Simple yet expressive

For the most part, it seems that Esperanto tries to ensure that there is only one word for one particular sense, instead of having endless synonyms for words.

A friend, having discovered this trend, declared that Esperanto must be the dullest language, with only single way to express things. They said: it’s too simple.

But this is not the case! Yes, while there may only be one listed canonical form, there are many ways the same or similar idea can be expressed, through word-building. It can also often introduce subtleties of meanings or emphasis to further enhance the text.

I’ll give you a simple example. The word for “pen” is plumo, plain and simple. However, I also know that the verb “skribi” means “to write”. And that the suffix -il added to a root word means “tool for root-ing”. So skribilo is a tool for writing, a “pen”!