Paharul este plin de apă.

The glass is full of water.

Breakdown of Paharul este plin de apă.

• apa: the water
• a fi: to be
• de: of
• paharul: the glass
• plin: full

Questions & Answers about Paharul este plin de apă.

What does paharul mean, and why is the definite article attached at the end?

paharul means the glass. In Romanian, masculine (and neuter) nouns form the definite article by attaching -ul (or -le in some cases) to the noun:
pahar (glass) → pahar + ul → paharul (the glass).

How do I pronounce the letter ă in paharul and apă?

The letter ă represents the schwa sound, similar to the ‘a’ in English sofa.

• paharul is pronounced /pəˈharul/ (puh-ha-rul)
• apă is pronounced /ˈapə/ (ah-puh)

Why is there no article before apă?

Here apă is used as a mass (uncountable) noun in an indefinite sense (water in general). After the preposition de (of), you don’t add a definite or indefinite article. If you wanted the water, you’d say apa (without de):
• Paharul este plin cu apa – “The glass is full of the water” (less common)

What is the role of de in plin de apă, and can I use cu instead?

With the adjective plin (full), the standard preposition is de to express what something is full of:
• plin de apă, plin de noroi, plin de treabă
Using cu would be incorrect in this construction. You might encounter plin cu in very colloquial or regional speech, but the norm is plin de.

Can I replace este with e to make it more colloquial?

Yes. e is the informal contraction of este. Both are correct:
• Paharul este plin de apă.
• Paharul e plin de apă.
The second is more common in speech and informal writing.

How would I say “The glasses are full of water” in Romanian?

1. Glasses (definite): paharele
2. Verb for “are”: sunt
3. Adjective “full” must agree in number; neuter nouns behave like feminine in the plural, so plin → pline
   Putting it all together:
   • Paharele sunt pline de apă.

What part of speech is plin, and how does it agree with the noun?

plin is an adjective meaning full. It agrees in gender and number:

• singular masculine/neuter: plin
• singular feminine: plină
• plural masculine: plini
• plural feminine (and neuter plural): pline

Why is paharul definite here, and how would I make it indefinite?

Because we’re referring to a specific glass (“the glass”). To say “A glass is full of water,” you’d use the indefinite article un:
• Un pahar este plin de apă.
Or more naturally as a descriptive noun phrase:
• Un pahar plin de apă.