Prietenul descuie lacătul.

the friend (masculine)

Breakdown of Prietenul descuie lacătul.

• lacătul: the padlock
• a descuia: to unlock

Questions & Answers about Prietenul descuie lacătul.

Why do both prietenul and lacătul end in -ul?

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

• prieten = friend

• prietenul = the friend

• lacăt = padlock / lock
• lacătul = the padlock / the lock

For many masculine singular nouns, and for neuter singular nouns, the definite article is -ul.

What are the dictionary forms of the words in this sentence?

The dictionary forms are:

• prieten = friend
• lacăt = padlock / lock
• a descuia = to unlock

So the sentence uses:

• prietenul = the friend
• descuie = unlocks / is unlocking
• lacătul = the padlock / the lock

What tense and person is descuie?

descuie is the present tense, 3rd person singular form of a descuia.

So it can mean:

• he unlocks
• she unlocks
• it unlocks

Romanian verbs do not require a separate subject pronoun here, because the verb ending already shows the person and number.

Why isn’t there a separate word for ?