Prietena vine mâine.

The (female) friend comes tomorrow.

Breakdown of Prietena vine mâine.

• prietena: the friend
• a veni: to come
• mâine: tomorrow

Questions & Answers about Prietena vine mâine.

What does prietena indicate about the noun’s gender, number, and definiteness?

Prietena is

• Feminine (it refers to a female person)
• Singular (only one individual)
• Definite (translates as “the friend” rather than “a friend”).
  In Romanian, the definite article for feminine singular nouns is suffixed as -a (prietină → prietena).

Why is there no separate word for “the” before prietena?

Romanian uses enclitic definite articles instead of separate words.

• Feminine singular: noun + -a (prietenă → prietena)
• Masculine singular: noun + -ul or -l (prieten → prietenul)
  This suffix replaces the standalone “the.”

What is the verb vine, and how is it conjugated here?

Vine is the 3rd person singular present tense of a veni (“to come”).
Conjugation in the present:

• eu vin (I come)
• tu vii (you come)
• el/ea vine (he/she comes)
  Thus prietena vine means “the friend comes” or “the friend is coming.”

What part of speech is mâine, and do we need a preposition before it?

Mâine is an adverb of time meaning “tomorrow.”
In Romanian, time adverbs stand alone (no preposition):

• ieri (yesterday)
• azi (today)
• mâine (tomorrow)

Can I change the word order to Mâine vine prietena? Does it alter the meaning?

Yes. Romanian has flexible word order.

• Prietena vine mâine (neutral S-V-Adv): “The friend is coming tomorrow.”
• Mâine vine prietena (Adv-V-S): emphasizes mâine (“Tomorrow, the friend is coming.”)
  The core meaning stays the same.

Could prietena also mean “girlfriend”? How do I differentiate?

Context decides the meaning. Prietena can be

• a female friend
• a romantic partner (“girlfriend”)
  To be explicit:
• Non-romantic friend: prietena mea (“my friend,” f.) in a friendly context
• Romantic partner: often iubita mea (“my beloved”/“my girlfriend”) or still prietena mea if context makes it clear.

How is mâine pronounced, especially the â?

Pronunciation: /ˈmɨj.ne/

• â is /ɨ/, a close central unrounded vowel (no exact English equivalent; think of the ‘i’ in “roses” or “cousin”).
• Stress is on the first syllable: MÂI-ne.

Why isn’t there an explicit subject pronoun like “ea” (“she”) before vine?

Romanian is a pro-drop language. The verb ending -e in vine already signals 3rd person singular, so the pronoun ea is optional and often omitted.

• Ea vine mâine. (She is coming tomorrow.)
• Prietena vine mâine. (No need for “ea,” because prietena is the subject.)