Cadourile lor sunt pe masă.

to be

Breakdown of Cadourile lor sunt pe masă.

• masa: the table
• pe: on
• lor: their
• cadoul: the gift

Questions & Answers about Cadourile lor sunt pe masă.

What does each word in Cadourile lor sunt pe masă. literally correspond to in English?

Word‑by‑word:

• cadourile = the presents / the gifts
• lor = their (literally “of them”)
• sunt = are
• pe = on
• masă = table

So a very literal rendering is: “The presents of them are on table.”

Why is “the” attached to the end of cadourile instead of being a separate word?

Romanian usually puts the definite article after the noun as an ending, not as a separate word like English.

• Base noun: cadou = present, gift
• Plural (indefinite): cadouri = presents
• Plural (definite): cadourile = the presents

So:

• English: the presents
• Romanian: cadourile (literally “presents‑the”)

This “postposed article” is a core feature of Romanian grammar and happens with most nouns:

• carte → cartea = the book
• masă → masa = the table
• copii → copiii = the children

What exactly does lor mean, and why does it come after the noun?

Lor is the possessive form for “their” (and also functions as “to them / of them” in other contexts).

Key points:

• It corresponds to English their / theirs, but:
  • It does not change for gender or number of what is possessed:
    • cadoul lor = their present
    • cadourile lor = their presents
    • mașina lor = their car
    • mașinile lor = their cars
• With lor, the normal pattern is:
  • noun + article + lor
    
    • cadourile lor = their presents (literally: the presents of them)

So lor comes after the noun it owns:

• Not: lor cadourile
• But: cadourile lor

How do singular and plural work for cadou / cadourile?

Cadou is a neuter noun. Neuter nouns in Romanian behave:

• like masculine in the singular
• like feminine in the plural

Forms of cadou:

• Singular, indefinite: un cadou = a present
• Singular, definite: cadoul = the present
• Plural, indefinite: cadouri = presents
• Plural, definite: cadourile = the presents

In the sentence, cadourile is plural definite, because we are talking about some specific presents that both speaker and listener know about.

Why is the verb sunt and not something like este?

Romanian a fi = to be has different forms:

• este / e = is (3rd person singular: he / she / it is)
• sunt = am (1st person singular) and are (3rd person plural: they are)

In this sentence, the subject is cadourile lor (their presents):

• cadourile is plural → the verb must be plural
• So: Cadourile lor sunt pe masă. = Their presents are on the table.

If the subject were singular:

• Cadoul lor este pe masă. = Their present is on the table.

What does pe mean here, and when do I use pe instead of în or la?

In this sentence, pe means on (top of), indicating contact with a surface:

• pe masă = on (the) table

Very rough comparison:

• pe = on, onto
  • pe masă = on the table
  • pe perete = on the wall
• în = in, inside
  • în cutie = in the box
  • în casă = in the house
• la = at / to
  • la masă = at the table (eating, sitting there)
  • la școală = at school

So for a physical object resting on a surface, you normally use pe.

Why is there no separate word for “the” before masă (table)? How do I say “on the table” vs “on a table”?

As with cadourile, definiteness is usually shown by an ending, not a separate word.

For masă (table), which is feminine:

• Singular, indefinite: o masă = a table
• Singular, definite: masa = the table

With the preposition pe:

• pe masă = on a table (indefinite form)
• pe masa = on the table (definite form, written masa without ă)

So:

• Your sentence literally has pe masă = on a table.
• To be explicitly “on the table”, it would be pe masa.

(In real usage, context often makes the table unique, so English may naturally translate this as “on the table” even if Romanian uses the indefinite form.)

How is Cadourile lor sunt pe masă. pronounced?

Approximate pronunciation (IPA and rough English hints):

• cadourile → /kaˈdo.u.rile/
  
  • ca-DOU-ri-le (DOU like “dough”)
• lor → /lor/
  
  • like “lore”
• sunt → /sunt/
  
  • like English “soont” without a strong “oo”, closer to [u]
• pe → /pe/
  
  • like “peh”
• masă → /ˈmasə/
  
  • MA-sə (final ă is like the a in sofa or about)

Full phrase: ca-DOU-ri-le lor sunt pe MA-sə.

Can I change the word order, like “On the table are their presents”? Is that still correct?

Yes, Romanian word order is quite flexible, especially for emphasis.

Neutral, most common:

• Cadourile lor sunt pe masă.

Emphasizing the location (on the table):

• Pe masă sunt cadourile lor.
  = On the table are their presents.

Both are grammatically correct. The second is more “stylistic” or emphatic, but perfectly natural in speech and writing.

How would I say “My presents are on the table” or “His / her presents are on the table”?

Just change lor to the appropriate possessive:

• My presents are on the table.

  • Cadourile mele sunt pe masa.
    (mele = my, plural, for feminine & neuter plural)

• Your presents are on the table. (singular “you”)

  • Cadourile tale sunt pe masa.

• His presents are on the table.

  • Cadourile lui sunt pe masa.
    (lui is used for both his and sometimes her, depending on context)

• Her presents are on the table.

  • Cadourile ei sunt pe masa.

Note that lor is special: unlike meu / tău / lui / ei / nostru / vostru, lor never changes form.

How would I make this sentence negative or turn it into a yes/no question?

Negative:

Add nu before the verb:

• Cadourile lor nu sunt pe masă.
  = Their presents are not on the table.

Yes/No question:

Keep the same word order and use rising intonation, or add a question mark in writing:

• Cadourile lor sunt pe masă?
  = Are their presents on the table?

You can also front the location for emphasis:

• Pe masă sunt cadourile lor?
  = Are their presents on the table? (with focus on on the table)