THE ACCUSATIVE (La Akuzativo).

65. Accusative: when used.—The accusative is used in Esperanto:—

(1). To show the direct object of a verb.

(2). To show motion towards something (Rule 13, par. [94]).

(3). To show a preposition has been omitted (Rules 8 and 14, par. [94]).

The following are examples of these three uses:—

66 (1). To show the direct object of a verb.

(a). After transitive verbs the accusative is used to show the direct object.

Examples.—Johano vidas la knabon = John sees the boy. Georgo aĉetis bonan ĉevalon = George bought a good horse. Now in either of these sentences the order of the words can be changed without altering the meaning. La knabon vidas Johano would still mean "John sees the boy," because Johano, being in the nominative, is clearly the subject, and knabon, being in the accusative, is clearly the object. But if we inverted the words in English, the sense would be entirely changed (see order of words, pars. [73]–93).

(b). After participles.—The accusative is also used after active participles (adjectival or adverbial) to denote the object.

Examples.—Johano estis rigardanta la knabon, kiam mi lin vidis = John was looking at the boy, when I saw him. Johano, vidante la knabon, donas al li pomon = John, seeing the boy, gives him an apple. Georgo estis aĉetinta ĉevalon = George had bought a horse. Georgo, aĉetinte ĉevalon, donis ĝin al sia frato = George, having bought (or, after buying) a horse, gave it to his brother (par. [212] (d)).

(c). When a verb is omitted.—The accusative is also used in exclamations and in expressions in

which some verb expressing "wish" or "desire" is understood (see par. [64] (a)).

Examples.—Peston al la tranĉilo: Mi tranĉis al mi la fingron! = Plague on the knife! I have cut my finger! Bonan tagon, Sinjoro = Good day, sir. Saluton al vi, sinjorino = (lit.) Salutation to you, madam. In reply to a question the accusative is used whenever the verb in the reply, which is omitted, governs the accusative, as:—Kiom kostas tiu ĉi krajono? (Ĝi kostas) du pencojn = How much does this pencil cost? (It costs) twopence. Kiom estas la kosto de tiu ĉi krajono? (Ĝi estas) du pencoj = What is the price of this pencil? (It is) twopence.

67 (2). To show motion towards something.

(a). Accusative of direction.—To show direction towards which movement (physical or otherwise) is made the accusative is used, and this is generally called "the accusative of direction." It will be observed, however, that we can also use a preposition to show the motion, and, if such preposition in itself shows movement, its complement must be in the nominative, since all prepositions govern that case; but if the preposition does not in itself denote movement, then its complement must be in the accusative.

Examples.—Mi iras Romon (aŭ, al Romo) = I am going to Rome. Li kuris en la ĝardenon = He ran into the garden. The preposition en does not show movement, therefore ĝardenon is in the accusative, but Li kuris en la ĝardeno = He ran in the garden. This means he was already in the garden, and was running in it. Sur la danan tronon mi havas rajtojn = On the Danish throne I have rights.

(b). Adverbs also take the accusative of direction.

Examples.—Kien vi iras? Mi iras nenien hodiaŭ = Where (whither) are you going? I am going nowhere to-day. Ĝi falis teren (or, sur la teron) = It fell to the ground (or, on to the ground; lit., earthwards). Li iris hejmen kaj restis hejme = He went home and remained at home.

68. (3). To show that a preposition has been omitted.

As stated in Rule 8, par. [94], every preposition in Esperanto governs the nominative case.

By Rule 14 we are told that every preposition has a defined and constant meaning, but that if we must use some preposition, and the direct sense does not show what special preposition we are to take, we can then either use the indefinite preposition je, or the accusative without a preposition. The following are examples under this head in which the accusative may be used:—

(a). After doubtful verbs.—From the foregoing remarks it follows that if we do not know whether a verb governs the accusative or not, we can always use the accusative, if no ambiguity is occasioned thereby. Otherwise some preposition should be employed instead.

For instance, we can say:—Obeu vian patron, or, Obeu je via patro, or, Obeu al via patro = Obey your father. Ŝi helpis al sia frato, or, Ŝi helpis sian fraton = She helped her brother. Li pardonis sian filon, or, Li pardonis al sia filo = He forgave his son. But in phrases where doubt as to meaning may arise we must always use a preposition, as:—Li pardonis al sia filo lian kulpon = He forgave his son his fault. Not Li pardonis sian filon lian kulpon, for the two accusatives here would create confusion. Li legis tion en la dua de Marto, or, Li legis pri tio la duan de Marto = He read that on the 2nd of March.

