LESSON VIII.


THE PASSIVE VOICE is formed with the verb "to be" followed by passive participle:
La puero esas am-ata, The boy is loved.
La puero esis am-ata, The boy was loved.
La puero esos am-ata, The boy will be loved.
The Perfect Tenses are formed with the suffix -ab-:
La puero esabis amata, The boy had been loved.
La puero esabos amata, The boy will have been loved.
All these forms can be contracted by adding the verb "to be" directly to the root:
La puero am-esas, The boy is loved.
It is, however, advisable not to contract the -ab- forms as they are clumsy and hard to follow in conversation. Thus La puero esabos amata is to be preferred to La puero amesabos.
The present participle passive is most used, but the others are occasionally required. For example, the past perfect passive can be translated with the help of the past participle:
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 adsjectives, 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).

AFFIXES.- -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.

CONVERSATION.

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.

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James Chandler 1997