Learn Romanian: Mai întâi citește textul!

Mai întâi citește textul!

First read the text!

Breakdown of Mai întâi citește textul!

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Questions & Answers about Mai întâi citește textul!

Why does this sentence use mai when that usually means more?

While mai usually means more or again, mai întâi is a fixed phrase meaning first or first of all. Adding mai to întâi makes the sequence of events feel more emphatic, like saying first things first.

Is citește a command here, or does it mean he or she reads?

In this sentence, it is an informal command telling one person to read. For many Romanian verbs ending in -i, the command form for singular you is exactly the same as the he or she present tense form. The exclamation mark helps you see it is a command.

Could I leave out mai and just say întâi citește textul?

Yes, using just întâi is also perfectly correct and means the same thing. However, mai întâi is extremely common in everyday Romanian when giving a set of instructions.

Why does the word text have -ul attached to the end?

The -ul ending is the Romanian equivalent of the. Because text is a neuter noun ending in a consonant, you attach -ul directly to the end of the word to make textul (the text).