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Can "longi" be a verb logically

by bdlingle, August 10, 2015

Messages: 10

Language: English

bdlingle (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 6:13:23 PM

I was in a discussion on Duolingo's Esperanto course. They were talking about the -n on the end metro, and someone was talking about something being long using gxi estas longa, but then he used gxi longas. I was thinking that couldn't be a verb, but can it be? I was think no, because a word about measurement like long can't be a verb, because it is not able to perform an action.

orthohawk (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 6:27:06 PM

bdlingle:I was in a discussion on Duolingo's Esperanto course. They were talking about the -n on the end metro, and someone was talking about something being long using gxi estas longa, but then he used gxi longas. I was thinking that couldn't be a verb, but can it be? I was think no, because a word about measurement like long can't be a verb, because it is not able to perform an action.
Not all verbs denote action. Some, called "stative" and "copulative" verbs are those which denote a state of being (the former) or are basically just an equal sign (the latter).

bdlingle (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 6:35:03 PM

orthohawk: Not all verbs denote action. Some, called "stative" and "copulative" verbs are those which denote a state of being (the former) or are basically just an equal sign (the latter).
Ok I understand that, but can longi be a verb? Wouldn't it be better as plilongigi?

traubenschorle (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 6:39:52 PM

Ĝi estas longa. = Ĝi longas.
pliongigi would be "to make longer" = "to lengthen"

orthohawk (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 6:41:13 PM

bdlingle:
orthohawk: Not all verbs denote action. Some, called "stative" and "copulative" verbs are those which denote a state of being (the former) or are basically just an equal sign (the latter).
Ok I understand that, but can longi be a verb? Wouldn't it be better as plilongigi?
Plilongigi is to spefially make something longER. "longi" names just the state of being long.

Geometrie, lineoj longas.

bdlingle (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 7:12:57 PM

Well I just learned something new thank you sir

DuckFiasco (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 7:46:51 PM

Some adjective roots are especially common as verbs, such as: certi, pravi, preti, suficxi, sami, malsami... There are lots of others too that aren't coming to mind ridulo.gif

tommjames (User's profile) August 10, 2015, 8:46:54 PM

bdlingle:I was in a discussion on Duolingo's Esperanto course. They were talking about the -n on the end metro, and someone was talking about something being long using gxi estas longa, but then he used gxi longas. I was thinking that couldn't be a verb, but can it be?
I see no reason why not. We can say:

Ĝi estas 10 metrojn longa
Ĝi estas longa je 10 metroj
Ĝi longas je 10 metroj
Ĝi longas 10 metrojn

Logically there is no problem, it's just that the "longas" phrases are quite uncommon, but besides that there's nothing wrong with them.

Alkanadi (User's profile) August 11, 2015, 9:11:53 AM

As far as I know this is fine.

Ĝi estas longa = It is long
Ĝi longas = It is being long
Ĝi estas longa = Ĝi longas

Another example:
Ĝi estas blua = Ĝi bluas
Li estas tima = Li timas

From the tekstaro:
...teksto Esperanta duoble pli longas ol la rusa traduko...
...kiu longas 26 km...
...bela plaĝo longas kelkcentojn da metroj...
Ĝi longas nur 12 km kaj larĝas 4-5 km
La trajnoj longas entute 111 m...
... ju pli longis la atendo...

sudanglo (User's profile) August 11, 2015, 1:07:20 PM

Provided that some fairly obvious meaning can be attached to the word so formed, there is no restriction on in what part of speech an idea can be expressed in Esperanto.

However it would be true that certain notions are more commonly encountered expressed in certain parts of speech.

Longi (or larĝi, or alti) would not be out of place.

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