Learn Romanian: Femeia este aici, dar el nu este aici. - The woman is here, but he is not here.

Femeia este aici, dar el nu este aici.

The woman is here, but he is not here.

Breakdown of Femeia este aici, dar el nu este aici.

to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)

Questions & Answers about Femeia este aici, dar el nu este aici.

How does the negative word nu work in this sentence?

To make a sentence negative in Romanian, you simply put the word nu directly in front of the verb. Here, we place it right before este to create nu este (is not).

Does the word nu change if we are talking about a woman instead of a man?

No, nu always stays exactly the same! Whether you say el nu este (he is not) or ea nu este (she is not), the negative word never changes its form based on gender.

Why does the sentence use Femeia instead of just femeie?

The word femeie means woman, but this sentence says the woman. In Romanian, the word for the attaches to the end of the noun. For feminine words ending in -e, the ending changes to -ea, giving us femeia.

Could we drop the word el and just say dar nu este aici?

Yes, you could! Romanian often drops subject pronouns like el (he) because the context usually makes it clear. However, keeping el here adds extra emphasis to the contrast: the woman is here, but he is not.