Cabinetul este aproape de spital.

The doctor's office is near the hospital.

Breakdown of Cabinetul este aproape de spital.

• a fi: to be
• aproape de: near
• spitalul: the hospital
• cabinetul: the office

Questions & Answers about Cabinetul este aproape de spital.

Why is it cabinetul and not cabinet?

Romanian normally attaches the definite article to the end of the noun instead of putting a separate word in front.

• cabinet = a / some clinic, office (indefinite)
• cabinetul = the clinic / the office (definite)

So cabinetul literally means the cabinet/clinic, which is why the sentence translates as The clinic/office is near the hospital (or similar).

Does cabinet really mean a doctor’s office and not a piece of furniture?

Yes. In this context:

• cabinet (medical) = doctor’s office, clinic, consulting room, practice
• The common word for a furniture “cabinet / cupboard” is usually dulap.

So Cabinetul este aproape de spital is about a medical office, not about furniture.

What gender is cabinetul and what are its main forms?

Cabinet is a neuter noun. In Romanian, neuter nouns:

• behave like masculine in the singular
• and like feminine in the plural.

Main forms:

• singular, indefinite: un cabinet – a clinic
• singular, definite: cabinetul – the clinic
• plural, indefinite: cabinete – clinics
• plural, definite: cabinetele – the clinics

What about spital – what gender is it and what are its forms?

Spital is also a neuter noun.

Main forms:

• singular, indefinite: un spital – a hospital
• singular, definite: spitalul – the hospital
• plural, indefinite: spitale – hospitals
• plural, definite: spitalele – the hospitals

Why is there no word for the before spital? Why not spitalul?

Romanian can drop the definite article after certain prepositions when talking about places that are clear from context.

• aproape de spital
  Literally: near hospital
  In practice often means: near the hospital (the one both speakers know about).

You can say aproape de spitalul X (near hospital X) or aproape de spitalul acela (near that hospital) when you want to be very specific, but in many everyday contexts aproape de spital sounds more natural.

So the lack of -ul doesn’t automatically mean “a hospital” in translation; context decides.

What part of speech is aproape here?

Here aproape is an adverb meaning near / close (by).

• In this structure it appears as aproape de + noun = near something.

Note that aproape can also mean almost in other contexts:

• E aproape gata. – It’s almost ready.
• Am aproape 100 de lei. – I have almost 100 lei.

So the meaning depends on the construction. With de + noun, it usually means near.

Why do we need de after aproape? Could we just say Cabinetul este aproape spital?

You need de. After aproape (in the sense of “near”), Romanian normally uses de before a noun:

• aproape de spital – near the hospital
• aproape de școală – near the school
• aproape de parc – near the park

Cabinetul este aproape spital is incorrect.
The normal pattern is aproape de + noun.

What is the difference between aproape de and lângă?

Both can mean near, but there are nuances:

• aproape de spital
  – near the hospital / close to the hospital
  – focuses more on proximity / distance, not necessarily touching.

• lângă spital
  – next to the hospital / right by the hospital
  – often feels a bit closer / side‑by‑side, like neighboring buildings.

In many contexts you can use either, and the difference is small:

• Cabinetul este aproape de spital.
• Cabinetul este lângă spital.

Both can often be translated “The clinic is near the hospital.”

Can este be shortened to e in this sentence?

Yes.

• Cabinetul este aproape de spital. – neutral, slightly more formal/complete.
• Cabinetul e aproape de spital. – very common in everyday speech, perfectly correct.

Both mean the same thing. In writing, este is more common in formal texts, but e is widely used in informal writing and in speech.

How would I turn this into a yes/no question: “Is the clinic near the hospital?”

You have two common options:

1. Keep the same word order and use a rising intonation (very common in speech):

   • Cabinetul este aproape de spital?

2. Invert este and the subject (slightly more formal/clear in writing):

   • Este cabinetul aproape de spital?

Both are correct; the difference is mainly style and intonation.

How do I say “The clinics are near the hospital” (plural)?

You need the plural of cabinetul and keep the rest the same:

• Cabinetele sunt aproape de spital.

Breakdown:

• Cabinetele – the clinics (plural definite)
• sunt – are (3rd person plural of a fi, to be)
• aproape de spital – near the hospital

Is the word order fixed, or could I say Este cabinetul aproape de spital?

Both are possible:

• Cabinetul este aproape de spital. – neutral, very common.
• Este cabinetul aproape de spital. – also correct; in writing it can sound either more formal or more contrastive/emphatic, depending on context.

For a statement, the first order (subject before verb) is the most typical. The second order is more often seen in questions, but can appear in statements too, especially in more literary or emphatic styles.

How do I pronounce Cabinetul este aproape de spital?

Approximate pronunciation (stress marked with ˈ):

• Cabinetul – ca-bi-NE-tul → [kabiˈnetul]
• este – ES-te → [ˈeste]
• aproape – a-PROA-pe → [aˈpro̯ape]
• de – de → [de]
• spital – spi-TAL → [spiˈtal]

Said smoothly:
Cabinetul este aproape de spital.