Learn Hardcore Romanian: Podul vechi este lung și frumos. - The old bridge is long and beautiful.

Romanian expresses the definite article as a suffix on the noun. Here pod (bridge) becomes pod-ul to mean the bridge. There is no separate word for “the” in Romanian—each noun simply takes a masculine, feminine or plural ending to mark definiteness.

Why is the adjective vechi placed after podul, and not before it?

In Romanian, adjectives usually follow the noun they modify when giving a simple descriptive detail. So podul vechi is the normal order for the old bridge. You can sometimes place an adjective before the noun for emphasis or a poetic feel (e.g. vechiul pod), but the standard, neutral pattern is noun + adjective.

Why is the adjective vechi not vechiul, matching the definite form of the noun?

Only the noun itself takes the definite article. Attributive adjectives agree in gender, number and (in some cases) definiteness, but they do not carry a separate article. For a masculine singular noun like podul, the adjective remains in its basic masculine singular form vechi.

How do lung and frumos agree with podul?

Both adjectives lung (long) and frumos (beautiful) are in the masculine singular form to match podul, which is a masculine singular noun. You can recognize the masculine singular adjective endings here are either a consonant (-ng in lung) or -os in frumos.

Why are lung and frumos placed after the verb este?

After a linking verb like este (is), adjectives function as a predicate and describe the subject. Romanian, like English, orders it Subject – Verb – Predicate Adjective. So you get Podul vechi (subject) este (verb) lung și frumos (predicate).

How do you connect two adjectives in Romanian?

You use the conjunction și, which means “and.” No comma is required before și in a simple list of two adjectives. So lung și frumos literally reads “long and beautiful.”

Could you say Podul vechi e lung și frumos instead of este?

Yes. e is the colloquial contraction of este. It’s very common in speech and informal writing: Podul vechi e lung și frumos. In formal writing you’ll generally prefer the full form este.

Can you omit the verb and say Podul vechi, lung și frumos?

You can drop este in headlines, labels or very telegraphic descriptions, but in a normal sentence you need the verb. Without este, it would read like a list of attributes rather than a complete statement.

How would you make this sentence negative?

Insert nu before the verb. For example:
Podul vechi nu este lung și frumos.
This denies both qualities. If you wanted to deny them separately, you could say: Podul vechi nu este lung și nu este frumos.

How would you ask a question about it?

Flip subject and verb, or simply add a question intonation. Formal inversion:
Este podul vechi lung și frumos?
In speech, you can also say: Podul vechi e lung și frumos?