Kion mi Surhavas Hodiaŭ?
B1 Esperanto luisteroefening · Esperanto (kunsttaal) · Geschikt voor leerders op gemiddeld niveau
What does “surhavi” mean in Esperanto?
Describing her outfit for a video challenge, this creator says she “surhavas nigran ĝinzon” — “is wearing black jeans.” Surhavi is built from sur (“on”) plus havi (“to have”): wearing something is simply having it on you. It’s a small, transparent example of how Esperanto builds new verbs by fusing a preposition straight onto an existing one.
Esperanto’s ordinary, most common word for “to wear” is actually porti (“to carry”), and surhavi is a less frequent alternative rather than a replacement — the two coexist without a strict rule for when to use which. Other prepositions fuse onto roots the same way: ellitiĝi, “to get out of bed,” pairs el- (“out of”) with lito (“bed”) instead of sur- with havi.