Adjective Agreement

Level 1

In Romanian, adjectives are not static. They change their endings to match the noun's gender (masculine, feminine, or neuter) and number (singular or plural).

How It Works

Romanian adjective agreement is essential for clear communication. Unlike English, where 'big' stays the same, Romanian adjectives 'bend' to fit the noun.

1. Adjective Classes (Number of Forms)
Adjectives are grouped by how many distinct forms they have:

  • 4 forms: bun, bună, buni, bune (good) - unique form for each gender/number.
  • 3 forms: mic, mică, mici (small) - masculine and feminine plural share the same form.
  • 2 forms: mare, mari (big) - singular and plural forms only, regardless of gender.
  • 1 form: gri (grey) - remains unchanged.

2. The Neuter Rule
Romanian has three noun genders. However, adjectives don't have a 'neuter' form. Instead, neuter nouns take masculine adjectives when singular and feminine adjectives when plural.

3. Position
The default position is after the noun. If you move it before the noun for emphasis, the definite article attaches to the adjective (e.g., omul bun vs bunul om).

4. Case Agreement
In the feminine singular genitive/dative, the adjective takes its feminine plural form (e.g., unei fete bune).

Examples (6)

  1. Băiatul este înalt.

    The boy is tall.

    Word by Word: Boy-the is tall.

    Masculine singular: 'înalt' matches the masculine singular noun 'băiatul'.

  2. Fata este înaltă.

    The girl is tall.

    Word by Word: Girl-the is tall.

    Feminine singular: 'înaltă' matches the feminine singular noun 'fata'.

  3. Băieții sunt înalți.

    The boys are tall.

    Word by Word: Boys-the are tall.

    Masculine plural: 'înalți' matches the masculine plural noun 'băieții'.

  4. Fetele sunt înalte.

    The girls are tall.

    Word by Word: Girls-the are tall.

    Feminine plural: 'înalte' matches the feminine plural noun 'fetele'.

  5. Am un scaun nou și două mese noi.

    I have a new chair and two new tables.

    Word by Word: I-have a chair new and two tables new.

    'Scaun' is neuter singular (masculine form 'nou'), while 'mese' is feminine plural (feminine plural form 'noi').

  6. Mama și tata sunt fericiți.

    Mom and dad are happy.

    Word by Word: Mom and dad are happy.

    For a mixed group of people, use masculine plural agreement. Coordinated inanimate nouns require further agreement rules.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the masculine form for feminine nouns.

    Fata este bun.
    Fata este bună.

    Adjectives must change to match the feminine gender of the noun 'fată'.

  • Trying to change 'invariable' adjectives like colors.

    O rochie roză.
    O rochie roz.

    In current standard Romanian, the color adjective roz is invariable. Older sources may record inflected forms; this card practices the current standard color adjective.

  • Using masculine plural for neuter plural nouns.

    Două scaune albi.
    Două scaune albe.

    Neuter nouns like 'scaun' behave as feminine in the plural, so the adjective must be feminine plural ('albe').

How It Connects

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Adjective AgreementLevel 1

Learn This First

To learn adjective agreement, you first need to understand that Romanian nouns have specific genders (masculine, feminine, or neuter) and that they change form when pluralized. Since adjectives must match both the gender and the number of the noun they describe, these two concepts form the foundation for correct agreement.

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