cetere, sekve, entute

Words That Link Paragraphs

Level 5

Short adverbs at the start of a sentence show how it connects to the last one.

How It Works

WordMeaningJob in a text
unue, due, triefirstly, secondly, thirdlynumbers the points
ceterebesidesadds a further point
sekveconsequentlygives the result of what came before
entuteas a wholesums up
finefinallycloses the list

All of these are adverbs, so they end in -e and take no -j or -n. They speak about the whole sentence, so they usually come first. PMEG advises setting off an adverb of this kind with a comma and a small pause, though a very common one is often written without a comma.

Unue, due and trie come from the ordinal numbers unua, dua and tria. To number your points, use the adverb, not the adjective. Sekve is a clear sign of a conclusion or result, like do (so).

Examples (5)

  1. Unue la hotelo estas tro malproksima; due ĝi estas tro multekosta; fine neniu volas iri tien.

    First, the hotel is too far away; second, it is too expensive; finally, nobody wants to go there.

    Unue, due and fine number the points of an argument.

  2. La biletoj ne kostas multe. Cetere, la urbo estas bela en aŭtuno.

    The tickets do not cost much. Besides, the town is beautiful in autumn.

    Cetere adds one more point.

  3. La trajno malfruis; sekve ni alvenis tro malfrue.

    The train was late; consequently, we arrived too late.

    Sekve shows a result.

  4. Entute la kongreso estis sukcesa.

    Overall, the congress was a success.

    Entute sums up the whole.

  5. Fine mi volas danki ĉiujn, kiuj helpis.

    Finally, I want to thank everyone who helped.

    Fine closes a list or a speech.

Common Mistakes

  • Numbering points with an adjective.

    Unua, ni bezonas pli da tempo. Dua, ni bezonas pli da mono.
    Unue, ni bezonas pli da tempo. Due, ni bezonas pli da mono.

    Unua and dua are adjectives and need a noun. To number points in a sentence, use the adverbs unue and due.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

cetere, sekve, entuteLevel 5Words That Link Paragraphs

Learn This First

Linking words join the parts of an essay.