Breakdown of Casa Mariei este mare.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
casa
the house
mare
big
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Questions & Answers about Casa Mariei este mare.
Why does Maria's name change to Mariei?
This is the Romanian way to show possession, similar to adding 's in English (the Genitive case). For most feminine names ending in -a, you change the -a to -ei to show ownership. So, Maria becomes Mariei (Maria's).
Why is the word for house casa instead of casă?
In Romanian, when you talk about someone's object, that object must have the definite article attached to it (meaning "the"). Casă just means "a house", but casa means "the house". Literally, the sentence translates to "The house of Maria is big."
Can I change the word order to match English and say Mariei casa?
No, Romanian has a strict word order for this type of possession. The object that is owned must come first, followed by the owner. You always say casa Mariei (literally "the house Maria's") and never the other way around.