Learn Romanian: Noi exersăm douăzeci de minute.

Noi exersăm douăzeci de minute.

We practice twenty minutes.

Breakdown of Noi exersăm douăzeci de minute.

of / to, near (after se apropia)

Questions & Answers about Noi exersăm douăzeci de minute.

Why is there a de between douăzeci and minute?

In Romanian, whenever you count 20 or more of something, you have to put de between the number and the noun. You can think of it like saying "twenty of minutes". For numbers 1 through 19, you just put the number directly next to the noun.

How does the word for twenty, douăzeci, break down?

It is literally the words for "two tens" pushed together. It combines două (two) and zeci (tens, which is the plural of zece).

If două is the feminine word for "two", does that mean minute is a feminine noun?

Not quite, minut is a neuter noun. Neuter nouns are special: they act masculine when there is just one (un minut) and feminine when there are two or more (două minute). Because we are talking about plural minutes, the "two" inside twenty uses the feminine form două.

Do I have to say noi, or can I just start with the verb?

You can absolutely drop noi. The ending of the verb exersăm already tells us that "we" are doing the action. Adding noi just puts a little more emphasis on the fact that we are the ones practicing.