Oaspetele este la ușă acum.

to be

Breakdown of Oaspetele este la ușă acum.

• acum: now
• la: at
• ușa: the door

Questions & Answers about Oaspetele este la ușă acum.

What does the -le at the end of oaspetele indicate?

The -le is the enclitic definite article for masculine singular nouns in Romanian. It turns oaspete (guest) into oaspetele, meaning the guest in English.

Why doesn’t ușă have an article (why not ușa)?

When you use the preposition la (“at”), you cannot add the enclitic definite article to the noun. So la ușă literally means at door, which we translate as at the door. Adding -a to make ușa would be like saying at the-the door.

What role does la play in la ușă?

la is a preposition meaning at (or to). Here it marks location: la ușă = at the door.

Can I say Oaspetele e la ușă acum instead of este?

Yes. In everyday speech, este is often contracted to e. Both Oaspetele este la ușă acum and Oaspetele e la ușă acum are correct.