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Sora mea merge la școală, iar fratele meu lucrează în oraș.

Sora mea merge la școală, iar fratele meu lucrează în oraș.
My sister goes to school, and my brother works in the city.

Breakdown of Sora mea merge la școală, iar fratele meu lucrează în oraș.

mea
my
a merge
to go
la
to
orașul
the city
a lucra
to work
în
in
meu
my
școala
the school
iar
and
sora
the sister
fratele
the brother
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Questions & Answers about Sora mea merge la școală, iar fratele meu lucrează în oraș.

What is the difference between sora and soră? Is one of them wrong?

Both are correct, but they have different uses:

  • soră = a sister (indefinite form, like English a sister)
  • sora = the sister (definite form, like English the sister)

Romanian usually adds the definite article at the end of the noun:

  • soră → sora (sister → the sister)
  • frate → fratele (brother → the brother)

So Sora mea literally means the sister of mine (my sister).

Why does sora end with -a and fratele with -le? Are these articles?

Yes, those endings are the definite articles in Romanian, attached to the end of the noun:

  • Feminine singular often takes -a or -ea:

    • soră → sora (sister → the sister)
    • casă → casa (house → the house)

  • Masculine singular often takes -le or -l:

    • frate → fratele (brother → the brother)
    • băiat → băiatul (boy → the boy)

So sora = the sister, fratele = the brother.

Why is it sora mea, not mea soră?

In Romanian, the possessive adjective (my, your, etc.) usually comes after the noun it modifies:

  • sora mea = my sister (literally: sister my)
  • fratele meu = my brother (literally: brother my)

The normal order is:

[noun with article] + [possessive]
sora + mea → sora mea
fratele + meu → fratele meu

Putting the possessive before the noun (mea soră) is not the standard pattern and will sound wrong in normal speech.

Why do we say mea in sora mea but meu in fratele meu?

The possessive must agree in gender and number with the noun, not with the person who owns it.

Romanian forms of “my”:

  • Masculine singular: meu
  • Feminine singular: mea
  • Masculine plural: mei
  • Feminine (and mixed) plural: mele

So:

  • soră is feminine → sora mea (my sister)
  • frate is masculine → fratele meu (my brother)
What does iar mean? Is it just another word for și (and)?

iar is also translated as and, but it usually has a nuance of contrast or comparison between two clauses, similar to:

  • whereas
  • while
  • and on the other hand

In your sentence:

Sora mea merge la școală, iar fratele meu lucrează în oraș.

This suggests a small contrast: My sister goes to school, whereas my brother works in the city.

You could say și fratele meu instead (see below), but iar subtly highlights the difference between what the sister does and what the brother does.

Can I say Sora mea merge la școală, și fratele meu lucrează în oraș instead of iar fratele meu?

You can, and people will understand you, but it sounds a bit less natural with that comma + și in written Romanian.

More natural options:

  • Sora mea merge la școală, iar fratele meu lucrează în oraș.
  • Sora mea merge la școală și fratele meu lucrează în oraș. (without a comma)

Use iar when you want to slightly emphasize the contrast or difference between the two actions.

Why is there a comma before iar?

Romanian punctuation is similar to English here. You have two independent clauses:

  1. Sora mea merge la școală
  2. (iar) fratele meu lucrează în oraș

They are joined by the conjunction iar, so a comma before iar is standard, just as in English:

  • My sister goes to school, and my brother works in the city.

You’ll normally write a comma before iar when it links two full clauses.

Why is it la școală but în oraș? Aren’t both “in/to”?

la and în both relate to location, but they’re used differently:

  • la is like to / at:

    • la școală = to school / at school
    • la serviciu = to work / at work
    • la doctor = to the doctor / at the doctor

  • în is like in / inside:

    • în oraș = in the city
    • în casă = in the house
    • în parc = in the park

So:

  • merge la școală – movement towards a place, a routine destination (school)
  • lucrează în oraș – working within the area of the city
Why is it la școală without the, but în oraș seems like “in the city”? Where is “the”?

Romanian uses articles a bit differently than English in set expressions.

  1. la școală

    • Literally: to school / at school
    • No definite article is used here, because this is a fixed expression for going to or being at school in general, as an institution.

    You could say la școala din cartier (to the school in the neighborhood), but then you specify which school and you add the article.

  2. în oraș

    • Literally can be read as in (the) city; when you mean “in town / in the city (general area)”, în oraș is the normal phrase.
    • You can also say în orașul meu (in my city), with a clear definite article and a possessor.

So:

  • la școală – idiomatic, like English at school
  • în oraș – more like in town / in the city as an area, article not always felt as strongly as in English.
How do you pronounce școală and oraș? What sounds are ș and ă?

Key sounds:

  • ș = like sh in English she, short

    • școală ≈ “shkoah-luh”
    • oraș ≈ “o-RAHSH”

  • ă = a short, neutral vowel (schwa), similar to a in sofa or e in taken

    • școală – the last ă is like the a in sofa: “shkoah-lə”
    • sora has a (not ă), a more open sound, like a in father but shorter

Approximate pronunciation:

  • Sora mea merge la școală ≈ “SO-ra meh-ah MER-je la SHKOA-lə”
  • iar fratele meu lucrează în oraș ≈ “yar FRA-te-leh meh-oo loo-KREH-za în o-RAHSH”
Could I say se duce la școală instead of merge la școală? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

  • merge la școală

    • very common, neutral
    • simply: goes to school (as a regular action or right now)

  • se duce la școală

    • also goes to school
    • can feel a bit more colloquial or focused on the act of going rather than the routine
    • sometimes sounds like is heading off to school in a specific situation

In your sentence, merge la școală is the most natural and typical way to describe the regular fact that she goes to school.

Does merge mean “goes” or “is going”? How do you say the continuous form in Romanian?

Romanian present tense usually covers both:

  • Sora mea merge la școală.
    • can mean My sister goes to school (habitually)
    • or My sister is going to school (now), depending on context

Romanian doesn’t have a separate -ing form like English. You use the same present tense and rely on context, or add a time word:

  • Acum sora mea merge la școală. = Right now my sister is going to school.
  • În fiecare zi sora mea merge la școală. = Every day my sister goes to school.
What exactly does lucrează mean? Is it just “works”? How is it conjugated?

lucrează is the 3rd person singular present of a lucra = to work.

  • (eu) lucrez – I work
  • (tu) lucrezi – you work
  • (el/ea) lucrează – he/she works
  • (noi) lucrăm – we work
  • (voi) lucrați – you (pl.) work
  • (ei/ele) lucrează – they work

In your sentence:

fratele meu lucrează în oraș = my brother works in the city
(or my brother is working in the city, depending on context).

Is there a difference between a lucra and a munci for “to work”?

Both mean to work, but with slightly different flavor:

  • a lucra

    • the most neutral and common verb for working (job, office, etc.)
    • fratele meu lucrează în oraș – perfectly natural

  • a munci

    • often implies hard, physical, or effortful work
    • fratele meu muncește din greu – my brother works hard

You can say fratele meu muncește în oraș, but lucrează is the default neutral choice for “has a job / works in the city”.