Breakdown of Cărăm salteaua cu căruciorul.
cu
with
salteaua
the mattress
căruciorul
the trolley; dolly
a căra
to carry; haul
Questions & Answers about Cărăm salteaua cu căruciorul.
Why is there no separate word for the in salteaua and căruciorul?
Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not before it.
- saltea = mattress
salteaua = the mattress
- cărucior = cart / stroller / trolley
- căruciorul = the cart / the stroller
So instead of saying a separate word like English the mattress, Romanian says salteaua.
Why does saltea become salteaua instead of just adding -a?
This is because of how the feminine singular definite article attaches to nouns.
For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the definite form is made by replacing that final -a with -aua or by attaching the article in a form that produces -aua in pronunciation/spelling.
So:
- saltea → salteaua
This is just the normal definite form of that noun, and it has to be learned as part of the noun’s pattern.