Supa are puțin ulei, dar nu este picantă.

The soup has a little oil, but it is not spicy.

Breakdown of Supa are puțin ulei, dar nu este picantă.

• nu: not
• a avea: to have
• a fi: to be
• puțin: a little

Questions & Answers about Supa are puțin ulei, dar nu este picantă.

What does supa mean, and why isn’t it just supă?

Supă is the indefinite form (“soup”), while supa is the definite form (“the soup”). In Romanian the article attaches to the end of the noun: for feminine nouns like supă, you add -a to get supa (the soup).

Why is are used here instead of este for “has”?

In Romanian you express possession with the verb a avea (“to have”). Are is the third-person singular present of a avea, so supa are puțin ulei literally means “the soup has a little oil.” Este is the verb “to be,” not “to have.”

Why is there no article before ulei (“oil”)?

When you quantify something with words like puțin (“a little”), you don’t use the definite article. You say puțin ulei (lit. “a little oil”), not uleiul or un ulei. That expresses an indefinite small amount.

Why is it puțin and not puțină or puțini?