THE PASSIVE PERIPHRASTIC FUTURE TENSES.
200. The compound tenses formed by combining the future passive participle with each of the three aoristic tenses of esti represent an act or condition as about to be undergone in the present, past, or future, respectively. These are called passive periphrastic future tenses. Except when great accuracy is desired, these tenses, like those of the active voice (153) are not often used. A synopsis of vidi in the first person singular of these tenses is as follows:
| Present Periphrastic Future. |
| mi estas vidota, I am about to be (going to be) seen. |
| Past Periphrastic Future. |
| mi estis vidota, I was about to be (going to be) seen. |
| Future Periphrastic Future. |
| mi estos vidota, I shall be about to be (going to be) seen. |
THE GENERIC ARTICLE.
201. The article is placed before nouns used in a comprehensive or universal sense, indicating a whole class, kind, substance, or abstract quality. In such use it is called the generic article:
La pacienco estas laŭdinda, patience is praiseworthy.
La vivo surtera estas nur parto de la vivo ĉiama, life on earth is merely a part of the life eternal.
La viro estas pli forta ol la virino, man is stronger than woman.
Cf. French La patience est amère, mais son fruit est doux, patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet, German Das Leben ist kurtz, life is short, Italian La speranza è il pan de miseri, hope is the poor man's bread, Spanish Las riquezas son bagajes de la fortuna, riches are the baggage of fortune, etc. In English the generic article (as in "the life eternal" above) may often be replaced by omission of both "a" and "the."
THE SUFFIX -EC-.
202. The suffix -ec- is used to form words indicating the abstract quality of that which is expressed in the root, or formation, to which it is attached:
|
amikeco, friendship. ofteco, frequency. indeco, worthiness. dankemeco, thankfulness. |
fleksebleco, flexibility. patreco, fatherhood. patrineco, motherhood. maltrankvileco, uneasiness. |