Affixes

In order to reduce the number of words one would have to learn in order to speak the language, much of Ido’s vocabulary is composed of a comparatively small stock of root words that can be combined with an even smaller group of familiar affixes to create new words as needed:

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Prefixes

• anti-: (technical) Opposed to; preventing; reversing or undoing; the opposite state of matter of; acting as rival to; unlike the conventional form of:

  antibakteria	antibacterial
  antigravitado	antigravity
  antimaterio	antimatter
  antikristo	antichrist

  NOTE: In the role of “opposed to” and “against”, anti- is often replaced by the preposition kontre.

• arki-: Chief; principal; preeminent of its kind:

  arkianjelo	archangel
  arkiduko	archduke

• auto-: (technical) Self-; one’s own; by oneself:

  autodidakto	autodidact
  autobiografio	autobiography

• bi-: (technical) Twice; double; on both sides; having two; two together:

  bipedo	biped
  bisekar	to bisect
  bisexua	bisexual

• bo-: Relation by marriage, in-law:

  bomatro	mother-in-law
  bofratulo	brother-in-law

• des-: The opposite of:

  desinfektar	to disinfect
  desfacila	difficult
  desavantajo	disadvantage

• dis-: Separation, dispersion:

  disdonar	to deal out
  dissemar	to disseminate

• equi-: (technical) Equal:

  equilatera	equilateral
  ecuidistanta	equidistant

• ex-: Former:

  exprezidanto	ex-president
  exspozulo	ex-husband

• ge-: Both sexes together:

  gepatri	father and mother, parents
  gesiori	Mr. and Mrs., ladies and gentlemen

• ko-: (technical) Complement of:

  korespondar	to correspond
  korelativo	korrelative

• mi-: Semi-, demi-:

  mihoro	half an hour
  mifratulo	half-brother
  mimortinta	half-dead

• mis-: Badly, incorrectly:

  misuzer	to misuse
  miskomprenar	to misunderstand
  miskalkular	to miscalculate

• mono-: (technical) One:

  monotono	monotone
  monosilabo	monosyllable

• ne-: Not, non-:

  neposibla	impossible
  neyusta	unjust
  nevidebla	invisible

  NOTE: The prefix ne implies only negation, not opposite quality:

  nebela	plain, not beautiful
  desbela	ugly

• par-: Completely and utterly:

  parlektar	to read from cover to cover
  parlernar	to learn by heart

• para-: Indicates protection against:

  parafalo	parachute
  parafango	mudflap
  parapluvo	umbrella

• pre-: Before; “great”:

  predicar	to predict
  preadolecanto	preadolescent, “tween”
  prehiere	on the day before yesterday
  preavo	great grandparent

• pseudo-: Not genuine:

  pseudocienco	pseudo-science
  pseudointelektozo	pseudo-intellectual

• quadri-: (technical) Having four:

  quadripedo	quadruped
  quadrilatera	four-sided

• retro-: Indicates action that is directed backward:

  retroirar	to return
  retroagiva	retroactive

• ri-: Once more; again; back to a previous state:

  rifacar	to redo
  rilektar	to re-read
  riskribar	to rewrite

• sen-: Without, -less:

  senkapa	headless
  senarma	unarmed
  sendubite	doubtlessly

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Suffixes

• -ab-: Perfect tense:

  Elvis ekirabas la konstrukturo	Elvis has left the building
  Elvis ekirabis la konstrukturo	Elvis had left the building
  Elvis ekirabos la konstrukturo	Elvis will have left the building

• -ach-: Of low quality:

  belacha	tawdry
  automobilacho	a jalopy
  skribacher	to scrawl

• -ad-: Prolonged, continuous, or repetitive action:

  Il studadas Quenya.	He’s been studying Quenya.
  El despantalonizadis sua fratrulo.	She kept pantsing her brother.
  Ka plankeskado ankore esas populara?	Is planking still a thing?

