Learn Hardcore Romanian: Familia mea locuiește într-un apartament mic.

So the natural order is “familia mea” = my family, literally “the-family my.” Putting mea before the noun is not correct in standard Romanian.

Why does “familia” end in -a? What does that -a mean?

The final -a on familia is the definite article (“the”) attached to a feminine singular noun. In Romanian, the definite article is usually a suffix:

o familie = a family
familia = the family

So “Familia mea” literally means “The family my”, which in normal English is “My family.”

If “familia” is singular, why is the English translation “My family lives” and not “My family live”?

Grammatically, familia is singular in Romanian, and the verb locuiește is also 3rd person singular.

(ea) locuiește = she/it lives

In English, “family” can be treated as singular or plural depending on style and dialect. Many American speakers prefer “My family lives …”, matching the Romanian singular. British English often allows “My family live …”, but the Romanian sentence clearly treats “family” as a singular unit.

How do you pronounce “locuiește” and what does the little hat (ˆ) on “e” mean?

locuiește is pronounced approximately [lo-ku-YESH-te]:

lo like low (but shorter)
cu like koo
ie merges into a ye sound
ș = “sh” in she
te like teh

The hat on ș (an s with a comma below in correct Romanian typography) indicates the “sh” sound. It’s not on the e; it’s on the s: ș. The ending -ește is a common 3rd person singular present tense ending for many verbs (like locui = to live/reside).

What’s the difference between “locuiește”, “trăiește”, and “stă” for “lives”?

All three can be translated as “lives,” but they have different nuances:

locuiește – focuses on residing somewhere, having a place to live.
- Familia mea locuiește într-un apartament. = My family lives (resides) in an apartment.
trăiește – focuses on being alive / living life, or living in a broader sense.
- El trăiește încă. = He is still alive.
- Trăiește în România. = He lives in Romania (more about life there, not just address).
stă – literally “stays/sits,” but commonly used in speech for living/residing, especially in casual conversation.
- Unde stai? = Where do you live / stay?

In your sentence, locuiește is the most neutral and standard when talking about living in a specific dwelling.

What does “într-un” mean, and why is there a hyphen?

într-un is a contraction of “în + un”:

în = in
un = a / one (masculine singular)

So “într-un apartament” literally means “in a(n) apartment.”

The hyphen shows that these words are phonologically joined in writing. After în, when it’s followed by un or o, Romanian usually writes:

într-un = în + un
într-o = în + o

This makes pronunciation smoother: [în-trun] instead of pausing between în and un.

Why is it “un apartament mic” and not “o apartament mic”?

Romanian nouns have gender. apartament is masculine (even though it ends in -t, not -ul or -u in its basic form).

For masculine singular, the indefinite article is un:

un apartament = an apartment

For feminine singular, you would use o:

o casă = a house

So you must say un apartament mic, not o apartament mic.

Why does “mic” come after “apartament”? In English the adjective comes before.

In Romanian, adjectives generally come after the noun:

un apartament mic = a small apartment
o mașină nouă = a new car

So the natural order is noun + adjective. Some adjectives can be placed before the noun for emphasis or style, but the basic, neutral pattern is: noun first, adjective second. That’s why it’s “apartament mic”, not “mic apartament.”

Does “mic” agree in gender and number with “apartament”?

Yes. Romanian adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number.

apartament is masculine singular, so the adjective is also masculine singular: mic.
Compare with:
o casă mică (feminine singular)
doi câini mici (masculine plural)
două case mici (feminine plural)

So “un apartament mic” is the correct masc. singular agreement.

Could I say “Familia mea stă într-un apartament mic” instead? Is that wrong?

It’s not wrong, but it’s a bit more informal/colloquial.

Familia mea locuiește într-un apartament mic.
– neutral, standard way to say “My family lives in a small apartment.”
Familia mea stă într-un apartament mic.
– very common in conversation; it can mean the same thing, but stă is less formal and can also mean “stays” (temporarily) depending on context.

Why is it “într-un apartament” and not “la un apartament”?

în generally means “in / inside” and is used for being inside a space or building:

într-un apartament = in an apartment
în casă = in the house

la is more like “at / to” and is used for locations as points or destinations:

la școală = at school / to school
la serviciu = at work

For where someone lives inside (an apartment, a house, a room), într-un apartament is the natural choice.

Is there a plural form related to this sentence, like “My family lives in small apartments”?

Yes. To make it plural, you’d change the noun, the article, and the adjective:

apartament → apartamente (apartments)
un → niște (some, used as a generic plural article)
mic → mici (plural form of “small”)

A natural version:

Familia mea locuiește în niște apartamente mici.
Literally: “My family lives in some small apartments.”
(More context would usually be needed to make this sentence sound natural, but grammatically that’s how you’d form the plural.)

Why is the verb “locuiește” and not “locuiesc” with familia mea?

Locui is conjugated:

(eu) locuiesc – I live
(tu) locuiești – you live (singular)
(el/ea) locuiește – he/she/it lives
(noi) locuim – we live
(voi) locuiți – you (plural) live
(ei/ele) locuiesc – they live

Familia mea is grammatically 3rd person singular (“it”), so it takes locuiește, not locuiesc. Even though a family is made of several people, in grammar it’s treated as one unit, like “the group lives” → singular verb.