Breakdown of Copiii aleargă în parc dimineața.
dimineață
in the morning
în
in
parcul
the park
copilul
the child
a alerga
to run
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Questions & Answers about Copiii aleargă în parc dimineața.
What does Copiii mean, and what is the role of the -ii ending?
Copiii is the definite plural of copil, meaning child. In Romanian you form the plural by adding -i (copii = children) and then add another -i as the plural definite article suffix, giving copiii = the children.
What is the base verb of aleargă, and how is it conjugated in the present tense?
The infinitive is a alerga (to run). Its present-tense forms are:
eu alerg
tu alergi
el/ea aleargă
noi alergăm
voi alergați
ei/ele aleargă
Here, aleargă appears for both third person singular and plural — he/she runs and they run.
How can I tell if aleargă means they run or he/she runs here?
Romanian uses the same form aleargă for third person singular and plural. You determine number from the subject: Copiii is plural, so aleargă means they run.
Why is it în parc and not în parcul? Should there be an article before parc?
Romanian often drops the definite article after prepositions when referring to location in general. în parc means in the park/a park generically. If you want to specify in the [specific] park, you would say în parcul.
What is the difference between în parc and la parc?
- în parc highlights being inside the park’s boundaries in the park.
- la parc is more colloquial and can mean to the park or at the park, focusing on location or movement without stressing inside vs. outside.
Why is there no în before dimineața? Shouldn’t it be în dimineața?
Dimineața (literally the morning) functions as an adverb of time: in the morning. In Romanian, when you use the definite form of nouns denoting times of day, they act like adverbs and you don’t add another preposition.
How do you pronounce the Romanian letters î (in în) and ă (in aleargă, dimineața)?
- î (and â) is a central vowel [ɨ], similar to the i in cousin or to a sound like uh, produced with the tongue pulled slightly back.
- ă is a mid-central vowel [ə], like the a in sofa or about.
Can I move dimineața to the front, as in Dimineața copiii aleargă în parc?
Yes. Word order in Romanian is flexible. Placing dimineața at the front emphasizes the time—in the morning, the children run in the park. The neutral order is Subject–Verb–Place–Time.
How would you roughly pronounce Copiii aleargă în parc dimineața?
A rough guide using English syllables:
Copiii: co-PEE-ee
aleargă: a-LAIR-guh
în: uhn (the î is like uh but more centralized)
parc: park
dimineața: dee-mee-NEA-tsuh
Putting it all together: co-PEE-ee a-LAIR-guh uhn park dee-mee-NEA-tsuh