• -ag-: Indicates that the word expressed by the root is used as a tool:

  martelago	a hammer strike
  espadagar	to wield a sword
  krucagar	to crucify

• -aj-: (after nouns and adjectives) Made of, having the quality of; (after transitive and mixed verbs) Object of an action, -ee; (after intransitive verbs) Performer of an action, -er:

  Ka folajo? Yen Sparta!!!	Madness? This is Sparta!!!
  pueralajo	a childish act
  manjajo	food
  vidajo	a view
  rulajo	a roll (of something)
  eventajo	an event
  esajo	a being

• -al-: Relating to; concerning; depending on; appropriate to:

  hundo blindala	a seeing eye dog
  poemo Pushkinala	a poem concerning Pushkin
  krizo nationala	a national emergency

• -an-: Having membership in the country, city, domain, class, or group of:

  Kanadano	a Canadian
  Amerikana muliero	an American woman
  policano	a policeman
  Kristano	a Christian

• -ant-: Indicates active action in progress:

  viro parolanta Ido	a man speaking Ido
  Parolante Ido, il pensas Klingone.	While speaking Ido, he thinks in Klingon.
  parolanto di Ido	a speaker of Ido

• -ar-: A group of things of the same type:

  foliaro	foliage
  la Britaniana navaro	the British navy

• -ari-: Indicates the person or thing indirectly affected by the verb expressed by the root:

  konfesario	a confessor
  sendario	a sendee (recipient)
  pagario	a payee

• -at-: Indicates passive action in progress:

  muliero amorata de Milano til Minsk	a woman loved from Milan to Minsk
  Amorate, el lernis multe pri la vivo.	While being loved, she learned much about life.
  Rocela, Rocela — internationa amorato	Rochelle, Rochelle — international beloved

• -atr-: In the style of; resembling:

  filmo Tarantino-atra	a Tarantino-esque film
  bluatra	bluish
  sponjatra	spongy

• -e-: Having the color of:

  rozea	pink
  violea	violet
  zebrea	zebra-striped

• -ebl-: Able to be -ed:

  artikli parolebla	speakable items
  pekunio disponebla	disposable money
  facile lektebla	easy to read

• -ed-: -ful:

  manuedo	a handful
  glasedo	a glassful
  bokedo	a mouthful

• -eg-: Of great size, degree, intensity:

  charjegita	overloaded
  manjegero	a glutton
  hungregoza	famished

• -em-: Disposition, tendency:

  kredema	credulous
  dormema	sleepy
  parolema	talkative

• -end-: Passive obligation:

  pagenda	payable
  facendi	things to do
  fidendajo	an article of faith

• -er-: Person occupied in a customary but not professional activity; -er:

  A la vinkero la spoliuro.	To the victor go the spoils.
  La dormero mustas vekar!	The sleeper must awaken!
  mikra-cerebra visheri dil kuli di altri	tiny-brained wipers of other people’s bottoms

• -eri-: Establishment, especially industrial:

  kafeerio	a café
  laverio	a laundromat
  manjerio	an eatery

• -es-: Indicates quality or condition; passive action:

  amikeso	friendship
  richeso	wealth
  kaptiteso	captivity
  Videsos ke...	It will be seen that...
  Savesas.	It is known.

• -esk-: Begin to, become, come to be:

  redeskar	to turn red
  sideskar	to sit down
  manjeskar	to begin eating

• -esm-: Ordinal number:

  la sisesma senso	the sixth sense
  unesme naskinta	first born

• -estr-: Head of:

  navestro	a captain
  policestro	a chief of police

• -et-: Of small size, grade, intensity:

  varmeta	tepid
  fluvieto	a riverlet
  beleta	somewhat pretty, cutish
  dormeter	to nap

• -ey-: Place allotted to or characterized by:

  manjeyo	a dining room
  dormeyo	a dormitory
  prezidenteyo	a presidential palace
  haneyo	a chicken coop

• -i-: Domain under the authority of:

  rejio	a kingdom
  dukio	a duchy

• -id-: Descendant of:

  rejido	a prince
  Izraelido	an Israelite

• -ier-: Individual characterized by; tree or plant that bears; holder, stand:

  lanciero	a lancer
  miliardiero	a billionaire
  pomiero	an apple tree
  sigaretiero	a cigarette-holder
  kandeliero	a candlestick

• -if-: Generation, production, secretion:

  florifer	to bloom
  pafilifer	to make guns
  urinifer	to urinate

• -ig-: Cause to do, cause to be:

  saligar	to salify
  koldigar	to cool
  mortigo	a killing

• -ik-: Suffering from:

  kanceriko	a cancer victim
  maniiko	a maniac

• -il-: Tool, implement:

  ludilo	a toy
  vehilo	a vehicle

• -im-: Fractional number:

  sisimo de sua sensos	a sixth of one’s senses
  tri kinimi de homo	three fifths of a man

• -int-: Indicates active action that has been completed:

  mortinta samchambrano	a dead roommate
  Mortinte, il ne bezonos ci CD-i.	Having died, he won’t be needing these CDs.
  Mortinti omnakaze esas tro rigida por funtionigar la lektilo.	The dead are too stiff to work the player, anyway.

