A "Good" Esperanto Quiz

Answer: A good person

It can also mean a kind of buddy or pal, someone who is friendly and fun to be around.

Answer: bad

"MAL--" is the biggest reason so few words need to be learned to speak Esperanto well. Instead of learning "BIG" and "SMALL", you need only learn one word and then use "MAL--" to indicate the opposite: "BONA"/"GOOD" and "MALBONA"/"BAD". "AMI"/"TO LOVE" and "MALAMI"/"TO HATE". "HELPI"/"TO HELP" and "MALHELPI"/"TO HINDER". "BELA"/"PRETTY" and "MALBELA"/"UGLY".

Answer: A bad person

The suffix "--UL--" indicates a person having the given qualities. It's also used to form the names of groups of animals based on their traits. "MAMO" is a "BREAST" or "TEAT" while "MAMULO" is a "MAMMAL", or one of a group of animals having "MAMOJ" ("--J" is the plural ending for nouns).

Answer: so-so

"--ET--" is a very useful suffix and can double your vocabulary. "DOMO" is a "HOUSE" while "DOMETO" is a "COTTAGE". "URBO" is a "CITY", while "URBETO" is a "VILLAGE". In this way, you can make a great many words from just one. With adjectives, it often implies the English suffix "--ISH". "BLUA" is "BLUE", "BLUETA" is "BLUISH, SOMEWHAT BLUE".

Answer: Great

"--EG--" is a very useful suffix and can help increase your vocabulary immensely. "GRANDA" is "BIG", "GRANDEGA" is "HUGE". "MALGRANDA" is small, while "MALGRANDEGA" is "TINY" (the opposite of "HUGE"). "DOMO" is a "HOUSE" while "DOMEGO" is a "MANSION". "URBO" is a "CITY", while "URBEGO" is a "METROPOLIS". In this way, you can make a great many words from just one.

Answer: Goodness

"--EC--" typically translates to "--NESS" in English, but there are many other forms in the English language such as "--ICITY", "-TION", and so forth. It indicates the quality of the root word, in this case "BONA". Affixes can be their own words, too! "ECO" is a "QUALITY".

Answer: A good (thing)

The suffix "--AĴ--" (pronounced AZH) creates something concrete from the root word. "BONA" is "GOOD". "BONAAĴO" is something that is good. In this case, it can mean any number of things. A good example of how it works is by looking at the noun "MANĜO", meaning a "MEAL". "MANĜAĴO" is a thing associated with a meal, and is the word for "FOOD" (literally, a Meal-thing).

Answer: to improve

The suffix "--IG--" is also useful for turning intransitive verbs into transitive verbs. "BOLI" means "TO (BE AT A) BOIL" while "BOLIGI" means "TO (CAUSE TO) BOIL". For example, "La akvo bolas" means "The water is boiling". "Mi boligas la akvon" means "I am boiling the water". ("--AS" is the ending for all verbs in the present tense. The ending "--N" indicates a noun that is the object of the sentence.

Answer: malbonulino

The suffix "--IN--" forces the word to take on a feminine nature. Suffixes are rendered left-to-right after the prefixes, so while "MALBONULINO" makes sense, the incorrerct answer "MALBONINULO" is rather nonsensical (although a valid word). It would mean something along the lines of a person having the traits of female badness. "BONMALULO" is another nonsense word, but one which according to the rules of Esperanto has a definite meaning.

In this case it would be something along the lines of good contrary person.

However, it would better to be split out as two words in this case: "BONA MALULO".

Answer: rebonigi

Hope you were able to put the pieces together and get "REBONIGI". There actually is a separate word in Esperanto for "REPAIR", but this is an example of how a beginner can learn to express ideas bigger than his or her own vocabulary. "RE--" as a prefix is very useful, as it is in English. However, in Esperanto unlike English, you can put any affix on any word and get a meaning... if not necessarily a useful one. In English you cannot say "I re-put the book onto the bookshelf", but this is fine in Esperanto: "Mi remetis la libron sur la ŝrankon."