Question 1

Why does it say fratele meu instead of just frate meu?

Accepted Answer

In Romanian, when you use a possessive adjective like meu after a noun, the noun must have a definite article attached to it. So the base word frate (brother) takes the definite article -le to become fratele (the brother) before you add meu.

Question 2

Could I use mai instead of încă to mean 'still' in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but they are placed differently. If you use mai, it usually goes directly before the verb: Fratele meu mai este celibatar. Using încă gives a slightly stronger emphasis on the fact that his marital status hasn't changed yet, and its position is more flexible.

Question 3

Can I use singur instead of celibatar to say he is single?

Accepted Answer

You can, but it can be ambiguous. Singur means both 'single' (not in a relationship) and 'alone' (by oneself). Celibatar specifically means 'bachelor' or 'unmarried', so it guarantees the listener knows you are talking about his relationship status and not his physical isolation.

Question 4

How would this sentence change if I were talking about my sister instead?

Accepted Answer

You would need to make the noun, the possessive, and the adjective feminine. The sentence would become: Sora mea este încă celibatară.

Fratele meu este încă celibatar.

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