Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara.

Our neighbor is quiet in the evening.

Breakdown of Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara.

• a fi: to be
• seara: in the evening
• vecinul: the neighbor
• nostru: our
• liniștit: calm

Questions & Answers about Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara.

What does vecinul mean, and why does it end in -ul?

Vecinul means the neighbor.

In Romanian, the definite article (the) is usually added to the end of the noun, not put in front as in English.

• vecin = neighbor (indefinite, a neighbor)
• vecinul = the neighbor (definite, the neighbor)

So:

• Vecinul nostru = our neighbor (literally: the neighbor our)

Why is it vecinul nostru and not nostru vecin, like our neighbor in English?

Romanian normally puts the possessive adjective after the noun (with the noun in the definite form):

• English: our neighbor
• Romanian: vecinul nostru (literally: the-neighbor our)

For people and concrete things, you generally have:

• [noun + definite article] + [possessive adjective]
  • fratele meu = my brother
  • mașina ta = your car
  • vecinul nostru = our neighbor

Putting nostru before the noun (nostru vecin) is either wrong or at best sounds very unusual in modern Romanian in this context.

What is the difference between vecinul nostru and un vecin de-al nostru?

Both include the idea our neighbor, but they are used differently:

• vecinul nostru = our neighbor (a specific, known neighbor; usually we mean the main or only neighbor we have in mind)
• un vecin de-al nostru = one of our neighbors / a neighbor of ours (one among several neighbors)

So:

• Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara.
  Our neighbor is quiet in the evening.
  → We mean a particular neighbor (the one we usually talk about).

• Un vecin de-al nostru este muzician.
  A neighbor of ours is a musician.
  → We are not specifying which one; just one of them.

What exactly does liniștit mean here?

Liniștit is an adjective meaning:

• quiet
• calm
• peaceful

In this sentence:

• Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara.
  → Our neighbor is quiet/calm in the evening.

Depending on context, liniștit can describe:

• a person: Sunt liniștit. = I am calm.
• a place: Cartierul e liniștit. = The neighborhood is quiet.
• a situation: A fost o zi liniștită. = It was a peaceful day.

Why do we use liniștit and not liniște?

Because Romanian needs an adjective after este in this type of sentence.

• liniștit = calm / quiet (adjective)
• liniște = silence (noun)

After este (is), if you are describing a quality of the subject, you normally use an adjective:

• El este liniștit. = He is calm/quiet.
• Ea este obosită. = She is tired.

If you said El este liniște, it would sound wrong, like He is silence in English.

How does the sentence change in the plural: Our neighbors are quiet in the evening?

You need to make the noun, the possessive, the verb, and the adjective all plural:

• Vecinii noștri sunt liniștiți seara.

Breakdown:

• vecin → vecini (neighbors)
• vecinii = the neighbors (definite plural)
• nostru (masc. sg.) → noștri (masc. pl.)
• este (is) → sunt (are)
• liniștit (masc. sg.) → liniștiți (masc. pl.)

So:

• Singular: Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara.
• Plural: Vecinii noștri sunt liniștiți seara.

Where can seara go in the sentence? Is Vecinul nostru este seara liniștit correct?

The most natural position in this sentence is at the end:

• Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara. ✅

You can also put it at the beginning for emphasis:

• Seara, vecinul nostru este liniștit. ✅
  (In the evening, our neighbor is quiet.)

Vecinul nostru este seara liniștit sounds unnatural in standard Romanian. Time expressions like seara, dimineața usually go:

• at the beginning: Seara, citesc.
• or at the end: Citesc seara.

But not in the middle right after este in this kind of sentence.

Do I need a preposition like în before seara, like în seara?

For general / habitual time, Romanian usually uses the bare noun with the definite article, without a preposition:

• seara = in the evening / evenings
• dimineața = in the morning / mornings
• noaptea = at night / nights

So:

• Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara. ✅
  Our neighbor is quiet in the evening (generally).

Use în when you talk about a specific evening:

• în seara asta = this evening
• în seara de Crăciun = on Christmas Eve
• În seara asta, vecinul nostru este acasă.
  This evening, our neighbor is at home.

What is the difference between seară, seara, seri, and serile?

They are different forms of the noun seară (evening):

• seară = (an) evening (indefinite singular)

  • O seară frumoasă. = A beautiful evening.

• seara = the evening (definite singular)
  Also used as a time adverb meaning in the evening / evenings.

  • Seara, citesc. = In the evening, I read.

• seri = evenings (indefinite plural)

  • Am avut multe seri frumoase. = We had many beautiful evenings.

• serile = the evenings (definite plural)

  • Îmi plac serile de vară. = I like summer evenings.

In your sentence, seara works like in the evening (habitual time).

Is there a difference between este and e here?

Grammatically, they mean the same thing: is.

• este = full form (neutral, a bit more formal or careful)
• e = shortened form (very common in speech and informal writing)

In your sentence, both are correct:

• Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara. ✅
• Vecinul nostru e liniștit seara. ✅

Native speakers use e all the time in conversation.

How do you pronounce Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara?

Approximate pronunciation for an English speaker:

• Vecinul → veh-CHEE-nool
• nostru → NOS-troo
• este → YES-teh
• liniștit → lee-neesh-TEET
• seara → SYEH-rah (the ea is like ye in yes)

In IPA:

• Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara
  /veˈt͡ʃinul ˈnostru ˈjeste liniʃˈtit ˈse̯ara/

Key sounds:

• c before i, e is like English ch: ci → chee
• ș = sh (as in she)
• ț (not in this sentence, but related) = ts (as in cats)

How would I say Our neighbor is very quiet in the evening?

Add foarte (very) before the adjective:

• Vecinul nostru este foarte liniștit seara.

Structure:

• [subject] + este + foarte + [adjective] + [time expression]
• Vecinul nostru
  • este + foarte + liniștit
    • seara

Does Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara mean he is always quiet in the evening, or just right now?

By default, the Romanian present tense here suggests a habitual or general situation:

• Vecinul nostru este liniștit seara.
  → Our neighbor is (generally) quiet in the evenings.

If you wanted to emphasize a specific evening (right now), you would add context:

• În seara asta, vecinul nostru este liniștit.
  This evening, our neighbor is quiet.

Without extra words like acum (now) or în seara asta (this evening), speakers usually understand it as a regular pattern.

Can liniștit also describe a place or situation, not just a person?

Yes. Liniștit is widely used for:

1. People

   • Sunt mai liniștit acum. = I’m calmer now.

2. Places

   • E un cartier liniștit. = It’s a quiet neighborhood.
   • Satul este foarte liniștit noaptea. = The village is very quiet at night.

3. Events / situations / times

   • A fost o zi liniștită la muncă. = It was a quiet day at work.
   • Weekendul a fost liniștit. = The weekend was peaceful.

In your sentence, it describes a person’s behavior in the evening.

What are the feminine forms of vecin and liniștit? How would I say Our female neighbor is quiet in the evening?

Feminine forms:

• vecin (neighbor, masc.) → vecină (neighbor, fem.)
• liniștit (masc. sg.) → liniștită (fem. sg.)
• nostru (our, masc. sg.) → noastră (our, fem. sg.)

So:

• Vecina noastră este liniștită seara.
  = Our (female) neighbor is quiet in the evening.

Agreement pattern:

• masculine: vecinul nostru este liniștit
• feminine: vecina noastră este liniștită