The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto Part 45

Super = _Over_. Sur = _On_, _upon_. Tra = _Through_. Trans = _Across_.

Examples.--_Li staris momente antau la spegulo, kaj tuj poste venis antau la regon_ = He stood for a moment before the looking-gla.s.s, and then came before (into the presence of) the king. _La infano dancis en la korto, kaj poste kuris en la gardenon_ = The child danced _in_ (not _into_) the courtyard, and then ran _into_ (not _in_) the garden. _Jetu tion sub la tablon_ = Throw that under the table. _Jetu la stonon super la muron_ = Throw the stone over the wall. _Mi prenas sur min tiun ci aferon_ = I take upon myself this business (moral movement, therefore accusative, since _sur_ does not of itself show movement). _La knabo vadis trans la riveron kaj trans gi trovis aliajn knabojn_ = The boy waded across the river, and, on the other side of it, found other boys.

258. Prepositional expressions.--Adverbs are not unfrequently followed by prepositions, thus forming prepositional expressions which take the nominative case, like simple prepositions.

Examples.--_Meze de la kampo_ = In the middle of the field. _Funde de kesto_ = At the bottom of a box. _Flanke de la malliberulo_ = At the side of the prisoner. _Proksime de la pregejo_ = Near the church.

_Dekstre de la vojo_ = On the right of the road. _Supre de la muro_ = At the top of the wall. _Dank' al lia konsilo_ = Thanks to his advice. _Li venis kune kun sia frato_ = He came together (along) with his brother. _Li estas for de tie ci_ = He is away from here. _Oni plantis arbon proksime de la puto_ = They planted a tree near the well.

_Metu vian manon for de mia kolo!_ = Take your hand off (away from) my neck.

(_a_). A few adverbs, used as prepositional expressions, are sometimes followed by a suitable preposition and sometimes not; in the latter case the complement is in the accusative, to show the omission (par. 253).

Examples.--_Koncerne tiun aferon_ (or, _Koncerne je tiu afero_) = Concerning that matter. _Konforme tion_ (or, _Konforme al_, _kun_ or, _je tio_) = In conformity with that. _Rilate lian karakteron_ (or, _Rilate al lia karaktero_) = With regard to (relative to, as regards, referring to) his character (par. 247)

N.B.--These phrases are alternatives for simple prepositions. We might, in some cases, use _pri_ for _koncerne je_ or _rilate al_, and _lau_ for _konforme al_.

(_b_). Two prepositions sometimes are used.

Examples.--_"Eniru!" ekkriegis voco de en la pordo_ = "Come in!"

shouted a voice from within (inside) the door. _Li rampis de sub la sofo_ = He crept from under the sofa. _La stono havis la alton_ (or, _altecon_) _de cirkau ok centimetroj kaj la largon_ (or, _largecon_) _de cirkau kvin centimetroj_ = The stone had the height of about eight centimetres and the width of about five centimetres. _El sub la tirkestaro la muso kuris sub la liton_ = Out from under the chest of drawers the mouse ran under the bed. _Ne rapidu foriri de antau li_ = Do not hasten to leave his presence (go away from before him).

259. The relation of prepositions to their complement.--English grammarians divide prepositions into various cla.s.ses, but in Esperanto, with the exception of those mentioned in par. 257, denoting motion and rest, there are but two cla.s.ses to which we need pay special attention, viz., those which relate to both place and time; and of these, two only, viz., antau = _before_, and post = _after_, require care in making their meaning clear.

In the following remarks on prepositions the examples given of their use are placed under the various cla.s.ses that their English rendering would a.s.sign to them; but we must bear in mind that, in accordance with Rule 14, every Esperanto preposition, except je, has a defined and constant meaning (par. 250). This _defined_ meaning is given at the _head_ of each preposition. The meanings given in the _cla.s.ses_ are only the _various English renderings_ that can be given to the preposition (see English prepositions, pars. 260, 261).

REMARKS ON THE PREPOSITIONS.

259 (1). Al = _To, towards._

Denotes approximation or addition.

Approximation = _To, towards._

Examples.--_Li venis al ni_ = He came to (_or_ towards) us. _Mi iras al Parizo_, or, _Mi iras Parizon_ = I am going to Paris. If _al_ be omitted, _Parizon_ must be in the accusative of direction. _Ni ne vidas, car la lumo estas kasata al ni per la kurtenoj_ = We do not see, because the light is hidden from (towards) us by the curtains.

N.B.--_Kasata al_, not _de_, which, after a pa.s.sive participle, means "by"; but independently of this, _al_ is logically used after _kasi_, in the sense of "to hide from"; as:--_Sed pro kio kasi al li vian amon?_ = But why conceal from him your love?

Addition = _To._

Examples.--_Mi donis akvon al la birdoj_ = I gave water to the birds.

