Telefonul meu nu este încă gata.

not

Breakdown of Telefonul meu nu este încă gata.

• a fi: to be
• telefonul: the phone
• meu: my

Questions & Answers about Telefonul meu nu este încă gata.

Why is the possessive pronoun placed after the noun instead of before like in English?

In Romanian, possessive pronouns such as meu, mea, tău, ta generally follow the noun they modify. So telefonul meu literally means “the phone of me,” whereas English uses “my phone.” This word order is standard for showing possession.

What is the -ul at the end of telefonul?

Romanian doesn’t have a separate word for “the.” Instead, it uses an enclitic definite article attached to the end of a noun. For singular masculine nouns like telefon, you add -ul to form telefonul, meaning “the phone.”

Can I use nu e instead of nu este?

Yes. Nu e is a common contraction of nu este in spoken and informal Romanian. So you might hear Telefonul meu nu e încă gata. In formal writing or speech, nu este is preferred, but both mean “is not.”

Where should încă be placed in the sentence?

Încă corresponds to English “yet” or “still.” In negative contexts like “not yet,” it typically comes before the predicate (verb or adjective). Here it precedes gata: nu este încă gata = “is not yet ready.”