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Questions & Answers about Soarele apune târziu vara.
Which word is the subject of the sentence?
The subject is soarele, meaning “the sun.” Romanian forms the definite article by adding it to the end of the noun; here soare + le = soarele.
Why does soarele end with -le instead of another ending?
Romanian uses enclitic articles. For masculine nouns ending in -e, the singular definite article is -le. That’s why soare becomes soarele.
What form is apune and what does it mean?
apune is the third-person singular present indicative of the verb a apune, which means “to set” (as in the sun setting). It’s intransitive here and not reflexive.
What is the function of târziu in this sentence?
târziu is an adverb modifying the verb apune, indicating when the action happens: “late.”
Why is there no preposition before vara? How should I understand vara here?
vara is the definite form of vară (“summer”) used as a temporal adverbial meaning “in summer.” Many temporal nouns in Romanian can function this way without în.
Could I also say În vară, soarele apune târziu? Is there a difference?
Yes, În vară, soarele apune târziu is perfectly correct and equally common. Adding în with vară is more explicit; using vara alone is a more compact adverbial form. Both translate as “In summer, the sun sets late.”
Why isn’t vara capitalized?
In Romanian, seasons of the year (like months or days of the week) are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.
Can I change the word order, for example Vara, soarele apune târziu?
Absolutely. Romanian allows flexible word order. Placing vara at the beginning adds emphasis to “in summer,” but the overall meaning remains “The sun sets late in summer.”