Learn Romanian: Studenții ies afară târziu. - The students go outside late.

Studenții ies afară târziu.

The students go outside late.

Breakdown of Studenții ies afară târziu.

Questions & Answers about Studenții ies afară târziu.

How does the verb ies fit into the group of verbs ending in -i?

The dictionary form is a ieși (to go out). This is a Conjugation 4 verb. To make the "they" form to match studenții, it becomes ies. A very handy trick for many verbs in this group: the "they" form (ei ies) is exactly the same as the "I" form (eu ies).

Why does studenții have two i letters at the end?

The first -i makes the word plural, and the second -i means "the". We start with the singular noun student. To say "students", we add -i to get studenți. To say "the students", we attach the masculine plural definite article, which is another -i, giving us studenții.

Does ies simply mean "go"?

Not exactly. The verb a ieși specifically means "to exit" or "to go out". If you want to talk about going somewhere in general, you use the verb a merge. Paired with afară (outside), the phrase ies afară perfectly translates to "go outside".

Why doesn't the word târziu change to a plural form to match the students?

Because it is acting as an adverb here, not an adjective! It describes when the action of going outside happens, not the students themselves. In Romanian, adverbs do not change their endings to match gender or number.