Breakdown of Harta arată o bancă în centru unde putem mânca un sandviș.
un
a
o
a
a mânca
to eat
în
in
unde
where
a putea
to be able to
a arăta
to show
harta
the map
banca
the bench
centrul
the center
sandvișul
the sandwich
Questions & Answers about Harta arată o bancă în centru unde putem mânca un sandviș.
Why is harta spelled without a separate word for “the map”?
In Romanian the definite article is a suffix. The dictionary form hartă means “map” (indefinite). Adding -a (hartă + -a = harta) turns it into “the map.”
What form is the verb arată, and why is it used here?
Arată is the 3rd person singular present indicative of a arăta (“to show”). Here it means “shows”: “The map shows …”.
Why do we say o bancă instead of just bancă, and how do we know it means “bench” not “bank”?
O is the feminine singular indefinite article, so o bancă = “a bench.” Although bancă can also mean “bank,” context (a map pointing at a spot where you sit) tells us it’s “bench.”
Why is there no article before centru in în centru?
“În centru” is an idiomatic adverbial phrase meaning “downtown” or “in the center.” If you wanted “in the city center,” you’d say în centrul orașului (centru + -l = definite).
What is the function of unde in this sentence?
Unde is a relative pronoun meaning “where,” introducing the clause “where we can eat a sandwich.”
How do we form putem and what does it mean?
Putem is the 1st person plural present indicative of a putea (“to be able to”), meaning “we can.”
Why is mânca in the infinitive form?
After modal verbs like putem, Romanian uses the infinitive for the next verb: “we can eat” = putem mânca.
Why is un sandviș used instead of sandvișul or just sandviș?
Un is the masculine singular indefinite article, so un sandviș = “a sandwich.” Sandvișul would be “the sandwich.”
How is the letter â in în pronounced?
 (and î) denote a close central unrounded vowel [ɨ], a bit like the ‘i’ in English “roses” but more centralized.
How do we pronounce ș at the end of sandviș?
The letter ș is pronounced /ʃ/ (like English “sh” in “shoe”).
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