Learn Hardcore Romanian: Banca de lângă parc este liberă.

In Romanian the definite article is enclitic – it attaches as a suffix to the noun. Here bancă (“bench”) + -a (feminine singular definite article) → banca (“the bench”).

What is the function of de in de lângă parc? Could we say just lângă parc?

The combination de lângă forms an attributive phrase meaning “of/by next to.” You use it when you want to specify which bench you mean (“the bench that is next to the park”). If you drop de, banca lângă parc sounds ungrammatical as a noun modifier. You can, however, use lângă on its own in a predicate: Banca e lângă parc (“The bench is next to the park”).

Why is parc not in the genitive case (e.g. parcul) after de?

Here de is part of the locative pattern de lângă, not the genitive preposition. The noun after lângă stays in the basic (nominative/accusative) form without its article. If you wanted “the park’s bench” (possession), you’d say banca parcului.

How do you pronounce â in lângă? Is it different from î?

Both â and î represent the same central, unrounded vowel (similar to the ‘a’ in English “sofa”). The difference is spelling: â appears inside words, while î is used at the beginning or end.

Why does liberă end with -ă?

Romanian adjectives agree with the noun in gender and number. Banca is feminine singular, so liber (“free”) takes the feminine singular ending -ă → liberă.

Can we use the contraction e instead of este here?

Yes. In everyday speech and informal writing este is commonly contracted to e. So Banca de lângă parc e liberă is perfectly natural in conversation.

Can you drop the copula entirely and say Banca de lângă parc liberă?

No. In standard Romanian you need the copular verb in the present tense to form a complete predicate. Omitting este/e would be ungrammatical.

Could we place the adjective before the noun like in English (“free bench”) and say liberă banca?

Adjectives of quality normally follow the noun in Romanian. Putting liberă before banca is possible poetically or for emphasis, but the standard order is banca liberă (and with the locative phrase: banca de lângă parc este liberă).