Learn Romanian: Copilul nu mănâncă legumele și cartofii. - The child does not eat the vegetables and the potatoes.

In Romanian, the word for "the" (the definite article) attaches to the end of the noun instead of coming before it. The base word is copil (child), and adding -ul makes it copilul (the child).

Where is the word for "does" in nu mănâncă?

Romanian doesn't use a helper verb like "does" or "do" for negatives. You simply place nu (not) right before the verb. So, nu mănâncă directly translates to "not eats," which means "does not eat" or "is not eating."

How is the word legumele formed?

The singular word is legumă (vegetable), a feminine noun. Its plural is legume (vegetables). To say "the vegetables," you add the feminine plural ending for "the," which is -le, giving you legumele.

Why does cartofii end with a double 'i'?

The singular word is cartof (potato), a masculine noun. Its plural is cartofi (potatoes) with one 'i'. To say "the potatoes," you add the masculine plural ending for "the," which happens to be another -i. Adding this second 'i' gives us cartofii.