Breakdown of Medicul spune că sănătatea este mai importantă decât munca.
a fi
to be
important
important
mai
more
decât
than
medicul
the doctor
a spune
to say
că
that
sănătatea
the health
munca
the work
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Questions & Answers about Medicul spune că sănătatea este mai importantă decât munca.
What is că and how does it function in this sentence?
că is a conjunction meaning “that.” It introduces the subordinate clause sănătatea este mai importantă decât munca, much like English “that” in “The doctor says that health is more important than work.”
Why does medic have the -ul suffix in Medicul?
Romanian marks the definite article as a suffix on the noun. medic (doctor) is masculine; adding -ul makes it Medicul, “the doctor.”
Why does sănătate appear as sănătatea with an -a at the end?
sănătate is a feminine noun. In Romanian, the definite article for feminine singular nouns is -a, so sănătatea means “the health.” Abstract or general concepts often take the definite article to refer to the whole idea.
How is the comparative form mai importantă decât constructed?
Romanian comparatives of superiority use the pattern mai + adjective + decât (“than”). Here mai importantă decât literally means “more important than.”
Is it correct to use ca instead of decât in comparatives?
In formal, standard Romanian you should use decât in “more… than” comparisons. ca appears in some dialects or informal speech but is not recommended in written or careful spoken Romanian when expressing inequality.
Why is the verb este used instead of the shortened form e?
este is the full third-person singular form of “to be” in Romanian and is preferred in formal or written language. e is a colloquial contraction you’ll hear in casual conversation.
What case are sănătatea and munca in here?
Both nouns are in the nominative case (which also serves as the accusative). sănătatea acts as the predicate nominative linked by este, and munca follows decât, which governs the nominative for comparisons.
Can the word order change from Medicul spune că sănătatea este mai importantă decât munca to something like Spune medicul că…?
Yes. Romanian word order is fairly flexible. Placing the verb first (Spune medicul…) can sound more formal, literary, or emphatic, while the subject-verb order (Medicul spune…) is the default neutral structure.