Noun + de + noun
Many everyday names are built from two nouns joined by de. The second noun says what the thing is for, what it is made of, or where it belongs, and it takes no article: siropul de tuse (cough syrup), prăjitorul de pâine (the toaster — a bread toaster), papucii de casă (house slippers), omul de zăpadă (the snowman), locul de parcare (the parking space), agenția de turism (the travel agency), fructele de mare (seafood, literally sea fruit).
Only the first noun changes
The compound behaves like a single noun, and every ending goes on its first word: the article, the plural, the genitive. The de-part stays as it is.
| the first noun changes |
|---|
| indefinite | un loc de parcare |
| plural | locuri de parcare |
| genitive | numărul medicului de familie |
In Romania the medic de familie is usually your first stop: the family doctor writes your prescriptions and sends you on to specialists.
With an adjective or a genitive
Some names are a noun with an adjective: școala primară, sensul giratoriu (the traffic circle). In mica publicitate (the classified ads) the adjective comes first and carries the article; the expression is fixed. Specialitatea casei (the house specialty) is a genitive: the specialty of the house.
For rent: de închiriat
You know mașina de spălat and fierul de călcat: de + supine says what something is for. De închiriat (for rent) is the same pattern — apartament de închiriat, cameră de închiriat — and it is the wording of signs and classified ads.
