Language/Esperanto/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Esperanto Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Esperanto learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will dive into how to use the verb "be" in Esperanto. As an Esperanto language teacher for over 20 years, I believe understanding the usage of "be" is key to forming proper sentences in this language, which has no irregularities or exceptions! So, let's get started!

Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: PREFIXES & PREPOSITIONS.

What is the Verb "Be" in Esperanto?

The verb "be" in Esperanto is "esti". The usage is similar to English, as it is used to link subjects to their descriptions or states.

Present Tense

In Esperanto, we have only one present tense, which is used regardless of the subject. To use "be" in the present tense, we simply conjugate "esti" as follows:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
Mi estas	mee EH-stahs	I am
Vi estas	vee EH-stahs	You are (singular)
Li/Ŝi/Ĝi estas	lee/SHEE/JEE EH-stahs	He/She/It is
Ni estas	nee EH-stahs	We are
Vi estas	vee EH-stahs	You are (plural)
Ili estas	EE-lee EH-stahs	They are

Example dialogue:

• Person 1: Mi estas felicxa. (I am happy.)
• Person 2: Li ankaŭ estas felicxa. (He is also happy.)

Past Tense

In Esperanto, we have only one past tense. To use "be" in the past tense, we simply add "-is" to "esti". For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
Mi estis	mee EHS-teess	I was
Vi estis	vee EHS-teess	You were (singular)
Li/Ŝi/Ĝi estis	lee/SHEE/JEE EHS-teess	He/She/It was
Ni estis	nee EHS-teess	We were
Vi estis	vee EHS-teess	You were (plural)
Ili estis	EE-lee EHS-teess	They were

Example dialogue:

• Person 1: Mi estis en la teatro hieraŭ. (I was at the theater yesterday.)
• Person 2: Kie li estis? (Where was he?)

Future Tense

In Esperanto, we use the present tense to indicate future actions. To form the future tense with “be," we use the present tense of the auxiliary verb "iros" (to go) before "esti". We can also use the word "helpos" (to help) instead of "iros". For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
Mi iros esti	mee EE-rohs EH-stee	I will be
Vi iros esti	vee EE-rohs EH-stee	You will be (singular)
Li/Ŝi/Ĝi iros esti	lee/SHEE/JEE EE-rohs EH-stee	He/She/It will be
Ni iros esti	nee EE-rohs EH-stee	We will be
Vi iros esti	vee EE-rohs EH-stee	You will be (plural)
Ili iros esti	EE-lee EE-rohs EH-stee	They will be

Example dialogue:

• Person 1: Kion vi faros morgaŭ? (What will you do tomorrow?)
• Person 2: Mi iros esti kun miaj amikoj. (I will be with my friends.)

Imperatives

In Esperanto, we use the imperative mood to give commands or directions. To use "be" in the imperative mood, we simply use "estu" for the singular and "estu" for the plural. For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
Estu trankvila!	EH-stoo trahnk-VEE-lah	Be calm!
Estu laŭta!	EH-stoo LAH-oo-tah	Be loud!
Estu subtena!	EH-stoo sooB-TEH-nah	Be supportive!

Example dialogue:

• Person 1: Kiam ili venu, kion mi faru? (What should I do when they arrive?)
• Person 2: Estu pretaj por festi ilin! (Be ready to celebrate them!)

Summary

In summary, the verb "be" in Esperanto is "esti". We only have one present and past tense and use the present tense to indicate future actions. For the imperative mood, we use "estu". Remember that the usage of "be" is key to forming proper sentences in Esperanto. Practice makes perfect, so keep practicing!

To improve your Esperanto Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Other Lessons

• PREFIXES
• Nouns
• Prefixe MAL— and Suffixe —IN
• Gender
• Personal pronouns
• Possessive Case in Esperanto
• PREPOSITIONS
• THE ACCUSATIVE
• Negation
• THE INTERROGATIVE

Sources

• Esperanto/Grammar Rules - Wikiversity
• Esperanto grammar - Wikipedia
• The Sixteen Rules of Esperanto Grammar