Learn Romanian: Este o ușă aici? - Is there a door here?

In Romanian, "a" or "an" translates to un for masculine and neuter nouns, and o for feminine nouns. Because ușă (door) is a feminine noun, we must use o.

How can I tell that ușă is a feminine noun?

A very helpful clue is the last letter. Most Romanian nouns that end in the letter -ă, like ușă, are feminine. This is a great shortcut for knowing when to use the article o.

The English translation says "Is there", but doesn't este just mean "is"?

Yes, este literally means "is". However, Romanian doesn't use a separate phrase like "there is" or "is there". You simply use este on its own to state or ask if something exists.

Can I change the word order and say "Este aici o ușă?"

Yes, you can! Both Este o ușă aici? and Este aici o ușă? are perfectly correct and natural. Word order in Romanian is quite flexible, especially with adverbs of place like aici (here).