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Questions & Answers about Telefonul meu este aici.
What does the -ul ending in telefonul indicate?
It’s the masculine singular definite article (“the”) attached directly to the noun. In Romanian, unlike English, you don’t put a separate word the in front—instead you add -ul (for masculine singular) as a suffix: telefon → telefonul (“the phone”).
Why is the possessive pronoun meu placed after telefonul instead of before, like in English?
Romanian normally positions possessive pronouns after the noun they modify, and they must agree in gender and number with that noun. Here telefonul is masculine singular, so you say telefonul meu (“my phone”) rather than putting meu in front.
Why do we use este instead of the contraction e? Can I say Telefonul meu e aici?
Este is the full form of the verb “to be.” In informal speech you can—and often do—contract it to e, so Telefonul meu e aici is perfectly natural in conversation. In writing or in more formal contexts you’ll typically see or hear telefonul meu este aici.
Why is there no preposition before aici?
Aici is simply an adverb of place (“here”), and adverbs of place in Romanian don’t need prepositions. You place them directly next to the verb or at the start/end of the sentence to indicate location.
Why don’t we need a subject pronoun like “it” at the beginning?
Romanian doesn’t use a separate subject pronoun when the subject is already stated or clear. Since telefonul meu is explicitly the subject, adding el (“it”) would be redundant. (You could say El este aici for emphasis, but it’s not required.)
Can I start the sentence with aici and say Aici este telefonul meu?
Yes. Romanian word order is fairly flexible. By fronting aici, you shift the emphasis onto the location (“Here is my phone”) rather than on the phone itself. Both Telefonul meu este aici and Aici este telefonul meu are correct.
How would I say “my new phone is here” in Romanian?
A natural phrasing is Noul meu telefon este aici. Here nou (“new”) combines with the definite article to become noul (“the new”), and meu still follows the noun, agreeing in gender and number.
If I have more than one phone, can I say un telefon al meu to mean “one of my phones”?
Yes. To express “one of my [items]” in Romanian, you use the indefinite article un + noun + al meu. So un telefon al meu means “a phone of mine” or “one of my phones.” For a specific phone you’d use the definite form telefonul meu.