ceigered: I don't think it's worth striving to use a bigger word..

I wouldn't quarrel with this principle in general. The context here is "the difference between United States and potential enemy forces". It may well be that the word "potential" here is being used for "possible" in the present. In my view it shouldn't be used that way, but if that is the intended meaning, then ebla would be preferable. However if "potential" refers to people who might become the enemy in the future, then potenciala (or even eblonta) might be better.

Oh! Great point Miland - the future aspect skipped straight past me. I guess phrases like "eblontebla" would wear a bit thin for those sorts of precise meanings imported from native languages .

Miland:

ceigered:I guess phrases like "eblontebla" would wear a bit thin.. .

Estontebla might be OK, but hasn't eblontebla got some redundancy?

To me both seem like nonsense as you can add -ebl only where you could also add a passive suffix (-at, -it, -ot). However, *estontata and *eblontata don't make any sense.

darkweasel:you can add -ebl only where you could also add a passive suffix.

Yes, thanks - ebl can only be attached to verbs that can take an object. I've removed my message.

Regarding the potential enemy forces, to me this is a perfect situation to use "eventuala"

"Eventuala" is defined as something like "able to happen, depending on uncertain circumstances". So if you say "Ni batalos kontraŭ eventualaj malamikoj", you are talking about, if there are ever any enemies, we will fight against them; but we won't fight if there aren't any future enemies.

I use it in cases when I'd use "if and when" constructions in colloquial English.

If and when I come, I'll bring your book.

Kiam mi eventuale venos, mi portos vian libron.

erinja:Regarding the potential enemy forces, to me this is a perfect situation to use "eventuala"

Incredible, sometimes its getting boring learning e-o because there are many words I understand - ehm, "out-of-the-box".

reta-vortaro.de: "eventuala"

(I also like the translations especially the swedish one. Möjlig; in Hochdeutsch: möglich. Hhm, what germanic language I could be motivated to learn? Dutch, Danish or Swedish? But I'm a little bit afraid of that flashcard efforts again to reach the basic learning plateau. But with such similarities? Should be easy. Hhm.)

The meaning of the word "eventuala" is obvious to speakers of many European languages. However, in (modern American) English, the word "eventually" means "at an unspecified later time". Archaic usage of this word was much more similar to the Esperanto meaning, indicating that something may or may not happen, depending on uncontrollable circumstances. But the meaning has evolved and today it refers to a simple unspecified future time.

I can't speak for other Englishes but this is how it is used in US English today.

Therefore the word "eventuala" is confusing to many American beginning Esperantists; I would consider it a false friend to words like "eventual" or "eventually".

It's a bit of a shame things have gone this way. In fact this is one of several circumstances where certain things are easier to express in Esperanto than in English; often, in English, I am tempted to say something like "They have bought a house in the suburbs with good schools, for their eventual children". To say "future children" gives the idea that they will certainly have children (this is not a guarantee, even if it is a concrete plan), and to say "possible children" also comes off a bit strange, as if I am unsure whether they have children or not (I know they do not). "possible future children" sounds unnecessarily specific and wordy.