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Learn Hardcore Romanian: Chiria este mare. - The rent is high.

Hardcore Romanian
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/Chiria este mare.

Chiria este mare.

Chiria este mare.

The rent is high.

Breakdown of Chiria este mare.

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Questions & Answers about Chiria este mare.

Why does chirie become chiria here?

Because -a at the end is the definite article attached to the noun.

chirie = rent / a rent
chiria = the rent

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, unlike English, which uses a separate word like the.

So:

chirie = rent
chiria = the rent

What part of speech is mare?

Mare is an adjective. It means big, large, or in this context high/expensive.

In Chiria este mare, mare describes chiria.

Even though mare literally often means big, with things like costs, rent, prices, or amounts, it is often best understood as high rather than physically large.

Why is este used? Can it be left out?

Este means is, from the verb a fi (to be).

So the structure is:

Chiria = the rent
este = is
mare = high/big

In standard Romanian, este is correct and natural here.

In casual speech, Romanians sometimes drop forms of to be, especially in very informal contexts, so you might hear:

Chiria mare

But for learners, and in normal standard Romanian, you should use:

Chiria este mare.

Why isn’t the sentence Este chiria mare?

Because the most neutral Romanian word order here is:

Subject + verb + adjective
Chiria este mare.

Este chiria mare? is possible, but it sounds like a question: Is the rent high?

So:

Chiria este mare. = The rent is high.
Este chiria mare? = Is the rent high?

Word order helps signal whether something is a statement or a question.

How do I pronounce chiria?

A helpful approximation is:

kee-REE-ah

More specifically:

chi- sounds like kee
-ri- is stressed: REE
-a is a short ah

So: ki-REE-a

Also note:

Romanian ch before i or e sounds like k, not like English ch in chair.

So chiria does not sound like cheeria.

How do I pronounce mare?

A simple approximation is:

MAH-reh

Details:

stress is on the first syllable: MA
r is trilled or tapped more than in English
final e is pronounced, not silent

So it is not like English mare in nightmare. It is closer to MAH-reh.

Does mare change form for gender or number?

Yes, adjectives in Romanian can change depending on the noun.

Here, chiria is singular feminine, and mare is the correct singular form.

Useful forms:

mare = singular
mari = plural

Examples:

chiria mare = the high rent
chirii mari = high rents

One important thing here is that mare has the same form for masculine singular and feminine singular.

Why is chiria feminine?

Because the noun chirie is a feminine noun in Romanian.

That affects things like:

the definite form: chiria
agreement with adjectives and other words

You usually have to learn the gender of Romanian nouns as part of the vocabulary item.

So it is useful to remember:

o chirie = a rent
chiria = the rent

The article form -a is a strong clue that this noun is feminine singular in the definite form.

Could mare also mean big here, not just high?

Literally yes, mare often means big/large. But in this sentence, with rent, the natural meaning is high.

English often uses different adjectives depending on context:

big house
high rent
high price

Romanian uses mare in many of these cases where English prefers high rather than big.

So although the core meaning is big/large, the best English sense here is high.

Can I say Chiria e mare instead?

Yes. E is a very common short form of este.

So both are correct:

Chiria este mare.
Chiria e mare.

The version with e is very common in everyday speech and writing. The version with este may sound slightly more careful or formal.

What would the negative sentence be?

You make it negative with nu:

Chiria nu este mare.
Chiria nu e mare.

This means The rent is not high.

The pattern is:

nu + verb

So:

este = is
nu este = is not

What would the question form be?

A natural yes/no question is:

Chiria este mare?
Chiria e mare?

Romanian often uses intonation rather than changing the word order.

You can also say:

Este chiria mare?

That is also correct, but for learners, the easiest pattern is just to keep the normal word order and raise your intonation:

statement: Chiria este mare.
question: Chiria este mare?

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