Breakdown of Noi lucrăm patruzeci de ore.
noi
we
lucra
to work
de
of / to, near (after se apropia)
patruzeci
forty
Questions & Answers about Noi lucrăm patruzeci de ore.
Why is the word de used in this sentence?
In Romanian, whenever you count 20 or more of an item, you must insert the preposition de between the number and the noun. Think of it as saying "forty of hours". If the number were under 20, you would drop the de (for example, două ore for "two hours" or nouăsprezece ore for "nineteen hours").
How do you build the number patruzeci?
It is formed by combining the word for four (patru) and the plural word for tens (zeci). So, patruzeci literally means "four tens". This is the standard pattern for Romanian multiples of ten, like treizeci (thirty) and cincizeci (fifty).
Could I just say Lucrăm patruzeci de ore without the noi?
Yes, absolutely! Because the verb lucrăm (we work) is conjugated specifically for "we", the pronoun noi is optional. Romanian speakers often leave the pronoun out unless they want to emphasize who is doing the action.