-u in Noun Clauses

The imperative ending -u is used not only in direct commands (as we have already seen) but also in clauses introduced by ke after verbs of commanding, requesting, advising and wishing. (These often correspond to English clauses with "to".)

• Mi deziras, ke vi lernu. – I want you to learn (literally: I want that you learn).
• La patro insistas, ke mi iru. – Father insists that I go.

💡 Memory aid: a wish or command in the main clause pulls the verb of the ke-clause into the -u form — not -as.

The Preposition je

je is a wildcard: it has no precise meaning of its own and is used wherever no other preposition fits exactly. Among other things, it is the usual word for "at" when telling the time:

• Je kioma horo vi venos? – (At) what time will you come? (literally: at which-numbered hour?)
• Je la kvina horo. – At five o'clock.

💡 Tip: when no preposition seems to fit, je is the safe default.

The Verb farti

mainly used in the greeting:

• Kiel vi fartas? – How are you?

The Suffix -et

makes diminutives (small, slight):

• dometo – a little house
• beleta – pretty
• varmeta – tepid

The Suffix -eg

makes augmentatives (big, intense):

• librego – tome
• grandega – huge, very large
• belega – superb
• bonega – excellent

💡 Memory aid: learn the pair together — -et shrinks (dometo = little house), -eg magnifies (domego = huge house).

The Suffix -iĝ

means "to become", "to get":

• riĉiĝi – to grow rich
• trankviliĝi – to calm down, to become calm
• resaniĝi – to get well again, to recover
• geedziĝi – to get married, to wed

💡 Memory aid: -iĝ = to become (a change the subject undergoes by itself). Its partner -ig ("to make something happen") follows in lesson 8.

Relative clauses with kiu

Kiu can connect a small clause to a noun. It becomes kiun when it is the object inside that small clause:

• la amiko, kiu venis – the friend who came
• la letero, kiun mi sendis – the letter that I sent

Times and repetitions with foj

Foj means an occasion or a time. With numbers it makes useful adverbs:

• unufoje – once
• trifoje – three times
• kelkfoje – several times

Familiar roots in longer words

You are expected to keep reading words made from familiar parts:

• vespero + manĝi → vespermanĝi – to eat supper
• letero + kesto → leterkesto – mailbox
• hejmo + urbo → hejmurbo – hometown