Breakdown of În pădure cântăm la chitară, iar vecinul nostru ascultă fericit.
noi
we
la
on
în
in
a asculta
to listen
iar
and
vecinul
the neighbor
chitara
the guitar
pădurea
the forest
a cânta
to play
nostru
our
fericit
happily
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Questions & Answers about În pădure cântăm la chitară, iar vecinul nostru ascultă fericit.
Why is there no article before pădure in În pădure?
Because În pădure here means “in a forest” (indefinite). Romanian often drops the article for general locations. If you meant “in the forest” (specific), you would say în pădurea (adding the “-a” definite ending).
Could we also say într-o pădure instead of în pădure?
Yes. Both în pădure and într-o pădure mean “in a forest.” Într-o pădure (“in a forest”) is slightly more explicit or literary; în pădure is more colloquial.
What is the function of la chitară? Why not just chitară?
To express “playing an instrument,” Romanian uses the fixed construction a cânta la [instrument]. The preposition la introduces the instrument. You cannot say cântăm chitară or cântăm cu chitară in this context.
Why does the possessive nostru come after vecinul (not before)?
In Romanian, possessive pronouns normally follow the noun: vecinul nostru means “our neighbor.” Placing the pronoun before (nostru vecinul) would be ungrammatical.
Why is noi (we) omitted in cântăm?
Romanian verb endings encode person and number. The ending -ăm on cântăm already tells you it’s 1st person plural (“we”), so the pronoun noi is optional and usually dropped.
What person and number are cântăm and ascultă?
• Cântăm is 1st person plural (“we sing/play”).
• Ascultă is 3rd person singular (“he/she listens”).
Why is there a comma before iar?
When you connect two independent clauses in Romanian with iar, you place a comma before it. Here, it links the act of playing to the neighbor’s reaction.
What’s the difference between iar and și?
Both can mean “and,” but:
• și is a straightforward additive “and.”
• iar can imply contrast, continuation or “while/whereas” – it often links two separate actions or states more loosely than și.
What role does fericit play at the end of the sentence?
Fericit is an adjective used adverbially (“happily”). Romanian frequently uses adjectives in place of adverbs without changing their form.
How would you specify a particular forest or a particular guitar?
You’d add the definite article (and maybe a possessive/demonstrative):
• Specific forest: în pădurea mea (“in my forest”) or în pădurea cea veche (“in the old forest”).
• Specific guitar: la chitara noastră (“on/with our guitar”).