Word
Calculatorul este pe birou.
Meaning
The computer is on the desk.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Breakdown of Calculatorul este pe birou.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
biroul
the desk
pe
on
calculatorul
the computer
Questions & Answers about Calculatorul este pe birou.
Why does calculatorul end in -ul?
In Romanian, the definite article (the equivalent of the English word 'the') attaches to the end of the noun instead of coming before it. Calculator means 'computer', and adding -ul makes it calculatorul ('the computer').
The translation says 'on the desk', so why isn't it pe biroul?
This is a very important rule in Romanian! After most short prepositions like pe (on), în (in), and la (at/to), you drop the attached 'the' from the end of the noun. So even though we mean 'on the desk', it is written simply as pe birou (literally 'on desk').
Does birou only mean 'desk'?
No, birou is a word with two common meanings. It can mean 'desk' (the piece of furniture) or 'office' (the room or workplace). Here, since the computer is on it, 'desk' makes the most sense!
Is it okay to say e instead of este?
Yes, absolutely! Este means 'is', but in everyday spoken Romanian, it is very commonly shortened to e. You will often hear people say Calculatorul e pe birou.