• -in-: Femininity:

  bovino	a cow
  fratino	a sister

• -ind-: Worthy of, deserving of:

  laudinda	praise-worthy
  asasinindo	a person who ought to be murdered

• -ism-: Theory, system, party:

  Kristanismo	Christianity
  Darwinismo	Darwinism
  socialismo	socialism

• -ist-: Professional; adherent, partisan:

  furtisto	a thief
  pordisto	a doorkeeper
  komunisto	a communist

• -it-: Indicates passive action that has been completed:

  muziko detransferita	downloaded music
  Detransferite, la muziko transferesas a mea iPod.	Once downloaded, the music is transferred to my iPod.
  Ca dosiero esas nur por detransferiti.	This folder is for downloaded files only.

• -iv-: Capability:

  libro instruktiva	an instructive book
  Il kredas ke il esas nemortiva.	He thinks he is immortal.
  pagiva kliento	a customer who can pay

• -iz-: To supply with, provide with, ornament with:

  lumizar	to illuminate
  kolorizar	to add color to, to colorize
  salizar	to salt

• -oid-: (technical) Indicates an animal belonging to a higher taxon ending in -oidea; resemblance:

  homoido	a humanoid
  romboido	a rhomboid

• -ont-: Indicates active action that is about to occur:

  viro rock-pleonta	a man about to rock
  Rock-pleonta por la unesma tempo, il neoportune deziris urinifar.	About to rock for the first time, he inconveniently had to pee.
  A la rock-pleonti: ni salutas vi!	To those about to rock, we salute you!

• -op-: In groups of:

  duope	two by two
  triopo	a round of three

• -opl-: Multiple of:

  duople	doubly
  okopla	octuple

• -ot-: Indicates passive action that is about to occur:

  famozo mistifikota	a celebrity about to be punk’d
  La vivo esas kontinua ludo inter la mistifikanti e la mistifikoti.	Life is a constant game between the punkers and the about-to-be-punk’d.

• -oz-: Having, characterized by:

  joyoza	joyous
  intelektoza	intellectual
  barboza	bearded

• -ul-: Masculinity:

  bovulo	a bull
  fratulo	a brother

• -um-: No fixed meaning:

  foliumar	to leaf through
  formikumar	to swarm
  kolumo	a collar

• -un-: Unit:

  sabluno	a grain of sand
  nivuno	a snowflake

• -ur-: Result, product:

  kopiuro	a copy (as vs. kopiajo, the thing copied)
  aperturo	an opening

• -uy-: Container, receptacle:

  krayonuyo	a pencil box
  kafeuyo	a coffee can

• -yun-: Young of animals:

  hanyuno	a chick
  katyuno	a kitten

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Desinences

• -a: That which is (or is composed of) the thing expressed by the root:

  ora statuo	a statue made of gold
  reja personi	royal persons

• -ar: Infinitive:

  Erorar esas homatra, pardonar esas deatra.	To err is human, to forgive is divine.
  El ne savas facar retopagino.	She doesn’t know how to make a webpage.

• -as: Present tense:

  Esas bona dio por pendigo.	It’s a fine day for a hangin’.
  Me venas, me vidas, me vinkas.	I come, I see, I conquer.
  Esas nula jornesko por homi.	There is no dawn for men.

• -e: Adverb:

  rapide	quickly
  avione	by plane
  lundie	on Mondays

• -ez: Imperative mood:

  Esez bona dio por pendigo!	May it be a fine day for a hangin’!
  Me venez, me videz, me vinkez!	May I come, may I see, may I conquer!
  Esez nula jornesko por homi!	Let there be no dawn for men!

• -i: Plural:

  avioni, treni, ed automobili	planes, trains, and automobiles
  enemiki dil stato	enemies of the state

• -is: Past tense:

  Esis bona dio por pendigo.	It was a fine day for a hangin’.
  Me venis, me vidis, me vinkis.	I came, I saw, I conquered.
  Esis nula jornesko por homi.	There was no dawn for men.

• -o: Noun:

  fakturo	a bill
  pago	a payment
  povro	a pauper

• -os: Future tense:

  Esos bona dio por pendigo.	It will be a fine day for a hangin’.
  Me venos, me vidos, me vinkos.	I will come, I will see, I will conquer.
  Esos nula jornesko por homi.	There will be no dawn for men.

• -us: Conditional mood:

  Esus bona dio por pendigo.	It would be a fine day for a hangin’.
  Me venus, me vidus, me vinkus.	I would come, I would see, I would conquer.
  Esus nula jornesko por homi.	There would be no dawn for men.

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