Learn Romanian: Elevii scriu în caiet. - The pupils write in the notebook.

Elevii scriu în caiet.

The pupils write in the notebook.

Breakdown of Elevii scriu în caiet.

the pupil (school student)

Questions & Answers about Elevii scriu în caiet.

Why does elevii have two 'i's at the end?

The first i makes the masculine word plural (elevi means pupils), and the second i is the definite article meaning 'the'. So, elev is pupil, elevi is pupils, and elevii is the pupils.

I thought scriu means 'I write'. Why is it used here for 'the pupils'?

The verb a scrie (to write) has the exact same form for both the first person singular (I) and the third person plural (they). So, eu scriu means I write, and ei scriu or elevii scriu means they write or the pupils write.

The English translation says 'in the notebook', but caiet doesn't have the definite article attached. Why not?

In Romanian, when a noun comes directly after short prepositions like în (in), pe (on), or la (at), it usually drops the definite article. That is why it is just în caiet instead of în caietul, even though we still say 'in the notebook' in English.