Supa are mult ulei.

to have

Breakdown of Supa are mult ulei.

• supa: the soup
• mult: much
• uleiul: the oil

Questions & Answers about Supa are mult ulei.

Why is are used instead of este?

In Romanian, a avea means “to have.” The form are is the third-person singular present (“he/she/it has”). English says “The soup has a lot of oil,” so you use are. Este means “is,” so Supa este mult ulei would literally read “The soup is much oil,” which isn’t how you express having something in Romanian.

What does ulei mean, and is it countable?

ulei means “oil.” In this context it’s an uncountable (mass) noun—you don’t say “one oil, two oils.” That’s why the singular form ulei is used without any plural marker.

Why is mult used instead of multă?

Romanian adjectives agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify. ulei is a masculine singular noun, so you use the masculine singular form mult. The form multă would be feminine (“much” for a feminine noun, e.g. multă apă).

What’s the difference between mult, mai mult, and prea mult?

– mult = “much” or “a lot” (“Supa are mult ulei” = “The soup has much oil,” i.e. “a lot of oil”).
– mai mult = “more” (comparative). E.g. “Vreau mai mult ulei” = “I want more oil.”
– prea mult = “too much.” E.g. “Supa are prea mult ulei” = “The soup has too much oil.”