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Ei sunt prieteni.

Ei sunt prieteni.
They are friends.
From Lesson 7:Masculine plural nouns (-i, -ii)·Romanian

Questions & Answers about Ei sunt prieteni.

How do we form the plural word prieteni?
The singular word for "friend" is prieten, which is a masculine noun. In Romanian, masculine nouns usually form their plural by adding the letter -i to the end, giving us prieteni.
Why does this word only have one -i at the end instead of two?
A single -i makes a masculine noun plural, so prieteni means "friends". If you add a second -i, it acts as the word "the" (prietenii = "the friends"). Because our English sentence is "They are friends" (not "the friends"), we only use the single -i.
Does ei mean "they" for any group of friends?
Ei is the "they" pronoun used for a group of men, or a mixed group of men and women. If you are talking about an all-female group of friends, you must use the feminine "they", which is ele, and the feminine plural for friends: Ele sunt prietene.
How do I pronounce the final -i in prieteni?
The single -i at the end of prieteni is not pronounced as a full "ee" sound. It is a "whispered" or "short" i that just softens the n sound before it. You only pronounce a clear "ee" sound if the word has a double -ii, like in the definite version prietenii.

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