Existential Constructions in Romanian

In Brief

To say that something is present or exists, Romanian commonly uses este (or spoken e) before a singular noun and sunt before a plural noun: Este o cafenea aici (“There is a café here”) and Sunt două cafenele aici (“There are two cafés here”). It can also use există, which does not change for number: Există o soluție / Există două soluții (“There is one solution / There are two solutions”). Unlike English, Romanian does not add a word equivalent to introductory there.

Overview

An existential construction is a sentence that introduces something as existing, being available, or being present in a place. English normally begins such a sentence with there is or there are. Romanian usually begins directly with a form of a fi (“to be”) or with există (“exists/there is”). The thing being introduced normally comes after the verb.

This is an A1 pattern because it lets you ask and answer essential questions: Is there a pharmacy nearby? Are there any free tables? Is anyone home? The core beginner rule is simple: use este/e with one thing or an uncountable substance, sunt with more than one thing, and există with either singular or plural.

English-speaking learners need to resist translating the introductory word there. In There is a hotel here, there does not mean a location; the actual location is here. Romanian simply says Este un hotel aici. Romanian acolo means locational “there,” so adding it automatically changes the meaning.

How It Works

The basic pattern with a fi

The usual structure is:

este/e/sunt + thing or person introduced + place or other information

A noun is a word for a person, thing, place, or idea. Its number determines the verb form in this pattern.

What is introduced	Verb	Pattern	Example
one countable item	este or e	este/e + singular noun	Este un magazin aici.
more than one item	sunt	sunt + plural noun	Sunt trei magazine aici.
an uncountable substance	este or e	este/e + mass noun	Este lapte în frigider.

Este and e are both present-tense, third-person-singular forms of a fi. E is especially frequent in conversation; este is the full form and is common in both careful speech and writing. Sunt is the third-person-plural form.

The noun phrase—the noun together with words such as an article, number, or adjective—often introduces new information. For that reason, it commonly contains un/o (“a/an”), a number, or a quantity word:

• Este o problemă. — “There is a problem.”
• Sunt doi copii afară. — “There are two children outside.”
• Sunt mulți oameni aici. — “There are many people here.”

Există: one form for singular and plural

Există is the present-tense third-person-singular form of a exista (“to exist”). In an existential sentence, it stays singular even when the following noun is plural:

Number after the verb	Romanian	English
singular	Există o explicație.	There is an explanation.
plural	Există mai multe explicații.	There are several explanations.

The visible form is există with both singular and plural nouns. Romanian present-tense third-person singular and plural happen to have the same form here, so there is no separate form to memorize for this contrast.

Este/sunt is very natural for the presence of people or things in a situation or place. Există often emphasizes existence, availability, or the fact that something is possible. It is especially useful with abstract nouns such as soluție (“solution”), diferență (“difference”), risc (“risk”), and posibilitate (“possibility”). The two patterns sometimes overlap:

• Este o farmacie aproape. — “There is a pharmacy nearby.” (its presence/location)
• Există o farmacie în apropiere? — “Is there a pharmacy nearby?” (does one exist/is one available?)

Questions need no extra auxiliary

Romanian does not use an equivalent of English do/does here. In speech, intonation can turn the statement into a question; in writing, the question mark shows it.

• Este un bancomat aici. → Este un bancomat aici?
• Sunt locuri libere. → Sunt locuri libere?
• Există altă variantă. → Există altă variantă?

Question words can be added normally: Câte restaurante sunt aici? (“How many restaurants are there here?”) and Ce este în cutie? (“What is in the box?”).

Negation and Romanian negative agreement

Put nu immediately before the verb:

• Nu este apă caldă. — “There is no hot water.”
• Nu sunt autobuze astăzi. — “There are no buses today.”
• Nu există soluții simple. — “There are no simple solutions.”

Romanian commonly uses a negative verb together with a negative word. This is called negative concord: several negative forms work together to express one negative meaning. With people, use nimeni (“nobody”); with things, use nimic (“nothing”).

• Nu este nimeni acasă. — “There is nobody home.”
• Nu este nimic în cutie. — “There is nothing in the box.”

Before a singular noun, niciun (masculine/neuter) and nicio (feminine) mean “no/not any” and are written as one word in this use:

• Nu este niciun taxi aici. — “There is no taxi here.”
• Nu există nicio problemă. — “There is no problem.”

Word order and location

The location often comes last, but it can move to the beginning when it provides the setting:

• Sunt multe muzee în București. — “There are many museums in Bucharest.”
• În București sunt multe muzee. — “In Bucharest, there are many museums.”

Both are natural. Beginning with the location tells the listener what area you are talking about before presenting the new information.

Do not confuse an existential sentence with a sentence that locates an already known thing:

Purpose	Romanian	Meaning
introduce a new thing	Este o carte pe masă.	There is a book on the table.
locate a known thing	Cartea este pe masă.	The book is on the table.

The first presents o carte as new. The second has a definite noun, cartea (“the book”), as its subject—the person or thing the sentence is about—and tells you where it is.

