Learn Hardcore Romanian: Noi mâncăm fără pâine seara. - We eat without bread in the evening.

It’s not mandatory because the verb ending –ăm already indicates first person plural. You can say Mâncăm fără pâine seara without Noi. Noi is used only for emphasis or contrast.

What tense and aspect does mâncăm express? How does it map to English?

Romanian present tense covers both simple present and continuous. mâncăm is the present tense of a mânca – to eat – for noi. Context tells you if it’s habitual or ongoing.

Why is there no article before pâine? Could I say o pâine or pâinea?

After the preposition fără “without,” the noun stays in its base form with no article. fără o pâine would mean “without a loaf of bread,” and fără pâinea is ungrammatical because fără never takes the definite article.

What role does fără play, and what case does it govern?

fără is a preposition meaning “without.” It governs its object in the accusative, but since Romanian marks the accusative only on certain pronouns and masculine nouns, here pâine looks the same as the nominative.

What does seara mean here? Is it a noun or an adverb?

In Noi mâncăm fără pâine seara, seara acts as a time adverb meaning “in the evening.” It’s derived from the noun seară “the evening,” but here it’s used adverbially like astăzi or mâine.

Why isn’t there a preposition like în before seara?

Romanian often omits în for habitual time expressions when using adverbs like seara, dimineaţa, după-amiaza or noaptea. To refer to a specific evening you would say în seara asta.

Can I change the word order, for example Seara mâncăm fără pâine or Noi mâncăm seara fără pâine?

Yes. Romanian word order is flexible. Fronting seara highlights WHEN (“In the evening…”), and moving fără pâine can shift focus to the absence of bread. All variants keep the same basic meaning.

What’s the difference between Mâncăm fără pâine seara and Nu mâncăm pâine seara?

Mâncăm fără pâine seara – We eat without bread in the evening – is a positive sentence with fără describing the manner
Nu mâncăm pâine seara – We don’t eat bread in the evening – is a negative verb construction denying the action

How do I pronounce these words, and where is the stress?

• mâncăm: [mɨnˈkəm], stress on the second syllable
• fără: [ˈfə.rə], stress on the first syllable
• pâine: [ˈpɨi.ne], stress on the first syllable
• seara: [seˈa.ra], stress on the second syllable when used adverbially