Malsamajn

Malsamajn is the accusative plural form of the Esperanto adjective malsama, meaning "different" or "various." In Esperanto, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in number and case. The accusative case is marked by the suffix -n on the noun, and in plural, adjectives preceding the noun take the corresponding form, giving malsamajn before a plural noun such as ideojn or aferojn.

Form and usage

- Base adjective: malsama (singular, nominative)

- Plural nominative: malsamaj (the different ones)

- Plural accusative: malsamajn (the different ones, as the direct object)

When the noun phrase is in the accusative plural, you typically see the adjective in the form malsamajn before a plural noun, for example malsamajn ideojn or malsamajn aferojn.

Examples

- Mi vidis malsamajn ideojn. (I saw different ideas.)

- Oni konsideris malsamajn argumentojn. (People considered various arguments.)

- La malsamajn ideojn pri la temo estis diskutataj. (The various ideas about the topic were discussed.) [note: this sentence illustrates the accusative phrase with a plural noun and the corresponding adjective form]

Etymology

The word derives from malsama, formed with the mal- prefix indicating negation of sameness, plus sama, meaning "the same." The form malsamajn is the standard plural accusative inflection for the pair of words in a noun phrase.

See also

malsama, malsamaj, Esperanto grammar, Esperanto adjectives.