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Este o pisică în grădină.	There is a cat in the garden.	Singular este
E o cafenea lângă gară.	There is a café near the station.	Conversational e
Sunt mulți oameni aici.	There are many people here.	Plural sunt
Sunt două băi în apartament.	There are two bathrooms in the apartment.	Number + plural noun
Este lapte în frigider?	Is there any milk in the fridge?	Uncountable substance
Există o bancă în apropiere?	Is there a bank nearby?	Asking about availability
Există mai multe posibilități.	There are several possibilities.	Există remains unchanged
Nu este nimeni acasă.	There is nobody home.	Negative concord with nimeni
Nu este nimic în geantă.	There is nothing in the bag.	Negative concord with nimic
Nu există nicio problemă.	There is no problem.	Feminine nicio
Nu sunt locuri libere.	There are no seats available.	Plural negative
În sat sunt două magazine.	There are two shops in the village.	Location placed first
Câte persoane sunt în sală?	How many people are there in the room?	Quantity question
Ce este în cutie?	What is in the box?	Question word ce

Common Mistakes

Translating English introductory there

• Wrong: Acolo este un restaurant aici.
• Right: Este un restaurant aici.
• Why: English introductory there has no separate Romanian translation. Acolo is a real location word meaning “there,” so it clashes with aici (“here”). You can say Acolo este un restaurant only when you mean “There, in that place, is a restaurant.”

Using singular este with a plural noun

• Wrong: Este două farmacii în centru.
• Right: Sunt două farmacii în centru.
• Why: With a fi, the verb agrees in number: este/e for singular and sunt for plural.

Combining sunt and există

• Wrong: Sunt există două probleme.
• Right: Sunt două probleme. / Există două probleme.
• Why: Choose one construction. Sunt gives the “there are” pattern with a fi; există supplies the complete verb in the alternative pattern.

Leaving out nu with nimeni or nimic

• Wrong: Este nimeni acasă.
• Right: Nu este nimeni acasă.
• Why: Standard Romanian uses nu on the verb together with nimeni or nimic in this pattern.

Confusing existence with identity or location

• Wrong for “There is a doctor in the office”: Doctorul este în birou.
• Right: Este un doctor în birou.
• Why: Doctorul este în birou means “The doctor is in the office” and assumes a particular doctor. Use an indefinite phrase such as un doctor to introduce someone new.

Usage Notes

E is not “bad Romanian.” It is the ordinary short form of este and is extremely common in speech. In formal or carefully edited writing, the full este may appear more often, but both forms are standard. There is no comparable shortened plural form here: use sunt.

In everyday place descriptions, este/e and sunt often sound more direct than există. Compare the natural conversational E cineva la ușă (“There is someone at the door”) with the more abstract Există riscul unei întârzieri (“There is a risk of a delay”). This is a tendency, not an absolute ban: există is also normal in practical questions about whether a service or option is available.

Romanian may omit an article with uncountable nouns and some plural nouns used generally: Este cafea (“There is coffee”) and Sunt probleme (“There are problems”). As in English, the exact article or quantity expression depends on what you mean, not only on the existential construction.

Beyond the Basics: Tense, Style, and Alternative Verbs

You do not need to master these details at A1, but the same pattern appears in other tenses. Change the verb to place the existence in the past or future:

Romanian	English	Note
Era un cinematograf aici.	There used to be a cinema here.	Singular past/imperfect
Erau mulți oameni în piață.	There were many people in the square.	Plural past/imperfect
A fost o problemă ieri.	There was a problem yesterday.	Completed past situation
Au fost multe întrebări.	There were many questions.	Completed past, plural
Va exista o perioadă de probă.	There will be a trial period.	Future of a exista

The choice between era/erau and a fost/au fost involves Romanian past-tense viewpoint: broadly, the imperfect forms present a background or ongoing state, while the compound past forms present a completed occurrence or bounded situation. That contrast belongs to later study.

More precise or formal alternatives include se află (“is located/is found”) and se găsește (“is found/can be found”): În apropiere se află un muzeu (“A museum is located nearby”). These expressions focus more on location than bare existence and are common in descriptions, directions, and informative writing.

Romanian can also place the noun before the verb for emphasis or as part of a particular information flow: O soluție există, dar este scumpă (“A solution does exist, but it is expensive”). Here the fronted noun is contrasted or highlighted. For neutral first mention, the beginner pattern with the verb first remains the safest choice.

Practice Tips

1. Scan your surroundings. Make five pairs with singular and plural: Este un scaun... / Sunt patru scaune.... This builds agreement between este and sunt.
2. Ask practical questions. Rehearse Este...?, Sunt...?, and Există...? with travel vocabulary: a pharmacy, available rooms, buses, Wi-Fi, or another option.
3. Build negative triples. Turn an affirmative sentence into a question and then a negative: Este cineva aici. → Este cineva aici? → Nu este nimeni aici. This helps you remember Romanian negative concord.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Verb A Fi (To Be) — learn the present forms este/e and sunt that power the basic existential pattern.