Ultimul autobuz pleacă la zece.

to leave

Breakdown of Ultimul autobuz pleacă la zece.

• la: at
• autobuzul: the bus
• zece: 10

Questions & Answers about Ultimul autobuz pleacă la zece.

Why is there no separate word for the in this sentence?

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

In Ultimul autobuz, the idea of the last bus is built into ultimul.

So:

• ultim = last
• ultimul = the last

Because the adjective comes before the noun here, the definite marking appears on the adjective rather than as a separate word.

What exactly does ultimul mean?

Ultimul means the last.

It comes from:

• ultim = last, final
• ultimul = the last

In this sentence, it agrees with autobuz, which is a masculine singular noun.

So:

• ultimul autobuz = the last bus

Why is it ultimul autobuz, not autobuzul ultim?

In normal Romanian, ultimul autobuz is the natural way to say the last bus.

When an adjective like ultim comes before the noun, Romanian often puts the definite article on the adjective:

• ultimul autobuz = the last bus

Autobuzul ultim would sound unnatural in ordinary speech.

A more common alternative with the noun first would be something like:

• autobuzul cel din urmă

But for everyday Romanian, ultimul autobuz is the standard expression.