Raftul de sus este gol.

to be

Breakdown of Raftul de sus este gol.

• gol: empty
• raftul: the shelf
• de sus: top

Questions & Answers about Raftul de sus este gol.

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

Raft means shelf.

The ending -ul is the definite article in Romanian, attached to the end of the noun. So:

• raft = a shelf
• raftul = the shelf

Unlike English, Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of before it.

Why is it de sus and not just sus?

De sus is a very common Romanian expression meaning from above / upper / on top depending on context.

In raftul de sus, it works like the top shelf or more literally the shelf from above / the shelf on top.

You can think of it as a fixed way Romanian often identifies something by its position:

• raftul de sus = the upper shelf / the shelf above
• raftul de jos = the lower shelf
• camera de lângă bucătărie = the room next to the kitchen

So de sus is the natural phrase here.

Is raftul de sus literally the shelf from above?