3.8 Verb
Esperanto has most of the verb forms found in western languages, and some
more. All forms are regular. The forms used more often are created
synthetically, the rest is created analytically using auxiliary verb
esti – ‘to be’ and
participles.
I will show the simple forms first, followed by the complex
forms. See also suffixes
ig and
iĝ in chapters
4.2.2.1 and
4.2.2.2. Because of the purpose
of this grammar overview, I will not spend time with describing all aspects of
the usage of all these various forms. This topic is covered in PAG
§110-119.
3.8.1 Infinitive
Infinitive (infinitivo) is formed from the
stem by adding the ending
i.
esti
– to be, sidi – to
sit, kapti – to catch,
marteli – to hammer,
skribi – to write,
bezoni – to
need.
Infinitive has the same meaning as in many other
languages:
Mi ĝojas vin vidi. =
Mi ĝojas, ke mi vin vidas. – I am
happy to see you.
Mi vidis la knabon
kuri. = Mi vidis, ke la knabo
kuras. – I see the boy
running.
Kritiki estas facile, sed fari estas
malfacile. – It is easy to criticize, but it is hard to
work.
Mi povas legi. – I can
read.
3.8.2 Vowels
of tense
All tenses (relative and absolute) are formed uniformly using three vowels:
a for the present tense, contemporaneous,
imperfectness
mi kaptas – I
catch
kaptanta –
catching
kaptata –
being caught
i for the past tense,
anteriority, perfectness
mi kaptis
– I caught
kaptinta
– having caught
kaptita
– having been caught
o for the
future tense, succession, intention
mi
kaptos – I will
catch
kaptonta – going
to catching
kaptota –
going to be caught
3.8.3 Indicative
Indicative (indikativo) is formed by
adding a vowel expressing tense plus s to the
stem:
|
present
|
mi kapt-a-s
|
I catch
|
|
past
|
mi kapt-i-s
|
I caught
|
|
future
|
mi kapt-o-s
|
I will catch
|
The form of the verb is the same for all persons:
|
mi kaptas
|
I catch
|
ni kaptas
|
we catch
|
|
vi kaptas
|
you catch
|
vi kaptas
|
you catch
|
|
li kaptas
|
he catches
|
ili kaptas
|
they catch
|
3.8.4 Conditional
Conditional (kondicionalo) is formed by
adding the ending us to the
stem.
mi kapt-us – I would
catch
3.8.5 Imperative
Imperative (volitivo) is formed by adding
the ending u to the
stem:
kapt-u –
catch
ni kapt-u –
let’s catch
Volitive is used also as
subjunctive:
Mi petas, ke li
venu.H – I ask that he
comes.
Mi deziras al vi, ke vi
resaniĝu.H – I wish you to get healthy
again.
Mi alportis la libron, por ke vi ĝin
tralegu.H – I brought the book for you to
read.
3.8.6 Participles,
Gerunds, Verbal nouns
3.8.6.1 Participles
There are three types of active and three types of passive participles
– present, past (perfect) and future (predicative).
Active participle
is created from the stem by adding a vowel of tense, followed by
nt, followed by adjective ending
a.
|
present
|
kapt-a-nt-a
|
catching
|
|
past
|
kapt-i-nt-a
|
having caught
|
|
future
|
kapt-o-nt-a
|
going to catch
|
Passive participle is created from stem by adding a vowel of tense,
followed by t, followed by adjective ending
a.
|
present
|
kapt-a-t-a
|
caught, being caught
|
|
past
|
kapt-i-t-a
|
having been caught
|
|
future
|
kapt-o-t-a
|
going to be caught
|
3.8.6.2 Gerunds
Gerunds are formed from participles by replacing the adjective ending
a by the adverbial ending
e.
Active gerunds:
|
present
|
kapt-a-nt-e
|
catching
|
|
past
|
kapt-i-nt-e
|
having caught
|
|
future
|
kapt-o-nt-e
|
going to catch
|
Promentante ili kantas.H
– Walking, they are singing.
Reveninte
hejmen, ŝi komencis legi.H – Having came
home, she started to read.
Pagonte li
foriris.H – He left before
paying.
Passive gerunds:
|
present
|
kapt-a-t-e
|
caught, being caught
|
|
past
|
kapt-i-t-e
|
having been caught
|
|
future
|
kapt-o-t-e
|
going to be caught
|
Persekutate ili saltis en
riveron.H – Being persecuted, they jumped into
the river.
Kaptite ŝi vane provas
liberiĝi.H – Having been caught, she is
trying to free herself.
Jam kaptote, li
eskapis.H – Nearly caught, he
escaped.
3.8.6.3 Verbal
nouns
Verbal nouns are formed from participles by replacing the adjective ending
a by the noun ending
o.
Active verbal nouns:
|
present
|
kapt-a-nt-o
|
the one who is catching
|
|
past
|
kapt-i-nt-o
|
the one who is having caught
|
|
future
|
kapt-o-nt-o
|
the one who is going to catch
|
vojaĝanto – one who
travels, voyager, lernanto – one
who learns, pupil, aŭskultanto –
one who listens, listener, abonanto
– one who subscribes something, subscriber,
vizitanto – one who visits,
visitor; mortinto – one who died,
the deceased, savonto – one who
will save, savior, messiah, parolanto
– one who speaks, speaker
Passive verbal nouns:
|
present
|
kapt-a-t-o
|
the one who is being caught
|
|
past
|
kapt-i-t-o
|
the one who is having been caught
|
|
future
|
kapt-o-t-o
|
the one who is going to be caught
|
sendito – one who was sent,
messenger, juĝoto – one who
will be judged
3.8.6.4 Verbalized
participles
“Verbalized participles” are formed from participles by
replacing the adjective ending
a by the verbal
ending
i and using it as a normal verb (of
course not forming participle). These forms are quite rare, they are equivalents
of complex verbal
forms.
