Breakdown of Fără temelia casei, peretele va cădea.
casa
the house
vrea
to want
fără
without / to (telling time)
cădea
to fall
Questions & Answers about Fără temelia casei, peretele va cădea.
Why does temelia have the definite article -a here? Doesn't the preposition fără usually drop the article?
You are right that prepositions like fără, cu, or pentru usually take nouns without the definite article (for example, fără temelie means without a foundation). However, there is a special rule: if the noun is followed by a modifier, such as an adjective or a genitive noun like casei (of the house), it must take the definite article. That is why it becomes fără temelia casei.
How do we form the genitive casei from casă?
For most feminine nouns ending in -ă, you form the genitive (and dative) by taking the plural form of the noun and adding the definite article -i. The plural of casă is case, so adding -i gives us casei (the house's / of the house).
What gender is peretele and how is its definite article attached?
The base word is perete (wall), which is a masculine noun. For masculine nouns that end in -e in the singular, the definite article is -le. You simply add it to the end of the word, giving you peretele. This is the same pattern you see in câinele (the dog) or fratele (the brother).
Why is the future tense va cădea and not va cade?