Questions & Answers about Biroul meu este în oraș, dar este mic.
How do I pronounce Biroul meu este în oraș, dar este mic?
In approximate English phonetics: BEE-roh-ool meh-oo ES-teh uhn oh-RAHSH, dar ES-teh meek.
In IPA: /biˈru.ul meu ˈeste ɨn oˈraʃ dar ˈeste mik/.
What does the -l at the end of biroul mean?
That -l is the enclitic definite article for masculine singular nouns. So birou = “an office,” while biroul = “the office.” Romanian attaches the article at the end of the noun.
Why is the possessive meu placed after biroul instead of before, like in English?
In Romanian the possessive adjective normally follows the noun it modifies and agrees in gender and number: biroul meu (“my office”). You cannot say meu biroul—that word order would be ungrammatical.
Why is the preposition în used here? Could I say something else?
în means “in” or “inside,” indicating location. So în oraș = “in the city.” You would not use pe (which means “on”) in this context. Informally, one might say sunt la oraș (“I’m in town”), but în oraș is the standard way to say “inside the city.”
What’s the difference between dar and însă for “but”?