Learn Hardcore Romanian: Colțul de lângă ușă este gol. - The corner next to the door is empty.

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?

Colțul lângă ușă este gol is not natural Romanian.

Here’s why:

lângă ușă on its own is a prepositional phrase meaning near the door / next to the door.
To connect this phrase to colțul as a description of which corner, Romanian normally uses de:
- colțul de lângă ușă = the corner (that is) next to the door

Think of de lângă ușă as an adjectival phrase that narrows down which corner:

colțul – the corner (in general)
colțul de lângă ușă – the corner that is next to the door

So de works like a linker: the corner *of/that is near the door*.

Is de lângă one unit, like a fixed expression?

Grammatically, it is de + lângă, but they often work together.

lângă = near, next to
de lângă X after a noun = the one (that is) near X

Examples:

fereastra de lângă pat = the window next to the bed
băiatul de lângă mine = the boy next to me
colțul de lângă ușă = the corner next to the door

So de lângă X behaves like an adjective clause: the corner *that is near the door*.

Why is it ușă and not ușa if the English translation is the door?

In theory:

ușă = a door / door (indefinite form)
ușa = the door (definite form)

But with many prepositions (such as pe, la, în, sub, lângă), Romanian often uses the indefinite form even when English uses the:

Cartea e pe masă. = The book is on the table.
Colțul de lângă ușă este gol. = The corner next to the door is empty.

So:

lângă ușă usually translates as near the door.
lângă ușa… is also possible, but it sounds more explicitly specific, often followed by more detail:
- lângă ușa casei = near the door of the house
- lângă ușa din față = near the front door

In everyday speech, lângă ușă is the normal way to say near the door.

What is the role of este here? Can I say e instead?

Este is the full form of to be in the 3rd person singular:

este = he/she/it is

In spoken and informal Romanian, it is almost always shortened to e:

Colțul de lângă ușă e gol.

Both are correct, but:

este sounds more formal, careful, or written.
e is very common in everyday speech.

You should definitely understand both; you can safely use e in normal conversation.

Why is it gol, not goală or something else?

Because adjectives in Romanian agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.

colțul is masculine singular.
The adjective gol (empty) has these main forms:
- masculine singular: gol
- feminine singular: goală
- masculine plural: goi
- feminine plural: goale

So:

colțul este gol – the corner (masc. sg.) is empty
camera este goală – the room (fem. sg.) is empty
colțurile sunt goale – the corners (pl.) are empty
camerele sunt goale – the rooms (fem. pl.) are empty

Here, colțul is masculine singular, so the correct form is gol.

Could I say Colțul gol de lângă ușă instead of Colțul de lângă ușă este gol?

Yes, but the meaning and structure change slightly.

Colțul de lângă ușă este gol.
Statement / full sentence: The corner next to the door is empty.
Colțul gol de lângă ușă
Noun phrase: the empty corner next to the door (not a full sentence by itself).

So:

With este, you are making a complete statement.
Without este, you are just using a descriptive noun phrase, which could be part of a larger sentence:
- Îmi place colțul gol de lângă ușă. = I like the empty corner next to the door.

How flexible is the word order? Can I say Este gol colțul de lângă ușă?

Yes, Romanian word order is relatively flexible, especially for emphasis.

Possible variants:

Colțul de lângă ușă este gol.
Neutral, standard: The corner next to the door is empty.
Colțul de lângă ușă e gol.
Same meaning, more informal due to e.
Este gol colțul de lângă ușă. / E gol colțul de lângă ușă.
Emphasizes gol (empty): It’s empty, the corner next to the door.

All are grammatical; the first is the most typical neutral version.

How do you pronounce the special Romanian letters in this sentence: ț, ă, â, ș?

In Colțul de lângă ușă este gol you have:

ț (as in colțul) – like ts in cats: colț ≈ kolts
â (as in lângă) – a central vowel, similar to Romanian î, not present in English; a bit like the vowel in roses for some speakers, but more central.
ă (as in lângă, ușă) – a short uh sound, like the a in sofa or the e in taken.

Also useful:

ș (found in ușă, even though not in this exact word spelling here you see it as ș) – like sh in shop.

So approximately:

Colțul de lângă ușă este gol ≈ KOL-tsul de LÂN-gă OOSH-ă ESTE gol
(not a perfect transcription, but close enough for learners).

What case is ușă in here, and does that change its form?

Prepositions in Romanian usually require the accusative case.

lângă takes the accusative:
- lângă ușă – near the door

For most feminine singular nouns like ușă, the nominative and accusative forms are identical in the indefinite form:

nominative sg. indefinite: ușă
accusative sg. indefinite: ușă

So even though the function is accusative (after a preposition), the form ușă does not change.

Could I use another word instead of gol, like liber or vacant?

You can, but there are nuances:

gol – empty (nothing inside / nothing occupying that space)
- colțul este gol = the corner is empty (nothing is there).
liber – free / available / not occupied
- Colțul de lângă ușă e liber.
  Suggests that spot is available (e.g. to sit, to put something there).
vacant – mostly used for jobs, seats, rooms in a more formal register:
- post vacant = vacant position
- cameră vacantă = vacant room (formal).

For a physical corner in a room, gol is the most natural word if you mean there is nothing there. Use liber if you want to emphasize that the spot is free / available for use.