Podul este acoperit de zăpadă.

The bridge is covered in snow.

Breakdown of Podul este acoperit de zăpadă.

• a fi: to be
• podul: the bridge
• acoperit de zăpadă: covered in snow

Questions & Answers about Podul este acoperit de zăpadă.

Why is podul written with -ul at the end?

This is the Romanian definite article attached to the noun. In Romanian, masculine singular nouns form the definite article enclitically by adding -ul. So pod means “bridge” (indefinite), and podul means “the bridge” (definite).

Why is there no article before zăpadă?

Here zăpadă is used as a mass (uncountable) noun—think “snow” in general. In Romanian, general or uncountable nouns typically appear without an article when you don’t mean a specific quantity. It’s like English “covered with snow” rather than “covered with the snow.”

What does acoperit mean and what role does it play in the sentence?

acoperit is the past participle of a acoperi (“to cover”). In Podul este acoperit de zăpadă, este acoperit functions as a passive-like construction meaning “is covered.” You can also think of acoperit as an adjective (“covered”).

Why is de used before zăpadă instead of cu?

In Romanian passive constructions, de introduces the agent (the one doing the action)—here, the snow. So este acoperit de zăpadă literally means “is covered by snow.” If you want to emphasize the material or instrument, you can also say este acoperit cu zăpadă (“is covered with snow”). Both are correct; using de highlights snow as the agent of covering.

Does acoperit change form to agree with the subject?

Yes. As a past participle used adjectivally, it agrees in gender and number. For example:

• Masculine singular: Podul este acoperit
• Feminine singular: Casa este acoperită
• Masculine plural: Podurile sunt acoperiți
• Feminine plural: Florile sunt acoperite

How can I express the same idea in the active voice?

Make zăpada the subject and use the present tense of a acoperi:
Zăpada acoperă podul.
Here zăpada (“the snow”) is the subject, acoperă is “covers,” and podul is the object.