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Esperanto for Beginners Trivia Quiz

With several million speakers worldwide, Esperanto is the most successful artifical language to date. Here are 10 beginner questions about the language invented in 1887 by occulist L. L. Zamenhof.

A multiple-choice quiz by oofahlandian. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
oofahlandian

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
229,932

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
872

Last 3 plays: Guest 199 (10/10), Guest 46 (9/10), Guest 176 (7/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Encountering a fellow Esperantist ("samideano"), you might greet him or her by saying "Bonan tagon!" What does "bonan tagon" mean in Esperanto? Hint

Good day! Hello!

Where have you been?

It's nice to meet you!

Do you speak Esperanto?

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. In Esperanto, what are "unu", "du", and "tri"? Hint

"one", "two", and "three"

"the father", "the son", and "the holy ghost"

"mother", "father", and "son"

The three basic variations of Esperanto

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Question 3 of 10

3. An Esperanto speaker ("Esperantisto") who has never seen a gummy bear in his life before might point to it and say "Kio estas tio?" What is he asking? Hint

Where did that come from?

What is that?

That is unusual.

What is that for?

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. What is true of the following Esperanto words: "tablo", "sofo", "televidilo", and "lampo"? Hint

They are all things you are likely to find in your garage

They are all things you are likely to find in your kitchen (dining room)

They are all things you are likely to find in your living room (family room)

They are all things you are likely to find in your bathroom

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Question 5 of 10

5. If something is described in Esperanto as "blua", "verda", and "granda", what is true about it? Hint

It is blue and green and very showy

It is blue and green and large

It is long and very complicated

It is shallow, hoarse, and wet

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Question 6 of 10

6. What do the following Esperanto words represent: "viro", "studento", "laboristo", and "policisto"? (Look at the words carefully.) Hint

ideas

places

people

things

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Question 7 of 10

7. What kind of things do the following Esperanto words represent: "muso", "hundo", "insekto", and "kato"? (Say them to yourself as you think they are pronounced. It might be easier.) Hint

Animals

Buildings

Cars

Famous Landmarks

8. In Esperanto, to make a word mean the opposite of the root word, you just need to add the prefix "mal--". "Bela" is "pretty" while "malbela" is "ugly". Which of the following adjectives means "old"? Hint

None of these

malnova (mal + nova)

maljuna (mal + juna)

Both of these

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Question 9 of 10

9. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera",
"fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto nouns end in? Hint

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Question 10 of 10

10. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera",
"fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto adjectives end in? Hint

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Most Recent Scores

Apr 22 2024 : Guest 199: 10/10
Apr 20 2024 : Guest 46: 9/10
Mar 21 2024 : Guest 176: 7/10
Mar 13 2024 : Guest 216: 9/10
Mar 12 2024 : Guest 180: 8/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Encountering a fellow Esperantist ("samideano"), you might greet him or her by saying "Bonan tagon!" What does "bonan tagon" mean in Esperanto?

Answer: Good day! Hello!

"Bona" is an adjective meaning "good" and "tago" a noun meaning "day". The first word has its roots in the Romance languages, while the second is based on the German word having the same meaning.

2. In Esperanto, what are "unu", "du", and "tri"?

Answer: "one", "two", and "three"

"Mother", "Father" and "Son" would be "Patrino", "Patro", and "Filo", and while there are one or two variations of Esperanto, all of them have these three words, the first three ordinal numbers: "one", "two", and "three". Their origins lie in the Romance languages.

3. An Esperanto speaker ("Esperantisto") who has never seen a gummy bear in his life before might point to it and say "Kio estas tio?" What is he asking?

Answer: What is that?

"Kio estas tio?" translates as "What is that (thing)?" To say "What is that for", you must re-arrange the words, because Esperanto forbids sentences ending in prepositions: "Por kio estas tio?"

4. What is true of the following Esperanto words: "tablo", "sofo", "televidilo", and "lampo"?

Answer: They are all things you are likely to find in your living room (family room)

These words, which can be divined from their spelling, translate to "table", "sofa", "television", and "lamp". The word for "living room" in Esperanto is "salono".

5. If something is described in Esperanto as "blua", "verda", and "granda", what is true about it?

Answer: It is blue and green and large

"Blua" and "verda" are both colors. "Granda" means "big" or "great", but not in the sense of "grandiose", which is "grandiosa".

6. What do the following Esperanto words represent: "viro", "studento", "laboristo", and "policisto"? (Look at the words carefully.)

Answer: people

Two of the words end with the suffix "-ist-" which indicates a professional (like the suffix -ist" in English). The words translate to: "man" (think "virile"), "student", "worker" (think "labor"), and "policeman".

7. What kind of things do the following Esperanto words represent: "muso", "hundo", "insekto", and "kato"? (Say them to yourself as you think they are pronounced. It might be easier.)

Answer: Animals

The words mean: "mouse" ("muso"), "dog" ("hundo"), "insect" ("insekto"), and "cat" ("kato").

Answer: Both of these

I hope you figured it out! "Juna" means "young" while "nova" means "new". The opposite of both adjectives is translated into English as "old".

9. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera", "fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto nouns end in?

Answer: O

All nouns in Esperanto end in --O (ALWAYS pronounced "oh"). They are made plural by adding --J. The diphthong --OJ is always pronounced "oy" as in "boy".

10. Here are some basic Esperanto words: "blua", "telefono", "ne", "granda", "insekto", "libera", "fakto", "alta". What letter do all Esperanto adjectives end in?

Answer: A

All adjectives end in -A and A is always pronounced "ah" as in "father". If the noun it modifies is plural, the adjective will take a --J at the end: --AJ, which is always pronounced "I" as in "like".

Hope you enjoyed your first taste of Esperanto!

Source: Author oofahlandian

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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