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Băiatul nu este foarte bine.

Băiatul nu este foarte bine.
The boy is not very well.
From Lesson 4:Negative sentences (nu)·Romanian

Questions & Answers about Băiatul nu este foarte bine.

Where exactly do I put nu to make the sentence negative?
In Romanian, you make a sentence negative by placing nu (not) immediately before the verb. Here, it goes right before este (is). This is a strict rule: you cannot put any other words between nu and the verb.
I learned that the word for boy is băiat. Why is it băiatul here?
In Romanian, the word for 'the' (the definite article) attaches to the end of the noun instead of being a separate word in front. For masculine nouns ending in a consonant, like băiat, you add the suffix -ul to get băiatul (the boy).
Could I use e instead of este in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! In everyday spoken Romanian, este is almost always shortened to e. Saying Băiatul nu e foarte bine is completely natural and very common.
Why does the sentence use bine (well) instead of bun (good)?
Just like in English, when you talk about someone's health or how they are doing, you use the adverb for 'well' (bine). If you used the adjective for 'good' (bun) and said Băiatul nu este foarte bun, it would change the meaning to 'The boy is not very good' (meaning he behaves badly or is bad at a certain skill).

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