Questions & Answers about Zarul este pe masă.
Why is it zarul and not just zar?
Because -ul is the definite article in Romanian for many masculine and neuter singular nouns.
- zar = a die
- zarul = the die
Unlike English, Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like the.
So:
- zarul este pe masă = the die is on the table
Why is the word for the attached to the noun?
That is a normal feature of Romanian grammar. Romanian has a postposed definite article, which means the article comes after the noun.
For example:
- băiat = boy
- băiatul = the boy
- zar = die
- zarul = the die
This often feels unusual to English speakers at first, but it is one of the most characteristic features of Romanian.
What does este mean, and can I leave it out?