Câinele devine fericit când primește o gustare.

a (feminine)

Breakdown of Câinele devine fericit când primește o gustare.

• când: when
• gustarea: the snack
• câinele: the dog

Questions & Answers about Câinele devine fericit când primește o gustare.

Why is the definite article -le attached to câine?

In Romanian the definite article is enclitic (it attaches to the end of the noun). For most masculine singular nouns ending in -e, you add -le. So câine (dog) + -le = câinele (the dog).

Why is it o gustare and not un gustar?

Gustare is a feminine noun (it ends in -ă). The feminine singular indefinite article is o, so you get o gustare (“a snack”). You would use un only with masculine nouns.

What’s the rule for using â versus î in words like câinele and când?

Romanian spelling uses î at the very beginning or end of words, and â everywhere else. Since câinele and când both have the sound in a non-initial, non-final position, you write â.

How do you pronounce the letter ș in primește?

The letter ș (s with a comma) is pronounced like English sh in she. So primește is roughly /priˈmeʃ.te/.

Why are both devine and primește in the present tense? Shouldn’t one be in the past or future?