Breakdown of Niciun dispozitiv nu este imposibil de reparat.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
nu
no / not
repara
to repair
niciun
no / not any
dispozitivul
the device (mechanism, gadget)
imposibil
impossible
de
to (before a supine: hard to do, have to do, finished doing)
Questions & Answers about Niciun dispozitiv nu este imposibil de reparat.
Why do we use de reparat instead of the infinitive (a repara) or subjunctive (să repare)?
In Romanian, when a verb follows an adjective like imposibil (impossible), greu (hard), or ușor (easy) to describe the action applied to the subject, we use the supine. It is formed with the preposition de plus the past participle reparat. English uses the infinitive ('impossible to repair'), but Romanian naturally prefers the supine here.
Why is there a nu in this sentence when niciun already means 'no'?
Romanian requires double negation. Whenever a negative adjective or pronoun like niciun (no/not any) or nimic (nothing) comes before the verb, you must also negate the verb itself with nu. It literally translates to 'No device is not impossible...', but it simply means 'No device is impossible...'
When do we write niciun as one word versus two words (nici un)?
It is written as one word (niciun) when it acts as a negative adjective meaning 'no' or 'not any' before a noun, as it does here with dispozitiv. It is written as two separate words (nici un) only when nici means 'neither' or 'not even', such as in nici un băiat, nici o fată (neither a boy nor a girl).
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