Word
Acel băiat are unsprezece ani.
Meaning
That boy is eleven years old.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Acel băiat are unsprezece ani.
Why does the Romanian sentence use are (has) when the English translation says "is"?
In Romanian, you talk about age using the verb a avea (to have). You literally say that someone has a certain number of years, not that they are those years. Are is the "he, she, or it" form of this verb.
How is the word for eleven, unsprezece, put together?
It is made of three parts: unu (one) plus spre (towards) plus zece (ten). Romanian uses this exact pattern to build all numbers from 11 to 19.
Do I need a connecting word between the number unsprezece and the noun ani?
Not for this number! For numbers from 1 to 19, the number goes right next to the noun. However, once you reach 20 in Romanian, you will need to add the little word de between the number and the noun.
Why do we use acel instead of acela for "that"?
Acel is the short form used when a demonstrative word comes directly before the noun (acel băiat). If you wanted to put "that" after the noun, you would use acela, and the noun would also need a definite article tacked onto it (băiatul acela).