Questions & Answers about Colțul de lângă ușă este gol.
Why does colțul end in -ul instead of just colț?
Colț means corner in general.
Colțul means the corner (a specific corner).
In Romanian, the definite article (the) is usually attached to the end of the noun:
- colț = corner
- colțul = the corner
So Colțul de lângă ușă este gol literally is The corner next to the door is empty. You add -ul because colț is a masculine singular noun.
Could I say Un colț de lângă ușă este gol instead?
Yes, but it changes the meaning slightly.
Colțul de lângă ușă este gol = The corner next to the door is empty
(You and the listener both know which specific corner you mean.)Un colț de lângă ușă este gol = A corner next to the door is empty
(It sounds like there might be several corners near the door, and you are talking about one of them, non‑specifically.)
So colțul = the corner, un colț = a corner.
Why do we need de before lângă ușă? Why not just Colțul lângă ușă este gol?