Copacul este mort.

to be

Breakdown of Copacul este mort.

• copacul: the tree
• mort: dead

Questions & Answers about Copacul este mort.

Why does copacul mean the tree and not just tree?

Because Romanian usually puts the definite article on the end of the noun.

• copac = tree
• copacul = the tree

The ending -ul is the masculine/neuter singular definite article here. So instead of a separate word like English the, Romanian attaches it to the noun.

Why is the word the attached to the noun in Romanian?

That is a normal feature of Romanian grammar. Romanian has a postposed definite article, which means the article comes at the end of the noun instead of before it.

So:

• copac = tree
• copacul = the tree

This is one of the first things English speakers notice, because English uses a separate word, while Romanian usually uses an ending.

What does este mean?

Este means is. It is the 3rd person singular form of the verb a fi = to be.

So in this sentence:

• copacul = the tree
• este = is
• mort = dead