Esperanto

Constructed (a posteriori)

FamilyConstructed (a posteriori) Speakers~100K (L1: ~1K) ScriptLatin CountriesWorldwide Official inNone Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3epo

Also known as: Esperanto

Esperanto (ISO 639-3: epo) is the most widely used planned international auxiliary language. Ludwik Zamenhof published its first textbook, Unua Libro, in 1887 under the name Doktoro Esperanto, and the Fundamento de Esperanto of 1905 remains its authoritative foundation. Its 28-letter Latin alphabet includes ĉ, ĝ, ĥ, ĵ, ŝ, and ŭ; spelling is highly phonemic and stress normally falls on the penultimate syllable. The grammar uses regular endings and productive affixes: nouns end in -o, adjectives in -a, derived adverbs in -e, and -n marks the accusative, allowing relatively flexible word order. Its vocabulary is chiefly European, with major Romance and Germanic sources and some Slavic influence; Esperanto has a worldwide speech community, native-acquiring speakers, original literature, music, and international congresses, but no country makes it a nationwide official language.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Esperanto

Water

akvo

/ˈakvo/

Fire

fajro

/ˈfajro/

Sun

suno

/ˈsuno/

Moon

luno

/ˈluno/

Star

stelo

/ˈstelo/

Mother

patrino

/paˈtrino/

Father

patro

/ˈpatro/

I

mi

/mi/

You

vi

/vi/

Name

nomo

/ˈnomo/

Eye

okulo

/oˈkulo/

Hand

mano

/ˈmano/

Heart

koro

/ˈkoro/

Love

amo

/ˈamo/

Tree

arbo

/ˈarbo/

House

domo

/ˈdomo/

Dog

hundo

/ˈhundo/

Cat

kato

/ˈkato/

Eat

manĝi

/ˈmandʒi/

Drink

trinki

/ˈtrinki/

One

unu

/ˈunu/

Two

du

/du/

Hello

saluton

/saˈluton/

Thank you

dankon

/ˈdankon/

Good

bona

/ˈbona/

Cuckoo

kukolo

/kuˈkolo/

Woof

boj boj

/boj boj/

Computer

komputilo

/kompuˈtilo/

Sushi

suŝio

/suˈʃio/

At sign (@)

heliko

/heˈliko/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Constructed (a posteriori) languages

Meaning EsperantoIdoInterlingueOld Italian (Dantesque)ChavacanoItalianRomagnol
Water akvo /ˈakvo/ aquo /ˈakwo/ aqua /ˈakwa/ acqua /ˈakːwa/ agua /ˈaɡwa/ acqua /ˈakkwa/ acua /ˈakwa/
Fire fajro /ˈfajro/ fairo /ˈfajro/ foy /foj/ foco /ˈfɔko/ fuego /ˈfweɡo/ fuoco /ˈfwɔːko/ fugh /ˈfuɡ/
Sun suno /ˈsuno/ suno /ˈsuno/ sole /ˈsole/ sole /ˈsole/ sol /sol/ sole /ˈsoːle/ sòl /ˈsɔl/
Moon luno /ˈluno/ luno /ˈluno/ lune /ˈlune/ luna /ˈluna/ luna /ˈluna/ luna /ˈluːna/ lónna /ˈlonːa/
Star stelo /ˈstelo/ stelo /ˈstelo/ stelle /ˈstele/ stella /ˈstella/ estrella /esˈtɾeja/ stella /ˈstɛlla/ stèla /ˈstɛla/
Mother patrino /paˈtrino/ matro /ˈmatro/ matre /ˈmatre/ madre /ˈmaːdre/ nana /ˈnana/ madre /ˈmaːdre/ mêdar /ˈmeːdaɾ/
Father patro /ˈpatro/ patro /ˈpatro/ patre /ˈpatre/ padre /ˈpaːdre/ tata /ˈtata/ padre /ˈpaːdre/ pêdar /ˈpeːdaɾ/
I mi /mi/ me /me/ yo /jo/ io /ˈio/ yo /jo/ io /ˈio/ /mɛ/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Esperanto
Mi volas provi kostumon kiun mi vidis en vendejo kontraŭ la hotelo
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Esperanto
Mi volas provi kostumon kiun mi vidis en vendejo kontraŭ la hotelo
jIH Sut vIlegh Daq mIpwI' retlh qach vInIH vIneH
mi djica le nu dasni le taxfu poi mi viska bu'u le zarci crane le xotli
mi wile alasa len mi lukin lon esun poka tomo awen

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