esperanto

Everyday

Esperanto is a language invented more than a hundred years ago by L. L. Zamenhof, a doctor from Poland, so that people from different countries could talk easily in one simple shared language. tree →

In the lessons

In language lessons, Esperanto is an example of a made-up (constructed) language with very regular grammar: nouns end in -o and adjectives in -a. It is spoken by a small number of people worldwide. The name means «one who hopes». In stories it may show a character who loves languages or dreams of peace. Common phrases: «speak Esperanto», «in Esperanto», «Esperanto speakers».

Examples

• Esperanto was invented to help people from different countries understand each other. tree →
• In Esperanto, «saluton» means hello. tree →
• My uncle learned Esperanto and wrote to friends in Japan. tree →
• Every noun in Esperanto ends in -o. tree →
• Esperanto is easier to learn than many natural languages. tree →
• There are Esperanto meetings in many big cities. tree →
• The inventor of Esperanto hoped it would bring peace. tree →

Note

Write it with a capital E: Esperanto. It is a real, living language, but nobody's country speaks it as its main language. Say es-per-AN-toe. It is not a dialect of Spanish, even though it looks a bit like Spanish and Italian.