Breakdown of Cuibul vrăbiei este în copac.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
în
in
copacul
the tree
cuibul
the nest
vrabia
the sparrow
Questions & Answers about Cuibul vrăbiei este în copac.
Why does the word for sparrow change to vrăbiei here?
This is the Genitive case, which shows possession. The base dictionary word is vrabie (sparrow). To mean 'of the sparrow' or 'the sparrow's', the feminine noun changes its ending to become the definite genitive form vrăbiei.
Why is the order Cuibul vrăbiei instead of Vrăbiei cuibul?
In Romanian, the object being owned (cuibul, the nest) almost always comes before the owner (vrăbiei, of the sparrow). The structure literally translates to 'the nest of the sparrow'.
Why does cuib need the -ul ending attached to it?
When showing possession with the Genitive case, the noun being owned must have a definite article. Because cuib is a neuter noun, it takes the definite article -ul at the end to become cuibul (the nest).
The English translation says 'in the tree', so why isn't it în copacul?
In Romanian, nouns that come immediately after simple prepositions like în, pe, or sub usually drop their definite article. Even though the sentence just says în copac without an article, it is still translated as 'in the tree'.
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