today |
| amikino | a-mi-KI-no | female friend |
The plural -j and the object -n do not move the stress: a-MI-ko, a-MI-koj, a-MI-kon. Adding a vowel does move it, so amikino is said a-mi-KI-no. J and ŭ are not vowels, which is why hodiaŭ has its stress on DI.
In quick speech, small unimportant words may have almost no stress. The rule tells you where the stress falls in the word.
Examples (4)
- Mia familio loĝas en Brazilo.
My family lives in Brazil.
Familio is said fa-mi-LI-o.
- Ewa estas mia amikino.
Ewa is my friend.
Amikino is said a-mi-KI-no, with the stress on KI.
- Ĉu vi parolas Esperanton?
Do you speak Esperanto?
Esperanton is said Es-pe-RAN-ton, because the final n adds no vowel.
- Hodiaŭ Kenji estas hejme.
Today Kenji is at home.
Hodiaŭ is said ho-DI-aŭ, because ŭ is not a vowel.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To find the stressed syllable you count vowels, and a two-vowel sound counts once.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Which Syllable Is Stressed in Bubblegum
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