Breakdown of Elevul este la fel de liniștit ca eleva la curs.
Questions & Answers about Elevul este la fel de liniștit ca eleva la curs.
La fel de ... ca is the normal way to express equality, just like English “as ... as”.
- la fel de = equally / as …
- ca = as
So:
- la fel de liniștit ca = as quiet/calm as
This pattern is very productive:
- la fel de înalt ca el – as tall as him
- la fel de interesant ca filmul – as interesting as the movie
The adjective agrees with the first noun it describes, not with the second one in the comparison.
The structure is:
- Elevul (masculine, singular) este la fel de liniștit
- ca eleva (feminine, singular)
So liniștit must be:
- masculine
- singular
If you started the sentence with the girl, the adjective would change:
- Eleva este la fel de liniștită ca elevul la curs.
(The female student is as quiet as the male student in class.)
Both mean “pupil / school student”, but they mark gender:
- elevul = the male pupil (masculine, singular, definite)
- eleva = the female pupil (feminine, singular, definite)
In practice:
- For a generic “student” you might also hear elev (no article) or student / studentă (especially for university level).
- In this sentence, the contrast elevul / eleva makes it clear one is male and one is female.
Romanian usually attaches the definite article to the end of the noun, instead of putting “the” before it.
- elev = pupil, student
elevul = the pupil (male) - elevă = pupil, student (female)
eleva = the pupil (female)
So:
- Elevul = the male pupil
- Eleva = the female pupil
This is a regular pattern:
- băiat → băiatul (boy → the boy)
- fată → fata (girl → the girl)
La curs literally means “at (the) class / during the class”.
- la is a very flexible preposition:
- la școală – at school
- la birou – at the office
- la film – at the movie
In this sentence, la curs tells you when / where they’re quiet:
- not in general as people,
- but in class, in the context of a lesson.
Yes, Romanian allows some flexibility in word order, especially with short phrases.
All of these are grammatically correct, with slight differences in emphasis:
- Elevul este la fel de liniștit ca eleva la curs.
(neutral; “in class” feels closest to the girl) - Elevul este la curs la fel de liniștit ca eleva.
(focus more on “in class” for the boy) - La curs, elevul este la fel de liniștit ca eleva.
(emphasizes the setting: In class, the boy is as quiet as the girl.)
The basic comparative structure este la fel de [adj] ca [noun] stays the same.
Yes. e is simply a shorter, very common form of este (3rd person singular of “to be”).
- Elevul este la fel de liniștit ca eleva la curs.
- Elevul e la fel de liniștit ca eleva la curs.
Both are correct. E sounds a bit more informal / conversational, but it’s widely used even in fairly neutral speech and writing.
Yes, a few common alternatives:
- Elevul este tot atât de liniștit ca eleva la curs.
(The boy is just as quiet as the girl in class.) - Elevul este la fel de liniștit ca și eleva la curs.
(as quiet as the girl too – very common in speech, though some grammarians dislike ca și here.) - Elevul este la fel de calm ca eleva la curs.
(focuses more on calm than silent.)
The most standard and neutral is still:
- Elevul este la fel de liniștit ca eleva la curs.
You need plural forms for both nouns and the adjective:
- Elevii sunt la fel de liniștiți ca elevele la curs.
Breakdown:
- elevii – the pupils (boys / mixed group)
- elevele – the female pupils
- sunt – are
- liniștiți – masculine plural form of liniștit
- la curs – in class
Adjectives must agree with the first noun:
- elevii (masc. plural) → liniștiți (masc. plural)
Liniștit can mean both “quiet” and “calm”, depending on context:
- un copil liniștit – usually a well-behaved, calm, not noisy child
- stă liniștit în bancă – he sits quietly/calmly at his desk
Compared with:
- tăcut – silent, not speaking much (focus on speaking)
- calm – calm (emotional state more than noise level)
In la curs, liniștit naturally suggests “not disturbing the class”, so something between quiet and well-behaved/calm.
Pronunciation of liniștit: roughly lee-neeSH-TEET.
- li – like lee
- ni – like nee
- ș – like “sh” in ship
- ti – like tee
- t – final t is pronounced clearly
Special letters:
- ș / Ș – sh sound
- ț / Ț – ts sound (as in cats)
So:
- ș in liniștit → sh
- If you see linistit without diacritics, it’s just a typographical simplification; the intended word is liniștit.