Tabla de joc este gata.

The game board is ready.

Breakdown of Tabla de joc este gata.

• a fi: to be
• gata: ready
• tabla de joc: the game board

Questions & Answers about Tabla de joc este gata.

Why is it tabla and not tablă?

The basic noun is tablă. In this sentence, tabla is the definite singular form, meaning the board.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the:

• tablă = a board / board
• tabla = the board

So the final -a here is not part of the basic dictionary form; it marks definiteness.

Why is there no separate word for the?

Because Romanian normally uses a postposed definite article: the article is attached to the end of the noun.

So instead of:

• English: the board

Romanian says:

• tabla

This is one of the biggest structural differences from English.

What does de joc mean here?

De joc literally means something like of play or for play, but in natural English it usually corresponds to a noun phrase like:

• game board
• playing board
• board for a game

In Romanian, de + noun often works like an English classifying phrase:

• masă de lemn = wooden table / table made of wood
• sală de sport = gym / sports hall
• tablă de joc = game board

So de joc describes what kind of board it is.