It is frequently possible to combine a final preposition with its verb, or to form a phrase:
This is the stick he came with (= which he brought). - Yen la bastono quan ilu ad-portis.
The doctor was sent for (= one caused-to-be-fetched ...).-On querigis la mediko.
The bag he came for (= which he fetched). - La sako quan ilu queris.
This will do to go on with (= at the beginning). - Ico konvenos en la komenco.
The boat had not been intended to be lived in. - La batelo ne esis destinita por habitado.
The church had not been preached in for many years. - On ne predikabis en la kirko dum multa yari.
Prepositions as Adverbs
We know prepositions are used before a noun or pronoun:
Near the brook. - Proxim la rivereto.
In Ido, prepositions can be changed to adverbs with the adverbal ending -E, and can then stand alone in a sentence without requiring a following noun or pronoun:
The brook ran near. - La rivereto fluis proxime.
All prepositions can take the -E ending to become adverbs:
dum - during, dume - meanwhile
lor - at the time of, lore - then
pos - after, pose - afterwards
ante - before, antee - previously
kontre - against, kontree - on the other hand, contrariwise
The -A ending makes the preposition into an adjective: "antea" means "previous", "posa" - subsequent, "kontrea" - opposing.
However, "in" and "out" ("en", "ek") in a positional non-motion sense have their own forms: "interne" for "in" or "inside", and "extere" for "out" or "outside".
Sense According to Place
Some prepositions are used as adverbs in English with a different sense:
About an hour. - Cirkum un horo. They ran about. - Li kuris hike ed ibe. On the bell. - Ye la klosho. They rang on. - Li sonigadis. Over the way. - Trans la voyo.
The storm was over. - La sturmo esis finita. La sturmo cesabis.
Up a tree. - Supre di arboro.
The door is shut up.-La pordo esas tote klozita.
Turn around the horse. - Turnez cirkum la kavalo. Turn the horse around. - Turnez la kavalo.
Prepositions as Verbs
Prepositions, in English, may be attached to a verb, and act like an adverb to modify the sense of the verb:
To walk in, ride in, creep in, run in, float in (= to enter by walking, riding, creeping, running, floating). - Enirar marchante, vehante, reptante, kurante, flotacante.
I wind about and in and out. - Me sinuifas, eniras, ekiras.
He was trudging through woods, up hill and down dale. - Ilu pene trairis boski, acensis kolini, decensis vali.
It was blown off into the dirt. - Olu esis deportata da la vento aden la fango.
The consequence of this peculiar use is that an intransitive verb can apparently take a direct object:
Will you (= would you be willing to) row me to the bridge? - Ka vu voluntas rem-vehigar me a la ponto?
The child will cry her eyes out (= will ruin her eyes with tears). - La infantino ruinos sua okuli per lakrimi.
Kiss away her tears (= dry her tears, with a kiss). - Sikigez elua lakrimi per kiso.
He was argued into allowing the fact (= he was made obligated by arguments to accept the fact). - Ilu esis obligata per argumenti aceptar la fakto.
Adjectives are also used in the same way:
They walked themselves dry. - Li per marcho sikigis su.
Further Discussion on Prepositions in "Letters"
See the correspondence in Ido,"Submarine:- Navo sub maro od Maro sub glacio'strato?" in the "Letters" appendix.
Lesson 27 - Duadek-e-sepesma Leciono Passive Voice Translated by On/Onu
In English, the passive voice does not show the actor, the author of the action. "The father is loved" does not tell us who is doing the loving. In Ido, the indefinite pronoun ONU (or ON) takes the place of the unknown actor, and allows you to keep the sentence in active voice: Onu amas la patro ("someone unnamed" loves the father).
This avoids such passive constructions as: He was not told the whole truth. - Onu ne dicis ad ilu la tota verajo ("someone unnamed" did not tell him the whole truth).
In English; the pronoun "we" is used when the speaker wants to associate himself with the statement: We are all mortal. - Ni omna esas mortiva.
But when the statement applies to everybody, "on/onu" should be used instead of"ni":
When we hear but one bell, we hear but one sound.
Kande onu audas nur un klosho, onu audas nur un sono.
The same is true of the pronouns "they","you" and the expressions "people", "somebody":
They manage those things better in America. - Onu administras ta kozi plu bone en Amerika.
You cannot eat your cake and have it. - Onu ne povas manjar sua kuko e konservar ol.
People say it is their own fault. - Onu dicas ke olu esas lia propra kulpo.
A man is not always lucky. - Onu ne sempre esas fortunoza.
Preposition before Infinitive
Any preposition can be used before an infinitive, as the infinitive is the equivalent of a noun:
A place for studying - Loko por studiar
A place for study - loko por studio
Without sleeping. - Sen dormar.
Without sleep. - Sen dormo.
Before starting. - Ante departar.
Before depature. - Ante departo.
Without having spoken. - Sen parolir.
Preposition "to" is not translated if it is part of the infinitive: I want to come. - Me volas venar.
If it means "in order to", use "por": He wrote to come. - Ilu skribis por venar.
If you could use the form ending in -ING with nearly the same sense, the "por" is not necessary: To be or not to be (= being or not being) - Esar o ne esar.
Watch for instances where an infinitive is placed with an adjective, and "to" means neither "in order to" nor an infinitive:
Easy to learn (= easily learnable). - Facile lernebla.
Difficult to understand. - Desfacile komprenebla.
They have only themselves to blame. - Li ipsa esas sola blaminda.
Impersonal Verbs
Verbs like "to rain","to snow","to hail" have no real subject; therefore the English pronoun "it" is not translated:
It rains. - Pluvas.
It snowed. - Nivis.
It is going to hail. - Esas balde grelonta. The same is true when the pronoun "it" does not refer to anything:
It is you. - Esas vu.
For personal sensations or feelings - "I am cold." - translate such phrases by means of "sentar" - to feel - used reflexively: Me sentas me kom kolda (I feel me as cold, I feel cold). Vu sentos vu kom tro varma (you feel you as too warm, you are feeling too warm).
You could use "ye" instead of "kom" as in - Me sentas me ye kolda (kondiciono). Vu sentos vu ye tro varma (situeso).
"There is, there are" can simply br translated by forms of the verb "to be", the real subject being the word that follows the verb form:
There is a hill outside the town.
Esas kolino exter la urbo.
Existas (there is) kolino exter la urbo.
There are twelve hens in the cage.
Esas dek-e-du hanini en la kajo.
Existas (there is) dek-e-du hanini en la kajo.
But when "there is" points to a person or thing, use "yen":
There he is (= There he comes!). - Yen ilu venas!
Time of Day:- Review
"An hour" is "horo", but time by the clock is expressed by "kloko" or "kloki":
What time is it? - Qua kloko esas?
It is two o'clock. - Esas du kloki.
At half-past two. - Ye du kloki e duimo.
Always express quarter-hours and minutes past the last hour, not before the next one: