Learn Romanian: Aceasta este mașina lui Ion.

Aceasta este mașina lui Ion.

This is Ion's car.

Breakdown of Aceasta este mașina lui Ion.

to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)

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Questions & Answers about Aceasta este mașina lui Ion.

Why do we use aceasta instead of acesta here?

We use aceasta because it points to mașina (the car), which is a feminine noun. If you were pointing to a masculine noun, you would use acesta.

Why does mașina end in a instead of ă?

The base dictionary word for car is mașină. In Romanian, the definite article meaning the is attached directly to the end of the noun. For feminine words ending in ă, you swap the ă for an a to make it mașina.

How does lui make this sentence mean Ion's car?

The word lui is placed right before masculine proper names to show possession, acting just like the English apostrophe-s. The phrase literally means the car of Ion.

If the car belonged to a woman named Maria, would we still use lui?

Usually, no. For most feminine names ending in a, you change the end of the name itself instead of using an extra word. For example, Maria's car would be mașina Mariei. The word lui is mostly saved for masculine names, or female names that do not end in a.