Learn Hardcore Romanian: Este ușor să pierzi drumul fără hartă. - It is easy to lose your way without a map.

este is the third‐person singular present form of the verb a fi (to be). Here it introduces an impersonal construction equivalent to “it is” in English, used to comment on the ease of an action. The sentence literally reads “It is easy to lose the road without a map.”

Why do we use să pierzi (the subjunctive) instead of an infinitive?

In Romanian, after impersonal expressions that describe opinion, possibility or necessity (like este ușor, este important, e nevoie), the subordinate verb takes the subjunctive introduced by să. So să pierzi expresses the potential action “to lose.”

Why is drumul definite (“the road”) rather than indefinite (“a road”)?

Using the definite form drumul implies a general concept of “the way/road” rather than a particular unnamed road. In Romanian, certain expressions about getting lost use the definite article to make the idea more abstract or generic, similar to saying “lose the way” in English.

Why is there no article before hartă?

After fără (meaning “without”), Romanian nouns are used in the indefinite form without any article. Thus fără hartă means “without a map,” not “without the map.”

Could we say fără o hartă instead of fără hartă?

Yes, fără o hartă literally means “without a map” with a slight emphasis on some unspecified map. It’s correct but a bit more specific. Fără hartă is more idiomatic and general.

Is the word order flexible here? Could we say E ușor să pierzi drumul fără hartă?

Yes, E is just a shortened form of Este, so E ușor să pierzi drumul fără hartă is perfectly acceptable in informal speech and writing. The overall word order remains the same because ușor (adjective) precedes the subordinate clause să pierzi….

Why don’t we need to add a preposition before drumul after pierzi?

The verb a pierde (to lose) directly takes its object without a preposition when you lose something tangible or abstract (like drumul, cheile, ocazia). Hence pierzi drumul is standard.

How would you pronounce ușor and hartă correctly?

ușor is pronounced [u-ˈʃor], with the “ș” sounding like the English “sh.” hartă is [ˈhar-tə], with a schwa sound “ə” at the end. The stress falls on the first syllable in both words.