Evaluating Actions: Adjective + de + Supine
Just as English uses phrases like "easy to read" or "hard to understand," Romanian evaluates actions using a simple formula: Evaluative Adjective + de + Supine.
Recall that the supine is identical to the invariable past participle of a verb. For example, the verb a înțelege (to understand) gives the supine înțeles, and a face (to do) gives făcut. You can pair these with positive adjectives like ușor (easy) or simplu (simple).
| The content from the textbook is easy to understand. | Conținutul din manual este ușor de înțeles. |
| The step that he explains is easy to do. | Pasul pe care îl explică el este ușor de făcut. |
Expressing Difficulty and Interest
To express that an action is challenging, impossible, or interesting, simply swap in adjectives like greu (hard), dificil (difficult), complicat (complicated), imposibil (impossible), or interesant (interesting). This structure is highly useful for reviewing textbooks (manualul) or evaluating study materials.
| I think that this paragraph is difficult to translate. | Cred că acest paragraf este dificil de tradus. |
| This chapter is very long and impossible to memorize. | Acest capitol este foarte lung și imposibil de memorat. |
| The example that you offer is interesting to study. | Exemplul pe care îl oferi este interesant de studiat. |
| Each step from the instruction is very hard to retain. | Fiecare pas din instrucțiune este foarte greu de reținut. |
Contrasting Evaluations
Often, study materials have mixed qualities—perhaps a concept is clear, but hard to apply. You can easily string these supine evaluations together or contrast them using conjunctions like și (and), dar (but), or însă (however).
| This concept is hard to explain, however it is simple to memorize. | Conceptul acesta este greu de explicat, însă este simplu de memorat. |
| The instruction is clear, however this paragraph is difficult to read. | Instrucțiunea este clară, însă paragraful acesta este dificil de citit. |
| The concept is clear, but the example is hard to apply. | Conceptul este clar, dar exemplul este greu de aplicat. |
