Breakdown of Fata are o rochie portocalie.
fata
the girl
o
a / an (f)
avea
to have
rochia
the dress
portocaliu
orange
Questions & Answers about Fata are o rochie portocalie.
Why does the word for girl end with an "a" (fata) instead of an "ă" (fată)?
In Romanian, the base word for a girl is fată. To say "the girl", you change the ending to a, making it fata. Unlike English, Romanian attaches words like "the" (definite articles) directly to the end of the noun.
Why is the word order rochie portocalie instead of portocalie rochie?
In Romanian, adjectives (words that describe a noun, like colors) almost always come after the noun they describe. So instead of saying "an orange dress", you literally say "a dress orange".
I learned that the color orange is portocaliu. Why does it end in -e here?
Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because rochie (dress) is a feminine noun, the masculine color portocaliu changes to its feminine form, portocalie.
Is are a regular verb?
No, it comes from a avea (to have), which is a very common but irregular verb. Are is the form used for "he", "she", or "it" (in this case, the girl has).
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