Classic Toys
Let's step back in time and learn how to talk about the toys we loved. We'll start with the teddy bear (ursulețul) and the game (jocul).
Notice how demonstrative words like acela (that) and acesta (this) come after the noun they describe.
| That teddy bear was my best friend. | Ursulețul acela era prietenul meu cel mai bun. |
| This game is easy to understand. | Jocul acesta este ușor de înțeles. |
Another childhood favorite is the doll (păpușa). For feminine nouns like păpușă, we use the indefinite article o (a/an).
| I had a doll when I was a child. | Aveam o păpușă când eram copil. |
At the Playground
Moving outside, let's explore playground and beach equipment. You will often see the slide (toboganul), as well as a bucket (găleata) and a shovel (lopata) for playing in the sand (nisipul).
| The boy was sliding on the slide when I called him. | Băiatul aluneca pe tobogan când l-am strigat. |
| The bucket was full of sand. | Găleata era plină cu nisip. |
| The bucket and the shovel are hard to clean. | Găleata și lopata sunt greu de curățat. |
Climbing and Flying
For a bit more action, we have the kite (zmeul).
| The kite was flying in the sky when the wind started. | Zmeul zbura pe cer când a început vântul. |
The verb a se cățăra (to climb) is reflexive in Romanian. This means it requires an extra pronoun to show that the subject is performing the action on itself. You'll see this as se (himself/herself/itself) or s-a for the past tense.
| My brother was climbing the tree when he fell. | Fratele meu se cățăra în copac când a căzut. |
| The cat climbed quickly on the fence. | Pisica s-a cățărat repede pe gard. |
Precious Memories
All these toys and games create a memory (amintirea).
| That memory is wonderful. | Amintirea aceea este minunată. |
Just like climbing, the verb for "to play" is also reflexive: a se juca.
| The little girl was playing with the doll when I arrived. | Fetița se juca cu păpușa când am sosit. |
