Learn Hardcore Romanian: Dormitorul este lângă hol, aproape de colț. - The bedroom is next to the corridor, close to the corner.

Dormitorul = the bedroom (we are talking about a specific bedroom)
hol literally = hall / a hall, but in context it can often be understood as the hall

In Romanian, you can say either:

Dormitorul este lângă hol.
Dormitorul este lângă holul.

Both are grammatically possible, but:

hol (without article) can sound more neutral or more like saying “next to the hall area”, not focusing on one clearly defined hall.
holul would more clearly mean “the hall”, a specific one.

In everyday speech, Romanians often drop the article if the place is obvious from context (the hall in the apartment, the school corridor, etc.). So hol here is natural.

What is the difference between lângă and aproape de?

Both relate to nearness, but they’re used slightly differently:

lângă = next to / beside / by
- Suggests very close proximity, often side by side.
- Example: Scaunul este lângă masă. – The chair is next to the table.
aproape de = near / close to
- Indicates closeness but usually not quite touching.
- Example: Parcul este aproape de casă. – The park is near the house.

In your sentence:

lângă hol – next to the hall
aproape de colț – near the corner (in the area of the corner, but not necessarily right at it)

So the bedroom is immediately beside the hall and is in the vicinity of the corner.

Is the comma before aproape de colț necessary? What does it do?

The comma in:

Dormitorul este lângă hol, aproape de colț.

separates two pieces of descriptive information about the bedroom’s location:

lângă hol – next to the hall
aproape de colț – near the corner

It’s similar to saying in English:

The bedroom is next to the hall, near the corner.

The comma is:

Natural and recommended, because it separates two different adverbial phrases.
Not absolutely mandatory in informal writing, but it improves clarity and mirrors spoken rhythm.

Without the comma it’s still understandable, but slightly more “compressed.”

Could I say Dormitorul este aproape de hol, lângă colț instead? Does word order matter?

Yes, you can say:

Dormitorul este aproape de hol, lângă colț.

This changes the emphasis slightly:

Original: The bedroom is next to the hall, near the corner.
– First emphasizes that it’s right next to the hall.
Alternative: The bedroom is near the hall, next to the corner.
– First emphasizes that it’s near the hall, and then that it’s right by the corner.

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, and both are grammatically correct. The last element often gets a bit more emphasis, so you subtly highlight what you mention last (the hall vs. the corner).

Why is it aproape de colț and not just aproape colț?

In Romanian, aproape usually needs a preposition de when followed by a noun:

aproape de casă – near the house
aproape de școală – near the school
aproape de colț – near the corner

So the pattern is:

aproape de + [noun in the basic form]

Saying aproape colț is ungrammatical. You must include de.

What does colț mean exactly, and why is it not colțul (with “the”)?

colț means:

corner (of a room, a street, a building, etc.)
It can also mean tooth (as in fang), but not in this context.

Forms:

colț = a corner / corner (generic)
colțul = the corner

In aproape de colț, the bare form colț works like saying “near the corner area” without specifying it very strongly. You could also say:

aproape de colțul camerei – near the corner of the room
aproape de colțul holului – near the corner of the hall

If the corner is clearly known from context, Romanians can use colț or colțul; both may sound natural depending on style and specificity. Here, colț is a bit more neutral.

Can I shorten este to e in this sentence?

Yes. In everyday spoken Romanian, e is very common:

Dormitorul e lângă hol, aproape de colț.

Differences:

este – full form, slightly more formal or neutral, used in writing and careful speech.
e – shorter, very common in speech, perfectly correct in most contexts.

Meaning-wise, they are the same verb: to be (3rd person singular).

Is it redundant to say both lângă and aproape de? Doesn’t lângă already mean “near”?

lângă does imply nearness, but the two phrases describe the bedroom’s position relative to two different reference points:

lângă hol – its relation to the hall
aproape de colț – its relation to the corner

So it’s not really redundant; it’s giving two coordinates:

It’s next to the hall.
It’s also near the corner.

It’s like saying:

It’s beside the hall and close to the corner.

Both pieces of information add something.

How do you pronounce the words dormitorul, este, lângă, hol, aproape, and colț?

Approximate pronunciation using English-like hints and IPA:

dormitorul – dor-mee-TOR-ul
- IPA: /dor.miˈtor.ul/
este – YES-teh (not “est”)
- IPA: /ˈjes.te/
lângă – roughly LUHN-guh
- IPA: /ˈlɨn.gə/
- â / î sound /ɨ/ is like a central, tense “uh”, unique to Romanian.
hol – like hole but shorter and with pure o
- IPA: /hol/
aproape – ah-PRO-ah-peh
- IPA: /aˈpro.a.pe/
colț – like kolts (short o, final ts sound)
- IPA: /kolts/

Romanian stress is important: it usually falls on the bold capitalized syllable above.

What are the plural forms of dormitor, hol, and colț with and without the definite article?

Here are the main forms:

dormitor (bedroom)
- Singular:
  - dormitor – a bedroom
  - dormitorul – the bedroom
- Plural:
  - dormitoare – bedrooms
  - dormitoarele – the bedrooms
hol (hall)
- Singular:
  - hol – a hall
  - holul – the hall
- Plural:
  - holuri – halls
  - holurile – the halls
colț (corner)
- Singular:
  - colț – a corner
  - colțul – the corner
- Plural:
  - colțuri – corners
  - colțurile – the corners

Why is the verb este singular? Could this ever be sunt?

Este is singular because the subject dormitorul is singular:

Dormitorul este ... – The bedroom is ...

Sunt is the plural (or 1st person singular) form:

Dormitoarele sunt lângă hol. – The bedrooms are next to the hall.

So:

este – is (he/she/it is; here: it is)
sunt – are (they are) or I am, depending on subject

In this sentence, with one bedroom, you must use este (or e).