› La puero esis amita, The boy had been loved (literally, was a was-loved-person.)
The future in -ota is used in the same way as -onta is in the active voice, to translate “about to be,” “going to be”:
› Ol esas fac-ota, It is about to be done.
› La letro esas skrib-ota, The letter is going to be written.
The contracted passive is useful in sentences like the following:
› Ica vorto uzesas rare, This word is seldom used.
It is frequently neater and clearer to avoid the passive by using the pronoun on, one, they, people, with the active:
› On trovas diamanti en India, Diamonds are found in India.
The preposition by after a passive verb is always translated by da:
› Ol esas recevita da li, It has been received by them.
The preposition of (possessive and genitive case) is di; from is de.
› This is Peter’s book, received by Paul from John.
› Ita esas la libro di Petro recevita da Paulo de Johano.
› The reception of the President of the French Republic by the King of England.
› La acepto di la Prezidanto di la Franca Republiko da la Rejo di Anglia.
Like other adjectives, the participles can be changed into nouns of the same sense by changing the final -a into -o or -i:
› La parol-ant-o esas la urb-estr-o, The man-now-speaking is the mayor.
› La kant-ant-o esas yun-in-o, The person now singing is a young lady.
› La disput-ant-i aceptis arbitro, The contending parties accepted arbitration.
› La bat-at-o kriis, ma la bat-ant-o duris sua bat-ado, The one-who-was-being-beaten cried, but the one-who-was-beating continued his beating.
› La regn-at-i expresas granda kontenteso pri la agi di sua regn-ant-i, The subjects (=those governed) express great satisfaction with the acts of their rulers.
They can also form adverbs of manner by changing -a into -e:
› Ni progresas aston-ant-e, We are progressing astonishingly (wonderfully).
-et forms diminutives, marking smallness and changing the idea of the root:
› domo, house; dom-eto, cottage.
› rivero, river; river-eto, brook.
› kantar, to sing; kant-etar, to hum.
› ridar, to laugh; rid-etar, to smile.
It also serves to form pet-names:
› matro, mother; matr-eto mamma.
› Johano, John; Johan-eto, Johnny, Jack.
-eg- forms augmentatives (the opposite of diminutives), denoting largeness with a change in the idea of the root:
› dom-ego, mansion.
› pluvo, rain; pluv-ego, downpour.
arki- denotes pre-eminence:
› arki-episkopo, archbishop.
› arki-anjelo, archangel.
› arki-duko, archduke.
› arki-fripono, arch rogue.
-estr-, head of, chief of:
› urb-estro, mayor.
› nav-estro, ship’s master.
› polic-estro, chief constable.
The two following affixes should be grouped with the participle -ot- “about to be.”
› -ind-, worthy to be …:
› estim-inda, estimable.
› am-inda, lovable.
› kred-inda, credible.
-end-, that must be …, is to be …:
› lekt-enda, that must be read.
› me havas nulo skribenda, I have nothing to write (that must be written).
Thus, a problem to be solved (solvenda) is possibly not about to be solved (solvota) nor even worthy of solution (solvinda).
-es- forms nouns having the sense “state, condition, quality”:
› san-esar, to be healthy; san-eso, health.
› avar-eso, avarice.
› bel-eso, beauty.
› qual-eso, quality.
› konstrukt-eso, (state of) construction. [compare konstrukto, (act of) construction.]
› konvert-eso, conversion (act of being converted).
› okup-eso, state of being busy, occupation.
| What is your name? | Quale vu nomesas? |
| I am called John, | Me nomesas Johano. |
| Where do you come from? | De ube vu venas? |
| What is your father’s name? | Quale nomesas vua patro? |
| Where were you born? | Ube vu naskis? |
| I was born in London. | Me naskis en London. |
| When were you born? | Kande vu naskis? |
| I was born in 1897. | Me naskis en mil e oka-cent e nona-dek e sep. |
| Where do you live? | Ube vu habitas? |
| I live at the sea-side. | Me habitas an la mar-bordo. |
Lesson IX
Each preposition has a well-defined meaning, and (like all words in the International Language) must be used only when the sense clearly requires it; e.g.:
• I bought it of him, becomes: I bought it from him.
› Me kompris ol de il.
• He cut himself with his knife, becomes: by means of his knife,
› Il sekis su per sua kultelo.
The preposition ye, however, has no definite meaning, and is only to be used when no other preposition will do:
› Ye la duesma (di) marto, On the 2nd of March.
› Il kaptis la kavalo ye la kolo per lazo, He caught the horse by the neck with a lasso.
› Me doloras ye la kapo, I have head-ache (= I ache at the head).
Conjunctions are followed by whatever mood and tense are logically required:
(a) Se vu esus malada, If you were (should be) ill.
(b) Se vu esos malada, If you are (will be) ill.
(c) Imperez, ke il venez, Order him to come (imperative).