Re: position of pronouns

larrysulky@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
Hi. Just restarting my acquaintance with Esperanto. Please check my
understanding from my (rather old) copy of Teach Yourself Esperanto:

Kiu estas la viro?
Kiu li estas?
Kiu estas tiu?

The complement "la viro" follows the verb, but if it is replaced by a
personal pronoun, then the pronoun _precedes_ the verb, as in French.
But if I replace "la viro" with the relative pronoun "tiu" instead of
"li", then it would remain following the verb, again as in French. Have
I got this right?


Well, sort of. Actually, Esperanto word order is freer than you suppose. "Kiu estas li?" is just as good as your "Kiu li estas?" When your reacqaintance with Esperanto progresses sufficiently, you should read Esperanto-only books "Plena Analiza Gramatiko" and "Plena Manlibro de Esperanto," the latter just appearing recently in book format and still available free on the web.

Many Esperantists subconsciously follow the rules of their native language rather than give thought to Esperanto stylistics, so don't give too much credence to what you encounter by chance.

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