In English, the indefinite articles (a, an, some) AND the definite article (the) precede the noun to which they refer. However, in Romanian, the indefinite articles come BEFORE the noun and definite articles come AFTER the noun, as a suffix.
That is, unless the planets are aligned or all road construction is finished, but we all know how rare those are.
Indefinite Articles
|
un |
"a, an" for masculine and neuter singular nouns |
|
o |
"a, an" for feminine singular nouns |
|
niște |
some |
Este un om acolo. There is a man over there. Ai un prieten în România? Do you have a friend in Romania? Cumpăr o carte bună. I am buying a good book. Cunosc o fată în Franța. I know a girl in France. Niște copii sunt în fața școlii. Some kids are in front of the school. Definite Articles
If the word ends in a consonant, add -ul:
|
om |
man |
|
omul |
the man |
|
oameni |
men |
|
oamenii |
the men |
If ending in -ă, substitute -a:
|
fată |
girl |
|
fata |
the girl |
|
fete |
girls |
|
fetele |
the girls |
If ending in -ea, add -ua:
|
cafea |
coffee |
|
cafeaua |
the coffee |
|
cafele |
cups of coffee |
|
cafelele |
the cups of coffee |
If ending in -ie, substitute -ia
|
călătorie |
voyage |
|
călătoria |
the voyage |
|
călătorii |
voyages |
|
călătoriile |
the voyages |
If ending in -u, add -l:
|
metrou |
metro |
|
metroul |
the metro |
|
metrouri |
metros |
|
metrourile |
the metros |
If a MASCULINE word ends in -e, add -le:
|
cîine |
dog |
|
cîinele |
the dog |
|
cîini |
dogs |
|
cîinii |
the dogs |
If a FEMININE word ends in -e, add -a:
|
minge |
ball |
|
mingea |
the ball |
|
mingi |
balls |
|
mingile |
the balls |
Examples:
Brânza e foarte veche. The cheese is very old. Dă-i mingea! Give him the ball! Steaua albastră e frumoasă. The blue star is beautiful. NOTES:
There are some instances where the definite article would not be used in English but MUST be used in Romanian.
1. When speaking about something in a general sense:
Mâncarea românească este foarte delicioasă. Romanian food is very delicious. (Speaking about Romanian food in general) Nu-mi place berea. I don't like beer. (Speaking of beer in general) 2. When showing possession:
Prietenul meu vine mîine dimineață. My friend is coming tomorrow morning. Dani are ceasul tău. Danny has your watch. Words in this Lesson
| om | man |
| prieten | friend |
| fată | girl |
| copii | children, kids |
| în față | in front |
| brânză | cheese |
| foarte | very |
| veche | old (for objects) |
| stea | star |
| albastră | blue (f) |
| frumoasă | beautiful (f) |
| mâncare | food |
| bere | beer |
| mîine | tomorrow |
| dimineață | morning |
| ceas | watch |
| Lesson 4: Plurals | Main Page | Lesson 6: Subjunctive |