Breakdown of Cadourile sunt ale lor.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
lor
their
al
the possessive article (m.sg; a, ai, ale)
cadoul
the gift
Questions & Answers about Cadourile sunt ale lor.
Why do we need the word ale here? Can't I just say "Cadourile sunt lor"?
In Romanian, when you say something "is mine", "is yours", or "is theirs" after the verb to be, you must use the possessive article (al, a, ai, ale) right before the possessive word. You can think of ale lor as meaning "the ones of theirs".
Why is the specific form ale used instead of al, a, or ai?
The possessive article has to match the gender and number of the noun being owned. Here, the noun is cadourile (the gifts). Because it is a plural neuter noun, it takes the feminine/neuter plural form, which is ale.
How do I know cadourile is neuter plural?
The singular form is cadou. In Romanian, nouns ending in -ou are typically neuter. Remember that neuter nouns act masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural. The plural form is cadouri, and adding the plural definite article "the" (-le) makes it cadourile.