"Li komencas studi Esperanton."
Translation:He is starting to study Esperanto.
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Does this sentence imply that he is just starting to study Esperanto for the first time? or that he has already been studying for some time and is just starting to study right now.
Or has neither implication and depends on context?
I'm pretty sure, it can be either; as you say - context would tell.
Studi here means a rigorous, structured study of Esperanto -- like a research project perhaps for a university. So, he's beginning a study of Esperanto.
I am not a native English speaker, but I'd say that in English is far more common to say that you learn a language than that you study a language. To study, in English, has more to do with academic studies, so if you say that you study Spanish, for instance, you are more likely to be following academic studies on Spanish at university, rather than learning by yourself or going to a language school. So, even though it is obvious that studi and study share a common steem, I think that "He is starting to learn Esperanto" should be consider a valid answer, since it actually is the more natural in English.
What are peoples thoughts on the following as a variation? "he begins the study of esperanto"
Any feedback on how/why/where it doesn't work?
It means the same, but is syntactically quite different. You can try reporting it, but I'd still advice to try to stick closer to the original sentences (in that case, using the verb "to study" or "studying").
This is a slightly odd sentence
Studi here means a rigorous, structured study of Esperanto -- like a research project perhaps for a university. So, he's beginning a study of Esperanto.
It could also be that he's going off to college to major in Esperanto.
And no, it certainly does NOT mean that he's starting to "learn" Esperanto. It also doesn't mean that he's starting his evening session of working on Esperanto. Both these ideas are expressed with lerni Esperanton.
Wait, the suggested translation in English is "he is starting to study Esperanto". Shouldn't it be "he is starting studying esperanto"? Doesnt "start to [verb]" mean another thing, like "starting in order to [verb]"?