Grădina vecinului este plină de flori colorate.

to be

Breakdown of Grădina vecinului este plină de flori colorate.

• de: of
• vecinul: the neighbor
• grădina: the garden

Questions & Answers about Grădina vecinului este plină de flori colorate.

Why don’t we use an apostrophe in grădina vecinului like in English?

Romanian marks possession with case endings, not an apostrophe. Here:

• vecinului is the genitive form of vecinul (the neighbor).
• grădina vecinului literally means “the garden of the neighbor.”
  There’s no apostrophe—possession is clear from the ending -ului on vecin.

How is the definite article formed in grădina?

Romanian uses enclitic articles attached to the end of nouns:

• Feminine nouns add -a (e.g. grădină → grădina).
• Masculine nouns add -ul (e.g. vecin → vecinul).
  So grădină (garden) + -a = grădina (the garden).

What case is vecinului, and why is it used here?

vecinului is in the genitive (also identical to the dative) singular masculine:

• Genitive expresses “of the neighbor.”
• The ending -ului shows both definiteness and the possessive relation.
  Thus grădina vecinului = “the garden of the neighbor.”

Why is the adjective plină used instead of plin?