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Existential Sentences (Este / Sunt / Există)

To say something exists or is present — "there's a problem," "there are three apples on the table" — English reaches for a dummy word, there, that points at nothing. Romanian has no such word. It simply uses a fi ("to be") — este/e for one thing, sunt for several — placed before the thing that exists, with the verb agreeing in number. Sunt trei mere pe masă literally lines up as "are three apples on table" and means "there are three apples on the table." For more formal or abstract existence, Romanian also has the dedicated verb a exista ("to exist"). This page shows how to build existential sentences, where the verb sits, how it agrees, and how to negate — and it hammers the one habit English speakers must drop: inventing a "there."

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Romanian has no "there" in existentials. It just puts the verb first and agrees it with the thing that exists: Este o problemă ("there's a problem"), Sunt multe probleme ("there are many problems"). The English dummy "there" simply vanishes — don't translate it with acolo (that means the literal place "there") or any other word.

The core pattern: este (singular) / sunt (plural)

The everyday existential uses the third-person of a fi: este/e when one thing exists, sunt when several do. The verb agrees with the existing thing exactly as it would with any subject — because that thing is the (post-verbal) subject.

Este o problemă cu rezervarea ta.

There's a problem with your booking. (singular thing → 'este/e')

Sunt multe probleme cu rezervarea.

There are many problems with the booking. (plural thing → 'sunt')

Sunt trei mere pe masă, ia unul.

There are three apples on the table, take one. ('sunt' agrees with 'trei mere')

E o cafenea drăguță chiar după colț.

There's a nice café right around the corner. ('e' = the short 'este', singular)

The agreement is the trap. English keeps "there is/are" loosely and many learners freeze on este for everything. Romanian won't allow it: three apples take sunt, not este.

Verb usually comes first

Existentials are presentational — they announce something new — so the verb typically opens the sentence and the new thing follows (verb-subject order). This is the same logic as verb-subject inversion: new information lands after the verb. It's especially clear in questions.

E cineva la ușă?

Is there someone at the door? (verb-first; 'cineva' follows)

Sunt bilete la concertul de sâmbătă?

Are there tickets for Saturday's concert? (verb 'sunt' + the thing 'bilete')

E loc pentru încă o persoană?

Is there room for one more person? (verb-first existential question)

A place or time phrase can front the sentence, after which the verb still leads into the existing thing.

În frigider e doar lapte și niște brânză.

In the fridge there's only milk and some cheese. (fronted place phrase, then verb-first existential)

The formal/abstract option: există

For more formal, written, or abstract existence — talking about whether something exists at all, in principle — Romanian uses a exista ("to exist"): există (singular), există (plural — the form doesn't change here). It's the natural choice for general statements, definitions, and careful prose, and it also agrees in number even though the spelling is identical.

Există o singură soluție corectă.

There is only one correct solution. (formal/abstract — 'există')

Există mai multe teorii despre asta.

There are several theories about this. ('există', academic register)

Crezi că există viață pe alte planete?

Do you think there's life on other planets? (abstract existence — 'există' fits better than 'este')

So you have a register choice: este/sunt for concrete, everyday "there is/are" (a problem, tickets, someone at the door), and există (formal/academic) for abstract or emphatic existence (a solution, theories, life on other planets). For a casual "there's milk in the fridge," e lapte is right; există lapte would sound oddly philosophical.

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Pick by register and meaning: este/sunt = concrete, everyday presence (E cineva la ușă); există (formal/academic) = abstract or principled existence (Există o soluție). Both agree in number — and neither needs a "there."

Negation: nu e nimeni / nu există

To deny existence, negate the verb with nu. With este/e you'll usually pair it with a negative word in negative concord (Romanian doubles the negation): nu e nimeni ("there's nobody"), nu e nimic ("there's nothing"). With exista, you get nu există.

Nu e nimeni acasă, am sunat de trei ori.

There's nobody home, I rang three times. (nu e + nimeni — negative concord)

Nu sunt locuri libere la trenul de seară.

There are no free seats on the evening train. (plural → 'nu sunt')

Nu există o rețetă perfectă, fiecare gătește altfel.

There's no perfect recipe, everyone cooks differently. (formal negation with 'nu există')

A related idiom: are cine / n-are cine

Romanian also builds existential-flavored expressions with a avea ("to have") plus a relative word, especially are cine / n-are cine ("there is someone who" / "there's nobody to"). These are common in speech and worth recognizing, though they're a distinct construction from the este/există pattern above.