[24]kaptanti
=
esti kaptanta –
to be (in state of
being) catchingmi kaptintus =
mi estus kaptinta –
I would have
caught
3.8.7 Complex
verbal forms
Complex verbal forms are created using the auxiliary verb
esti + participle. This way are expressed
secondary active tenses, passive voice, and nuances of conditional and
imperative.
These complex forms are not so often used. Very often if you use
complex form in English you can use simple form in Esperanto.
3.8.7.1 Imperfect
Imperfect (Imperfekto) is expressed by the
auxiliary verb esti + active present
participle.
|
present
|
mi estas kaptanta
|
I am catching
|
|
past
|
mi estis kaptanta
|
I was catching
|
|
future
|
mi estos kaptanta
|
I will be catching
|
Imperfect is used when you want to express that the process was occurring
in the same time as another process or that the process was continuous.
Li mortis. – He
died.
Li estis mortanta. – He
was dying.
Imperfect is not so often as English progressive tense,
because it is often possible to use nonmarked simple verbal form.
3.8.7.2 Perfect
Perfect (perfekto) is expressed by the
auxiliary verb esti + active past
participle.
|
present
|
mi estas kaptinta
|
I have caught
|
|
past
|
mi estis kaptinta
|
I had caught
|
|
future
|
mi estos kaptinta
|
I will have caught
|
Perfect is used when you want to express that the process was already
finished before some point in the present, past, or future.
3.8.7.3 Predicative
Predicative (predicativo) is expressed by
the auxiliary verb esti + active future
participle.
|
present
|
mi estas kaptonta
|
I am going to catch
|
|
past
|
mi estis kaptonta
|
I was going to catch
|
|
future
|
mi estos kaptonta
|
I will be going to catch
|
Predicative is used when you want to express that the process was going to
happen after some point in the present, past, or future. Predicative is very
often replaced by modal verbs with infinitive:
Mi estas
kaptonta. – I am going to
catch.
Mi volas/devas/intencas kapti.
– I want to/must/am going to catch.
3.8.7.4 Infinitive
complex forms
Complex active infinitives are formed from the infinitive of the auxiliary
verb esti + active participle.
|
imperfect
|
esti kaptanta
|
to be (in state of being) catching
|
|
perfect
|
esti kaptinta
|
to have caught
|
|
predicative
|
esti kaptonta
|
to be going to catch
|
3.8.7.5 Conditional
and Imperative active complex forms
More precise forms of conditional or imperative can be expressed by
combining of the auxiliary verb esti in simple
form conditional/imperative with active participles.
Conditional
|
imperfect
|
mi estus kaptanta
|
I would be catching
|
|
perfect
|
mi estus kaptinta
|
I would have caught
|
|
predicative
|
mi estus kaptonta
|
I would be going to catch
|
Imperative
|
imperfect
|
estu kaptanta
|
be catching!, You be catching
|
|
perfect
|
estu kaptinta
|
You have been/were catching
|
|
predicative
|
estu kaptonta
|
You shall catch
|
3.8.7.6 Passive
voice
Passive voice (pasiva voĉo) is
expressed by the auxiliary verb esti + passive
participle.
Imperfect
|
present
|
mi estas kaptata
|
I am (being) caught
|
|
past
|
mi estis kaptata
|
I was (being) caught
|
|
future
|
mi estos kaptata
|
I will be (in state of being) caught
|
Perfect
|
present
|
mi estas kaptita
|
I have been caught
|
|
past
|
mi estis kaptita
|
I had been caught
|
|
future
|
mi estos kaptita
|
I will have been caught
|
Predicative
|
present
|
mi estas kaptota
|
I am going to be caught
|
|
past
|
mi estis kaptota
|
I was going to be caught
|
|
future
|
mi estos kaptota
|
I will be going to be caught
|
Infinitive
|
imperfect
|
esti kaptata
|
to be (in state of being) caught
|
|
perfect
|
esti kaptita
|
to have been caught
|
|
predicative
|
esti kaptota
|
to be in state of going to be caught
|
Conditional
|
imperfect
|
mi estus kaptata
|
I would be caught
|
|
perfect
|
mi estus kaptita
|
I would have been caught
|
|
predicative
|
mi estus kaptota
|
I should be caught
|
Imperative
|
imperfect
|
estu kaptata
|
Be caught!, You be caught
|
|
perfect
|
estu kaptita
|
Be caught!, You have been/were caught
|
|
predicative
|
estu kaptota
|
You shall/should be caught,
|
Passive voice is very often expressed by different, simpler
means:
Topic-Focus articulation:
La kato estis
persekutata de la hundo. = La katon persekutis
la hundo. – The cat was chased by the dog.
General
subject:
La cervo estis pafita. =
Oni pafis la cervon. – The deer was
shot.