The Esperanto CorrelativesThe Esperanto CorrelativesThe correlatives are the bete noir of many English-speaking students of Esperanto; they never seem to get them right. This is, in my opinion, a simple lack of diligence on their part; even memorizing the fifty words separately should take no more than the better part of an evening. Given that these words make up approximately ten percent of all text in Esperanto, that might be worth doing.
K- A question word. Any correlative starting with K- asks a question,
and corresponds to the English "which".
EXAMPLE
Kiu scias, kia malbono sin kaŝas en la homa kor'?
= Who knows what (sort of) evil lurks in the hearts of men?
As in English, Latin, etc., the question correlatives are also used to join
together two parts of a sentence -- hence the term correlatives.
EXAMPLES
Mi ne scias, kiam li alvenos = I don't know when he's going to arrive.
Nu, li alvenos, kiam li alvenos = Well, he'll arrive when he arrives.
T- A specific answer. This word points to a certain specified
response, and corresponds to the English "that."
The T- words are generally taken to point to something at an indeterminate distance from
the viewer. The particle ĉi can be added to give a feeling of proximity to the speaker;
the particle for can also be added (though this is less often done) to show distance from
the speaker. Traditionally, ĉi is usually placed immediately before the T- word to which
it is attached; often, it is placed immediately after. This is not, however, absolutely
necessary.
EXAMPLES
tiu libro = that book
ĉi tiu libro = this book (most common usage).
tiu ĉi libro = this book
tiu libro ĉi = this book (unusual usage)
tiu libro for = yonder book
tiam = then
ĉi tiam = now (synonym of )
tiam ĉi = now
tiam for = distant in time (uncommon usage)
English expressions such as "here and there" are usually not shown by contrasting two
different correlative pointers (*ĉi tie kaj tie) but by repetition of the same correlative
(tie kaj tie), given that the basic correlative pointers are of indeterminate position.
- An indefinite answer. An omitted beginning corresponds to the
English "some" or "any."
A correlative of this type is usually taken to refer to a situation which as selected is unknown or unspecified
instead of one in which it is unimportant ("some" instead of "any"). The latter situation
can be emphasized by adding the particle ajn, usually after the correlative.
EXAMPLES
Mi amas iun virinon = I love a (unspecified) woman.
Mi amas iun ajn virinon = I love any woman whatever.
Li loĝas ie = He lives somewhere (location unknown).
Li loĝas ie ajn = He lives anywhere at all.
Ĉ- An all-encompassing or universal answer. This beginning
corresponds to the English "every."
NEN- A negative answer. This beginning says that you either don't know
or that there is no answer. It corresponds to the English "no."
-U For selecting an individual out of a group. Words in this group
correspond to the English "who" or "which" and their respective
answers.
KIU can mean either who or which. If it is associated with a
noun, it means "which"; if it stands alone, you can assume that the noun
persono = person is understood: kiu [persono] = which [person] = who. Similar
remarks apply to the other -U correlatives.
The -U words, as well as the -O and -A words can all take the -J and -N endings.
-O For naming a thing. Words in this group correspond to the English
"what" and its respective answers. As the -O indicates, the
answer should always be a noun.
While the -O correlatives can take the -J ending, this is rare, as they usually refer to
something not specified and therefore taken as singular.
-A For describing something. Words in this group correspond to the
English "what kind of" and its respective answers. The -A will
help you recognize the need to answer with an adjective.
-E For pointing out a location. Words in this group correspond to
the English "where" and its respective answers.
Answers should
always be adverbs or adverbial phrases of location (though in the
latter, the required preposition may be omitted as understood, as
in: Kie li loĝas? [En] Londono. = Where does he live? [In]
London.).
-EN For describing motion to a location. Words in this group
correspond to the archaic English "whither".
Actually, this form does not need to be included separately, since it
follows automatically from the -E words by application of Rule 13 (see
above). I have included it for completeness. There is no corresponding
one-word equivalent for "whence".
-AM For defining time. Words in this group correspond to the English
"when."
-OM For describing quantities and measurements. Words in this group
correspond to the English "how much" (e.g. water) or "how many"
(e.g. books).
The -OM words are adverbs. That means that, when used as measures,
they can't directly go with the name of the stuff being measured (a noun), but
must take an intermediary word: the little preposition of measurement
da, as in kiom da akvo = how much [of] water.
-EL For describing manner. Words in this group correspond to the
English "how."
The -EL words, which are also adverbs (obviously!), can be used to
modify adjectives, showing an intensification of the quality defined by
the adjective: kiel bela ŝi estas = how beautiful she is. Technically,
you could also use the -OM words in this way, too: kiom bela ŝi estas =
how beautiful she is. The difference would be a qualitative versus
quantitative distinction (kiel bela ŝi estas -- like a rose rather than
a Ferrari, versus kiom bela ŝi estas -- much more so than her sister).
Most Esperantists, however, use the -EL words for all such distinctions.
-AL For describing reason. Words in this group correspond to the
English "why."
-ES For describing possession. Words in this group correspond to the
English "whose."
Correlatives are formed by tying one beginning and one ending to a linking vowel -I-. For instance:
Someone has just asked you how you intend to get to your mother-in-law's house for her sixtieth birthday party. You don't intend to go at all. Your answer being negative, you will use the beginning NEN-; and since the question asked was "how" (KIEL) you use the appropriate ending -EL. Hooking these to the linking vowel -I-, you answer, forcefully: "NENIEL!" (No way, José!)
Question Pointer Indefinite Universal Negative
Individual KIU TIU IU ĈIU NENIU
who,which that one some(one) every(one) no one, none
Thing KIO TIO IO ĈIO NENIO
what that thing something everything nothing
Kind KIA TIA IA ĈIA NENIA
what kind that kind some kind every kind no kind of
of of of of
Place KIE TIE IE ĈIE NENIE
where there somewhere everywhere nowhere
Motion KIEN TIEN IEN ĈIEN NENIEN
where to there somewhere everywhere nowhere
Time KIAM TIAM IAM ĈIAM NENIAM
when then sometime always never
Amount KIOM TIOM IOM ĈIOM NENIOM
how much, so much, some all no amount
how many so many
Manner KIEL TIEL IEL ĈIEL NENIEL
how so somehow in every in no way
way
Reason KIAL TIAL IAL ĈIAL NENIAL
why so for some for every for no reason
reason reason
Possession KIES TIES IES ĈIES NENIES
whose that one's somebody's everybody's nobody's
Don Harlow <DonHARLOW(@literaturo.org)>