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### 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:

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### "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**). 

{{item:1113132}}

{{item:1113134}}

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.

{{item:1113136}}

### 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.

{{item:1113141}}

{{item:1113142}}

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

{{item:1113144}}

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

adjective

adverb

adverbial phrase

auxiliary

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Feminine definite articles (-a, -ua)

Indefinite articles (un, o)

Negative sentences (nu)

Question words (ce, unde, cine)

The verb to have (a avea)

Masculine plural nouns (-i, -ii)

Feminine plural nouns (-e, -i, -le)

Neuter plural nouns (-uri, -e, -le)

Adjectives and agreement

Present tense of regular -a verbs

Present tense of -a verbs with suffix (-ez)

Present tense of regular -i and -î verbs

Present tense of -i and -î verbs with suffix (-esc / -ăsc)

Present tense of -ea and -e verbs

Reflexive pronouns (mă, te, se, ne, vă)

Accusative prepositions (în, la, pe, din, cu)

Likes and dislikes (îmi place)

Possessive adjectives (meu, tău, său)

Third-person possessives (lui, ei, lor)

Possessive articles (al, a, ai, ale)

Formal politeness (dumneavoastră)

Demonstrative adjectives (acest, acel)

Numbers 1 to 10

The number two (doi, două)

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Quantifying large numbers (de)

The subjunctive (să)

Third-person subjunctive (să)

Direct object pronouns (îl, o, îi, le)

Personal direct objects (pe)

Days of the week

Telling time (e ora...)

Months of the Year (January to June)

Months of the Year (July to December)

The Four Seasons

Weather Conditions

Rooms in a House

Basic Body Parts: Upper Body

Basic Body Parts: Limbs

Everyday Clothing

Basic Foods: Groceries

Fruits and Vegetables

Around Town

Getting Around

Setting the Table

A Colorful World

Common Animals

In the Wild

Jobs and Careers

Everyday Tech

Describing people (tânăr, bătrân, înalt)

Asking when and why (când, de ce, care)

Hello and goodbye (bună ziua, la revedere)

Coming and going (intra, sta, trece)

Where is it? (sub, lângă, între)

Knowing and thinking (știu că, cred că)

Sorry, welcome, congratulations (îmi pare rău, la mulți ani)

Introducing yourself (mă numesc, sunt din România)

How much and how many (puțin, prea, doar)

Can and may (pot merge, pot să merg)

If and whether (dacă)

At school and university

Irregular verbs in the present (vrea, lua, da, bea, sta)

Free time and sport

How much is it? (cât costă, câți, câte)

Before and after (înainte, după, până)

At the doctor (mă doare)

Meals of the day (micul dejun, prânzul, cina)

At the restaurant

Ability and permission (a putea să)

Obligation and necessity (trebuie să)

Desires and intentions (a vrea să)

Impersonal statements (se)

Adverbs of frequency (adesea, uneori)

Conjunctions for reasons and links (pentru că, deci)

Stressed accusative pronouns (pe mine, pe tine)

Indefinite pronouns (cineva, ceva)

Negative pronouns and double negation (nimeni, nimic)

The past tense auxiliary (am, ai, a)

The past tense (am, ai, a)

Regular past participles (-at, -it)

Regular past participles (-ut, -s, -t)

Negative past tense (nu am)

Past tense with reflexive verbs (m-am, s-a)

Question	Answer
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)	fi
here	aici
I am here.	Sunt aici.
there	acolo
Are you there?	Ești acolo?
the man	bărbatul
The man is here.	Bărbatul este aici.
the boy	băiatul
The boy is there.	Băiatul e acolo.
the dog	câinele
Is the dog here?	E câinele aici?
the phone	telefonul
The phone is there.	Telefonul este acolo.
the chair	scaunul
The chair is here.	Scaunul e aici.
We are there.	Suntem acolo.
Are you here?	Sunteți aici?
and	și
The man and the boy are here.	Bărbatul și băiatul sunt aici.
Are the phone and the chair there?	Telefonul și scaunul sunt acolo?
The dog and the boy are there.	Câinele și băiatul sunt acolo.