Questions & Answers about Copilul își spală părul.
Why is it copilul and not just copil?
Because Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun.
- copil = child
- copilul = the child
So -ul here means the.
This is very different from English, where the is a separate word placed before the noun.
Why is it părul and not just păr?
For the same reason: -ul is the definite article.
- păr = hair
- părul = the hair
In this sentence, Romanian uses the definite form because it is referring to a specific thing: the child’s hair.
What does își mean here?
Își is a reflexive/dative clitic. In this sentence, it shows that the hair belongs to the subject and that the action is directed toward the subject’s own body.
So își spală părul means something like:
- washes his/her own hair
- literally, roughly: washes the hair to himself/herself
English usually uses a possessive adjective here: his hair or her hair. Romanian often uses this reflexive structure instead.
Why doesn’t Romanian say his/her hair directly?