N-are cine să aibă grijă de câine cât suntem plecați.

There's nobody to look after the dog while we're away. ('n-are cine să...' = 'there's no one who...')

Are cine să te ajute cu mutarea?

Is there someone to help you with the move? ('are cine să...' existential idiom)

Common Mistakes

❌ Acolo este o problemă. (calquing English 'there is a problem' with 'acolo')

Wrong — Romanian has no dummy 'there'; just say 'Este o problemă.' 'Acolo' means the literal place 'over there'.

✅ Este o problemă.

There's a problem.

❌ Este trei mere pe masă. (frozen singular verb for a plural thing)

Wrong — the verb agrees: plural takes 'sunt': 'Sunt trei mere pe masă.'

✅ Sunt trei mere pe masă.

There are three apples on the table.

❌ It este cineva la ușă? / Ea este cineva la ușă?

Wrong — no dummy subject fills the front; the existential is verb-first: 'E cineva la ușă?'

✅ E cineva la ușă?

Is there someone at the door?

❌ Nu e cineva acasă. (using 'cineva' under negation)

Wrong — under negation Romanian switches to the negative word with concord: 'Nu e nimeni acasă.'

✅ Nu e nimeni acasă.

There's nobody home.

Key Takeaways

  • Romanian has no "there" in existentials — never translate it with acolo or any dummy word.
  • Use este/e for a singular thing, sunt for a plural thing; the verb agrees in number with what exists (Sunt trei mere).
  • Existentials are verb-first (presentational): E cineva la ușă?, Sunt bilete?.
  • există (formal/academic) expresses abstract or principled existence (Există o soluție); este/sunt covers concrete everyday presence.
  • Negate with nu plus negative concord: nu e nimeni, nu e nimic, nu sunt locuri, nu există.
  • Recognize the idiom are cine / n-are cine ("there is/isn't someone to...").

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Related Topics

  • Sentences Without SubjectsA2 — Romanian has no dummy 'it' or 'there'. Weather (Plouă, Ninge, E cald), time (E ora trei, E târziu, E luni), distance and states (E departe, Mi-e frig), existence (E cineva la ușă), and impersonals (Se pare că, Trebuie să, Merită să) all begin with the verb and have no placeholder subject. The English 'it'/'there' simply isn't translated — the verb stands alone. The trap is inventing a subject pronoun (el plouă) or a 'there' word (acolo este) where Romanian wants nothing.
  • Impersonal and Subjectless ConstructionsB2 — Romanian has no dummy subject: there is no 'it' in plouă ('it's raining') or 'there' in se poate ('one can'), and the verb stands subjectless. Worse for English instincts, the logical subject of 'I need' surfaces in the DATIVE — îmi trebuie, îmi place, mi se pare — so the experiencer becomes a dative object, not a subject. This page maps weather verbs, the impersonal se, dative-experiencer verbs, and the trebuie / e bine + să patterns.
  • Copular Sentences (a fi + predicate)A1 — How to link a subject to a predicate with a fi (to be). Two facts run against English: a predicate profession or role takes NO article (Sunt student; Ea e medic — not 'un student'), and a predicate adjective AGREES with the subject (Casa e mare; Fetele sunt frumoase). Covers predicate nouns, adjectives, and adverbials, the present forms of a fi, and negation (nu e / nu sunt).
  • Subject-Verb InversionB1 — In Romanian the subject often follows the verb — and with arrival/existence verbs (A venit Maria; S-a întâmplat ceva; Au rămas două) and after a fronted adverb (Ieri a sunat Ion; Aici locuiește bunica) the verb-subject order is NEUTRAL, not 'inverted for effect'. It also marks focus on the subject (A plătit Ion, nu eu) and is common in questions. The reason: Romanian packages new-information subjects after the verb, whereas English clings to subject-first and uses 'there'-insertion or stress instead.
  • Negative SentencesA1 — How to turn any Romanian sentence negative: place a single nu directly in front of the verb-plus-clitics block (Nu-l văd, Nu mă duc), give negative answers (Nu; Nu, mulțumesc), and reinforce — never cancel — with negative words (Nu vine nimeni). There is no do-support and no agreement to manage; the cardinal English-transfer error is inserting 'do' or putting nu after the verb.