"La estraro progresas ŝtupon post ŝtupo."

Translation: The board of directors progresses step by step.

[Izabela_K]

Now, here's a question and I'm not sure there is any definitive correct answer.

Should it be ŝtupo or paŝo?

I guess I've always imagined the steps invoked by the phrase step by step to be those the steps taken when walking, not the steps taken when going up steps. So if I had had a situation where I went to translate the phrase, I would have chosen paŝon post paŝo.

[LuisRodrigoRuiz]

This is kind of throwing me off guard too. The book I used to learn Esperanto always used ŝtupo as a physical step you walk on, and paŝo as the thing your feet (and endeavors) do.

[ActualGoat]

I think it helps to remember that, you can take a paŝo, but you cannot take a ŝtupo.

[rapn21]

This lesson is reading like the minutes of an AGM.

[bnikfar]

Does progresi need a direct object? Is that why the first ŝtupon ends in -n?

[Andi_M]

Very good question! I looked it up and learned something.

Progresi in intransitive, has no direct object (I wondered and controlled it).

The "ŝtupon post ŝtupo " = "[per] ŝtupo post ŝtupo" is a unity, describing the progress. Search Google for the similar case "paŝon post paŝo".

THE grammar http://bertilow.com/pmeg/gramatiko/rolmontriloj/rolvortetoj/rolvortetforlaso.html says that both "ŝtupo post ŝtupo" (old) and "ŝtupon post ŝtupo" (new) are possible and fine.