Al la enhavo

Saying something is non-existent

de sodoritos, 2015-marto-06

Mesaĝoj: 5

Lingvo: English

sodoritos (Montri la profilon) 2015-marto-06 02:10:59

If I were trying to say something is non-existent in Esperanto, for example, "The Easter bunny isn't real" or "The Easter Bunny doesn't exist," would I say "Paska kuniklo malestas" or "Paska kuniklo ne ekzistas?" If neither, please correct/help me.

Tempodivalse (Montri la profilon) 2015-marto-06 02:22:15

sodoritos:If I were trying to say something is non-existent in Esperanto, for example, "The Easter bunny isn't real" or "The Easter Bunny doesn't exist," would I say "Paska kuniklo malestas" or "Paska kuniklo ne ekzistas?" If neither, please correct/help me.
I would say:

La paska kuniklo ne ekzistas. (Or leporo, if you wanted to say "hare".)

Malestas is also possible, though far less common.

tommjames (Montri la profilon) 2015-marto-06 09:46:34

I would usually say "ne ekzistas".

You could also use 'reala', as is "ne estas reala" or "estas nereala".

johmue (Montri la profilon) 2015-marto-06 11:44:55

sodoritos:If I were trying to say something is non-existent in Esperanto, for example, "The Easter bunny isn't real" or "The Easter Bunny doesn't exist," would I say "Paska kuniklo malestas" or "Paska kuniklo ne ekzistas?" If neither, please correct/help me.
Ne ekzistas

Rugxdoma (Montri la profilon) 2015-marto-06 11:46:23

La vorto ne markas la alternativon, kiam nur ekzistas unu alia alternativo. (Io povas esti aux ekzistanta aux ne-ekzistanta, trian eblon oni ne havas.)
La vorto mal necesas kiam oni volas indiki la kontrauxan alternativon, kiam oni ankaux havas trian alternativon inter ili. (Io povas esti aux granda, aux malgranda, aux neniu el la du, do mezeca.)
Tiel mi decidas pri tia afero.

The word ne indicates the alternative when there is only one alternative. (Something can be existing or non-existing, there is no third possibility.)
The word mal on the other hand is necessary when one wants to indicate the contrary alternative when there is also a third possibility between the two. (Something can be big or small or somewhere in between.)
That is the way I decide on such an issue.

Reen al la supro