Learn Romanian: Ești căsătorit sau celibatar?

Ești căsătorit sau celibatar?

Are you married or single?

Breakdown of Ești căsătorit sau celibatar?

to be (sunt, ești, este, suntem, sunteți, sunt)

Questions & Answers about Ești căsătorit sau celibatar?

How would this sentence change if I were asking a woman?

You would need to use the feminine forms of both adjectives. Căsătorit becomes căsătorită, and celibatar becomes celibatară. The sentence would be: Ești căsătorită sau celibatară?

I learned that "single" is singur. Why is celibatar used here instead?

In Romanian, singur generally means "alone" or "by oneself." If you ask Ești singur?, it sounds like you are asking "Are you alone right now?" When talking about marital status, you must use celibatar or necăsătorit (unmarried) to mean "single."

Is there a difference between using celibatar and necăsătorit?

They both mean "single" in the context of relationships, but necăsătorit is the direct translation of "unmarried." Celibatar is also very common but carries a slightly stronger meaning of "bachelor" or someone living a single lifestyle. Both are perfectly fine to use here.

Why don't we use "un" before celibatar, like in "Ești un celibatar?"

In Romanian, when you use the verb a fi (to be) to describe someone's marital status, profession, or nationality, you typically leave out the indefinite article (un or o).