este
/ˈjes.te/
The Romanian word for "is" is este.
este is the third-person singular present tense of the verb "to be" and is used to describe an identity or a state.
Which one should you use?
While este is the standard form, the shortened version e is very common in everyday spoken Romanian.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the verb negative, place nu directly before este to form nu este. For questions, Romanian often uses the same word order as a statement but changes the intonation, rather than using an auxiliary verb.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈjes.te/. It has two syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- In Romanian, you can omit the subject entirely because este specifically identifies the third person, making the sentence 'Is cold' (Este frig) perfectly grammatical.
- The word este contains an extra vowel that was not present in the original Latin word 'est'. This extra sound, known as an epenthetic vowel, was added over centuries to make the word easier to pronounce in Romanian.
Examples in context
- Nu este un joc.It is not a game.This example shows how to use este in a negative statement.Tatoeba #8920984 by CataG, translation #9419410 by shekitten
- Aia este o vulpe?Is that a fox?This example shows how to form a question using este and intonation.Tatoeba #6587641 by CataG, translation #6005629 by mailohilohi
- Tom este în seră.Tom is in the greenhouse.This example shows how to use este to describe a person's location.Tatoeba #6638264 by elenacristina260, translation #5983575 by Hybrid
- Ea este ocupată.She is busy.
- Profesorul este străin.The professor is a foreigner.
- Cartea se află pe masă.The book is on the table.
- Documentele se află în birou.The documents are in the office.
- Expoziția se află în muzeu.The exhibition is in the museum.
- Ea e acasă.She is at home.
- Orașul e frumos.The city is beautiful.
- Copiii stau afară.The children are outside.
- Câinele stă lângă mine.The dog is next to me.
- 3013 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ioana and Andrei are talking about a new book.
- IoanaCartea aceasta este foarte interesantă.This book is very interesting.
- AndreiÎntr-adevăr, povestea este uimitoare.Indeed, the story is amazing.
- IoanaAutorul este din România.The author is from Romania.
- AndreiAtunci este o alegere bună.Then it is a good choice.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry este, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries este, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
