Împrumutul începe azi.

The loan starts today.

Breakdown of Împrumutul începe azi.

• azi: today
• a începe: to start
• împrumutul: the loan; borrowing

Questions & Answers about Împrumutul începe azi.

Why is împrumutul written as one word, and what does -ul mean?

In Romanian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word like English the.

So:

• împrumut = loan
• împrumutul = the loan

The ending -ul is the masculine/neuter singular definite article here.

What gender is împrumut, and does that matter in this sentence?

Împrumut is a neuter noun in Romanian.

Romanian neuter nouns behave:

• like masculine in the singular
• like feminine in the plural

In this sentence, the noun is singular, so it takes the definite ending -ul, just like a masculine noun would:

• împrumut = loan
• împrumutul = the loan

Why is the verb începe and not something longer or different?

Începe is the 3rd person singular present tense form of the verb a începe = to begin / to start.

Since the subject is împrumutul = the loan, which is singular and means it, Romanian uses the 3rd person singular form:

• eu încep = I begin
• tu începi = you begin
• el/ea începe = he/she/it begins

So Împrumutul începe literally means The loan begins.