Word
Căpitanul pleacă azi.
Meaning
The captain leaves today.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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Questions & Answers about Căpitanul pleacă azi.
Why does căpitan become căpitanul?
Because -ul is the definite article for a masculine singular noun here.
So:
- căpitan = captain
- căpitanul = the captain
Romanian usually adds the to the end of the noun instead of putting it in front as English does.
Why isn’t there a separate word for the before căpitanul?
Romanian normally uses a postposed definite article, which means the article comes after the noun, attached to it.
So instead of:
- English: the captain
Romanian says:
- căpitanul
This is one of the big differences between English and Romanian noun structure.
What form is pleacă?
Pleacă is the 3rd person singular present tense of the verb a pleca.
- a pleca = to leave / to depart / to go away
- el/ea pleacă = he/she leaves
Since căpitanul is he/she/it grammatically, pleacă is the correct verb form.
Why is pleacă in the present tense if the sentence can refer to something happening later today?