_La rozo apartenas al Teodoro_ = The rose belongs to Theodore. _Donu vestajon al la malriculoj_ = Give clothing to the poor.

N.B.--With some verbs _al_ is often used with the complement in the nominative, when in English we omit the preposition, as:--_Li konsilis al mi fari tion_ = He advised me to do that. _Ordonu al li_ (or, _Ordonu lin_), _ke li ne faru tion_ = Order him not to do that.

_Al_ is also sometimes used with personal p.r.o.nouns in a possessive sense, as:--_Li lavis al si la manojn_, or, _Li lavis siajn manojn_ = He washed his hands (see par. 134).

As a prefix, _al_ signifies "to," "towards," as:--_Alveni_ = To come to, arrive. _Alpreni_ = To take to, adopt. _Alpasi_ = To step towards, approach.

259 (2). Anstatau = _Instead of._

One of the prepositions that may be used before the Infinitive (see remarks on Infinitive, pars. 177, 179).

Subst.i.tution = _Instead of_, _for_, _in place of_, _as a subst.i.tute for_, _in room of_.

Examples.--_Anstatau li, oni sendis lian fraton_ = Instead of him, they sent his brother. _Anstatau kafo li donis al mi teon_ = Instead of coffee he gave me tea. _Anstatau eliri, li restis en la domo_ = Instead of going out, he remained in the house. _Anstatau unu el la oficistoj_ = In place of one of the officials.

Although, in the first two examples given in the preceding paragraph, anstatau, being a preposition, is followed by the nominative, nevertheless, the accusative is often used in such cases when its use helps to remove ambiguity; the accusative being due to the omission of a verb understood. Compare: Petro batis Paulon anstatau Vilhelmo = _Peter beat Paul instead of William doing so_, with Petro batis Paulon anstatau (bati) Vilhelmon, _Peter beat Paul instead of_ (_beating_) _William_.

As a root-word, _Anstataui_ = To replace (intrans.).

_Anstatauigi_ = To replace (trans.), to subst.i.tute. _Anstatauulo_ = A proxy (person instead of).

259 (3). Antau = _Before_, _in front of_.

Denotes place or time. May take accusative of direction.

Place = _Before_, _in front of_.

Examples.--_Oni metis antau mi mangilaron_ = They put before me a table service. _Morgau mi petos permeson veni antau viajn regajn okulojn_ = To-morrow I shall beg permission to come before your royal presence (kingly eyes). _Antau nia militistaro staris pafilegoj_ = In front of our army were (stood) cannon.

Time = _Before_, _ago_.

Examples.--_Antau ne longe_ = Not long ago. _Antau kelkaj semajnoj_ = Some (a few) weeks ago.

N.B.--Since _antau_ and also _post_ are frequently used both in the sense of "time" and "place," care must be taken to word a phrase so that no ambiguity may arise. In sentences like the following, _antau ol_ or _antau kiam_ should be used when time is implied.

_Examples._--_La gefiancoj renkontigis antau la gepatroj_ = The betrothed met before the parents (= place, viz., in the presence of the parents). _La gefiancoj renkontigis antau ol_ (or, _antau kiam_) _la gepatroj alvenis_ = The betrothed met before the parents arrived (= time, viz., before the parents _arrived_). _Johano venis antau la jugiston, sed Jozefo estis elirinta el la jugejo antau ol Johano alvenis_ = John came before the judge, but Joseph had left the court before John's arrival.

As a prefix, _Antaudiri_ = To foretell. _Antauiri_ = to precede.

259 (4). Apud = _Beside_, _close by_.

Place = _By_, _near_, _near to_, _close by_.

Examples.--_La batalo apud Farsalo sangis multajn aferojn en Romo_ = The battle near Pharsalia changed many things in Rome. _Li estas apud la pordo_ = He is near the door. _Li staris apud Johano_ = He stood by John. _Mi vespermangos ce tiu tablo apud la fenestro_ = I shall dine at that table close by the window.

As a root-word or prefix, we have:--_Apudeco_ = Contiguity.

_Apudesti_ = To be present, or near.

259 (5). Ce = _At_, _with_.

Marks the situation of a thing or action. Denotes coincidence, either of place, time, or connection.

Place = _At_, _with_, _to_, _on_.

Examples.--_Li estas ce ni_ = He is with us (at our _house_). _Ni estis ce via patro_ = We were at your father's. _Si estas ce la pordo_ = She is at the door. _Ce la alia flanko de la strato_ = On the other side of the street. _Mi gastas ce miaj amikoj, Gesinjoroj Smith_ = I am staying with (am a guest at) my friends, Mr. and Mrs.

Smith).

Time = _At, on._

Example.--_Ce nia alveno la hundo bojis_ = At (on) our arrival the dog barked.