Learn Romanian: Trenul trece prin oraș. - The train passes through the town.

Trenul trece prin oraș.

The train passes through the town.

Breakdown of Trenul trece prin oraș.

through; around (a place)

Questions & Answers about Trenul trece prin oraș.

Why does the sentence use oraș instead of orașul for "the town"?

In Romanian, you generally drop the definite article (the ending that means "the") after simple prepositions like prin, în, pe, or la. Even though it is just written as oraș, it translates naturally as "the town" in English. You would only add the article back if you were adding descriptive words, like prin orașul vechi (through the old town).

Is trenul a masculine noun because it ends in -ul?

Close, but tren is actually a neuter noun! In Romanian, neuter nouns act like masculine nouns in the singular (taking the -ul or -le article) but like feminine nouns in the plural. The plural of tren is trenuri (two trains = două trenuri).

What is the infinitive (dictionary form) of trece?

The dictionary form is a trece (to pass / to cross). It is a standard 3rd group verb (verbs ending in -e). Unlike verbs ending in -a or -i, you don't add suffixes like -ez or -esc to this group when conjugating.

Could I use the preposition peste instead of prin?

Not here! Peste means "over" or "above". If you said Trenul trece peste oraș, it would mean the train is flying over the town! Prin is the correct word for moving "through" an area.