Breakdown of Un râu trece prin vale.
un
a / an (m/n)
râul
the river
trece
to pass / to cross
prin
through; around (a place)
Questions & Answers about Un râu trece prin vale.
Why does the Romanian sentence use trece instead of a verb that literally means to run?
In English, we say a river runs, but in Romanian, you cannot use the literal verb for running (a fugi) for water. Instead, you use trece (passes or goes through) or curge (flows).
The English translation includes the word the, so why is it prin vale and not prin valea?
In Romanian, most simple prepositions like prin, în, and pe strip the definite article off the noun that follows them, even if you mean a specific valley. You only keep the definite article if the noun is modified by an adjective or phrase, such as in prin valea verde (through the green valley).