"Ĉu estas ludo aŭ laboro kiam infano solvas problemon?"

Translation: Is it a game or a job when a child solves a problem?

[Juha_Metsakallas]

"You need the article "a" here." stupid articles, stupid, stupid, aaargh! (Thank you for showing patience.)

[arkpofadisto]

As someone whose first language has no concept of articles, I understand the pain...

[Jakob53047]

Oh yes.

[Danielconcasco]

Can anyone explain this? I don't have a clue what this would mean. Are we saying the game/work is the problem or the result of the problem?

[FredCapp]

It is saying that if the child is having fun, then it's a game, and vice versa.

[FredCapp]

Mia kutima ordo kiam mi uzas tiujn vortojn estas "laboro" kaj "ludo." Tiu ĉi estos problemo por mi.

[Bangxulo]

Same. Mi scias ke "ludo aŭ laboro" devas esti ĝuste tradukata kiel "play or work" sed se mi dirus tiun frazon, mi dirus ĝin kiel "Is it work or play..."

[AntonC7]

I got it like "Is there a game or a job where a child solves a problem". Why isn't it right?

[FredCapp]

You came up with one of those wonderful English sentences where the grammar is wrong, but most people can't see why.

And I'm not enough of a Grammar wonk to explain it.

Bedaŭre.

[AiSENMA]

And why not both?

[Bangxulo]

Maybe that's the answer. "Ambaŭ."

[hitech1]

I think the article "a" should be repeated twice: "Is it a game or a work?.." Both nouns are singular, neither is known to the speaker (he knows neither which kind of game it is nor which kind of work it is), and it's not a compound subject ("game or work" does not serve as a single entity which can be addressed with a single article). Therefore, in my opinion, "a" should be repeated twice. Am I right?

[FredCapp]

A bit late, I know. but "work" in this context is a general, not specific, noun.

No a preceding it.

[NicolasGat19]

Nur laboro kaj neniu ludo, kaj Jako estas enuiga knabo.