Breakdown of În primul rând, e scump. În al doilea rând, e departe.
fi
to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)
scump
expensive
departe
far
în primul rând
first of all
în al doilea rând
secondly
Questions & Answers about În primul rând, e scump. În al doilea rând, e departe.
Why does în primul rând mean "first of all"?
The word rând literally means "row", "line", or "turn". So în primul rând translates literally to "in the first row" or "in the first turn". In Romanian, this is the standard fixed expression used to say "first of all" or "firstly" when listing arguments or points.
Why do we use the masculine forms primul and al doilea here?
Why is "the first" just one word (primul) while "the second" has three parts (al doilea)?
In Romanian, the word for "first" is a special exception that works like a normal adjective with a definite article attached to the end (prim plus ul equals primul). For all other numbers starting from two, the ordinal is formed using the particle al (masculine/neuter), the number itself, and the ending -lea. That is why "the second" is al doilea.
How would I say "thirdly" or "fourthly" following this pattern?
You simply continue using the masculine/neuter ordinal numbers with the word rând. "Thirdly" becomes în al treilea rând and "fourthly" becomes în al patrulea rând.
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