(b). Duration or any point of time.

Examples.—Mi restis tie kvar semajnojn (or, dum or tra, kvar semajnoj) = I remained there (during) four weeks. La proksiman lundon (or, en la proksima lundo) mi veturos Londonon (or, al Londono) = Next Monday I shall go to London. Printempon (or, en printempo) floroj aperas = In spring flowers appear. Li venos dimanĉon (or, en dimanĉo) = He will come on a Sunday. Similarly the accusative may be used for dates, as:—Washington (pronounced Ŭaŝington) estis naskita la dudek-duan (or, en la dudek-dua) de Februaro = Washington was born on the 22nd of

February. La 23^an Marton, 1906^a, or Je la 23^a de Marto, 1906 = 23rd of March, 1906.

(c). Price, weight, measure.

Examples.—La libroj kostis dek ŝilingojn (or, po dek ŝilingoj) por dekduo = The books cost ten shillings (or, at the rate of ten shillings) a dozen. La ĉambro estas alta dek du futojn (or, je dek du futoj) = The room is twelve feet high. La kesto pezas tridek funtojn (or, je tridek funtoj) = The chest weighs thirty pounds.

69. General Remarks on the Accusative.

From the foregoing examples we see the important part the accusative N plays in the construction of Esperanto, the clearness it gives to the meaning of a sentence, and the advantage it affords in permitting words to be placed in almost any order, The following examples will further illustrate this.

(a). Qualifying and Predicative Adjectives.—An adjective is termed "qualifying" when its noun or pronoun actually possesses the quality which the adjective denotes; and the adjective then agrees with the noun or pronoun both in case and number. But a "predicative" adjective, although it agrees in number, is always in the nominative (pars. [36], [108]).

Examples.—Mi trovis la belajn rozojn (or, rozojn belajn) = I found the beautiful roses. Mi trovis la rozojn belaj = I found the roses beautiful. In the first example the assertion is that beautiful roses were found; but in the second you assert only that you found, or discovered, that they were beautiful; they might, in someone else’s opinion, have been the contrary.

(b). Qualifying Adverbs are invariable.

Examples.—Li skribis al mi tute malveran raporton pri la afero = He wrote me an entirely false statement of the matter. Mi pensis, ke ŝi estas treege bela = I thought (that) she was (is) extremely beautiful.

(c). Nouns and Pronouns in apposition have like cases and numbers.

Examples.—Vi serĉas la princon, Hamleton = You seek the Prince, Hamlet. La diablo lin prenu, la sentaŭgulon = The devil take him, the wretch!

N.B.—Note the difference in case of two nouns in the following sentences:—Kuracisto havis du infanojn, filon kaj filinon; li nomis sian filon Johano, kaj sian filinon Mario. Kiam li parolis pri ili kun mi, li ĉiam nomis sian filon Johanon kun voĉo de amo, sed sian filinon Marion antipatie = A doctor had two children, a son and a daughter; he named his son, John, and his daughter, Mary. When he spoke to me about them, he always named his son, John, in voice of affection, but his daughter, Mary, with antipathy.

N.B.—In this example, when the nouns (Johano and Mario) are in the nominative, they express what is predicated or said about the objects (filon and filinon). But when they agree in case with the objects (filon and filinon), this shows they are nouns in apposition (see pars. [108], [109]).

(d). Proper names.—In the case of non-Esperanto names it is possible to indicate the accusative, where desired, by the addition of N after a vowel, or ON after a consonant. This is the plan adopted by Zamenhof in La Malnova Testamento. Or the name may be regarded as a foreign word and left unchanged for the accusative.

Examples.—David, Davidon. Noa, Noan. Sara, Saran. Robinson, Robinsonon. Smith, Smithon (or simply Smith). Of course, proper names which have been converted by use into Esperanto are treated like other nouns in O, as, Londono, Londonon; Berlino, Berlinon. Jones iris Berlinon, kaj renkontis Arturon Brown = Jones went to Berlin and met Arthur Brown.