Questions & Answers about Desenez un cerc într-un pătrat.
Why does desenez end in -ez instead of just attaching a standard present tense ending to the root?
The verb a desena (to draw) belongs to the group of verbs ending in -a that take the -ez suffix in the present tense, similar to a lucra (lucrez) or a vizita (vizitez). There is no strict rule for which verbs take this suffix, so it is best to memorize them as you learn new vocabulary.
Why is it written as într-un instead of just în un?
In Romanian, the preposition în (in) always combines with the indefinite articles un (a/an) and o (a/an) to make pronunciation smoother. Instead of a clunky pause between the two words, you use the contraction într-un for masculine and neuter nouns, and într-o for feminine nouns.
What gender are cerc and pătrat?
If I wanted to say 'in the square' instead of 'in a square', would I still use într-?
No, the contraction într- is only used with the indefinite articles un and o. If you want to say in the square, you use the regular preposition în followed by the noun with its definite article attached to the end: în pătratul.