The verb to be and definite articles (a fi, -ul, -le)

The Verb "a fi" (to be) and Dropping Pronouns

In Romanian, the verb changes its shape depending on who is doing the action. Because of this, you usually don't need to use subject pronouns like "I" or "you"—the verb already tells you who the subject is!

Let's learn the singular forms of the verb a fi (to be):

• sunt (I am)
• ești (you are, singular)
• este or e (he/she/it is)

Let's pair these with two useful location words: aici (here) and acolo (there). Notice how we just start the sentence with the verb:

"The" is a Suffix: Definite Articles (-ul, -le)

In English, we put the word "the" in front of a noun. In Romanian, the definite article is attached to the end of the noun.

For most masculine and neuter singular nouns, this suffix is -ul. If the noun already ends in an e, the suffix is -le.

• bărbat (man) becomes bărbatul (the man)
• telefon (phone) becomes telefonul (the phone)
• câine (dog) becomes câinele (the dog)

Let's see these in action with the verb este (or its perfectly normal short form, e).

To ask a question in Romanian, you can use the exact same word order as a statement and just raise your pitch at the end, or you can swap the subject and the verb.

Plurals and "și" (and)

Now let's look at the plural forms of a fi:

• suntem (we are)
• sunteți (you all are)
• sunt (they are)

Notice that sunt means both "I am" and "they are"! The rest of the sentence will always make it obvious which one is meant.

We can connect multiple subjects using și (and). When you combine two singular subjects, they become plural, so you will use sunt (they are).