Words Are Built From Parts
Root plus ending, with affixes where you need them.
How It Works
Most Esperanto words have two or three parts. The root carries the meaning, such as san (health). A root cannot stand alone: it needs an ending, such as -a or -o, to become a word. Little words such as kaj (and), en (in) and mi (I) are already words, so they need no ending. An affix is a short part that adds an idea. Mal- turns an idea into its opposite.
| Word | Parts | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sana | san + -a | healthy |
| malsana | mal- + san + -a | ill |
| malsano | mal- + san + -o | illness |
| malsanulo | mal- + san + -ul- + -o | a sick person |
| malsanulejo | mal- + san + -ul- + -ej- + -o | hospital |
Zamenhof used the root san in the Fundamento to show how words are built. The parts are joined, and the main part comes last.
Examples (4)
- La patro de Ewa estas sana.
Ewa's father is healthy.
Sana is the root san plus the adjective ending -a.
- Mia amiko estas malsana.
My friend is ill.
Mal- turns sana into its opposite, malsana.
- Wei laboras en malsanulejo.
Wei works in a hospital.
Malsanulejo is a place (-ej-) for sick people (mal- san -ul-).
- La malsanulo estas feliĉa.
The sick person is happy.
Malsanulo is a person (-ul-) who is not healthy.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
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Patterns that build on this one.
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