Lesson 1 / 24

First sentences

Greet someone and say who you are with esti.

Read every word aloud. One letter, one sound: if you can see it, you can say it. Esti (to be) in the present is estas for every person. There is no word for “a” or “an.” Libro can mean “a book.”

Lina at the course

Read the story. Click a word to see what it means.

! Mia Lina. .

Hello! My name is Lina. I am a student.

Tomaso . .

Tomaso is a teacher. He is kind and calm.

? , . .

Are you a student? Yes, I am. And you are a friend.

. . lernas .

We are in a course. The course is simple. We learn together.

Read this aloud

  1. Saluton! Mi estas Ana. Hello! I am Ana.
  2. Saluton, Ana. Mi estas Marko. Hello, Ana. I am Marko.
  3. Ĉu vi estas lernanto? Are you a student?
  4. Jes. Kaj vi estas instruisto. Yes. And you are a teacher.

Yes/no questions use Ĉu

Put Ĉu at the front. Do not change the word order: Ĉu la libro estas nova? Answer with Jes or Ne.

Words in this lesson

saluton hello
jes yes
ne no / not
kaj and
lernanto learner / student
instruisto teacher
nomo name
afabla kind
trankvila calm
amiko friend
kurso course
simpla simple
kune together

Practice

Type the Esperanto. Stress the second-last syllable when you say it. Enter checks your answer.

Hello!

The greeting ends in -n like many set phrases.

I am a student.

esti → estas. No word for “a”.

Are you a teacher?

Start with Ĉu.

Yes.

One syllable: JES.

My name is Lina.

mia + nomo + estas + name.

We are in a course.

ni + estas + en + kurso.

Build the word

Type the Esperanto word.

hello

The usual greeting.

yes

One short word.

teacher

instru- + -isto.

student / learner

lern- + -anto: one who is learning.

Complete the sentences

Fill the missing ending or word.

Mi _____ Lina. (I am Lina.)

Present of esti for everyone.

_____ vi estas lernanto? (Are you a student?)

Yes/no questions start with Ĉu.

Tomaso _____ instruisto.

Same estas for he/she/it.

_____ . Kaj vi estas amiko. (Yes.)

The opposite of Ne.