Breakdown of Colegul de apartament tot întârzie.
colegul
the colleague
apartamentul
the apartment
de
of / to, near (after se apropia)
întârzia
to be late
tot
keep (doing), continually; still, all the same
Questions & Answers about Colegul de apartament tot întârzie.
How does tot translate to "keeps" here? I thought it meant "everything" or "all".
Could I put tot after the verb, like Colegul de apartament întârzie tot?
No, because the position changes the meaning. When tot means "keeps doing" or "still", it must go before the verb. If you put it after a verb, it acts as the pronoun "everything" (e.g., mănâncă tot = he eats everything). Since you can't "be late everything", that word order wouldn't make sense here.
Is coleg de apartament the standard way to say "roommate"?
Yes. Romanian doesn't have a single standalone word for "roommate". Instead, it uses coleg (colleague/peer) combined with the setting. You will hear coleg de apartament for a flatmate, coleg de cameră for someone sharing the exact same room (like in a dorm), and coleg de muncă for a coworker.
What is the infinitive of întârzie, and why does it end in -ie?
The infinitive is a întârzia (to be late / to delay). Verbs ending in -ia often undergo spelling changes in the present tense. For the he/she form used here, the ending becomes -ie (el/ea întârzie). Watch out for the I/you forms, which take a double i: eu/tu întârzii.
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