Breakdown of Mesajul de la pisica tristă spune că prăjitura este dificil de găsit în cameră.
a fi
to be
în
in
de la
from
a spune
to say
că
that
pisica
the cat
trist
sad
mesajul
the message
camera
the room
prăjitura
the cake
dificil de găsit
difficult to find
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Questions & Answers about Mesajul de la pisica tristă spune că prăjitura este dificil de găsit în cameră.
Why is the definite article attached to mesaj in mesajul?
In Romanian, the definite article for masculine singular nouns is enclitic, attached to the end of the word. mesaj (message) + -ul = mesajul (the message).
What does de la mean in mesajul de la pisica tristă?
de la means from. It indicates the sender or origin: the message from the sad cat.
Why do pisica and tristă end with -a/ă?
Pisica ends in -a because it’s a feminine singular noun with the definite article. Tristă ends in -ă because adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun; here they’re both feminine singular.
How is the letter ă pronounced in pisică and tristă?
ă is pronounced /ə/, similar to the vowel in English sofa. So pisică = /piˈsi.kə/ and tristă = /ˈtris.tə/.
What is the function of că in spune că prăjitura…?
că is the conjunction that introducing indirect speech. spune că = says that.
Why is dificil in its masculine singular form instead of agreeing with prăjitura?
In the impersonal construction este dificil de + past participle, the adjective stays in the masculine singular form regardless of the noun’s gender or number, expressing difficult to be found.
Why do we use the past participle găsit with de instead of the infinitive a găsi?
The structure dificil de + past participle creates an impersonal, passive-like meaning (difficult to be found). găsit is the past participle of a găsi, following de to form that meaning.
Why is there no article on cameră after în in în cameră?
When expressing location, Romanian often omits the article after în: în cameră = in the room (definite by context). To say in a room, you’d use într-o cameră.