Basic Possessives

Level 1

In Romanian, basic possessives like 'my', 'your', 'his', and 'her' are placed after the noun. For definite possession ('my book'), the noun takes an attached definite article (like saying 'the-book my'). For indefinite possession ('a book of mine'), a possessive article is used to link them.

How It Works

To express possession in Romanian, the structure depends on whether the noun is definite or indefinite.

1. Definite Possession (My book)
The most common structure is Noun + Definite Article + Possessive. For example, cartea mea (the-book my).

Variable Possessives
These change based on the gender and number of the noun they follow:

  • My: meu, mea, mei, mele
  • Your (singular): tău, ta, tăi, tale
  • Our: nostru, noastră, noștri, noastre
  • Your (plural): vostru, voastră, voștri, voastre
  • His/Her/Its: său, sa, săi, sale

Note on Neuter Nouns: For neuter nouns, use the masculine possessive in the singular and the feminine possessive in the plural (e.g., telefonul meu - my phone, telefoanele mele - my phones).

Invariable Possessives & The 'Său' vs 'Lui' Distinction
Instead of adjectives, Romanian often uses genitive pronouns for the third person:

  • lui: his
  • ei: her
  • lor: their

Notice that these never change form to match the object: telefonul lui (his phone) and cartea lui (his book).

What is the difference between său/sa and lui/ei? The forms său/sa/săi/sale are standard third-person possessives. They agree with the possessed noun, not the owner, so they do not reveal whether the owner is masculine or feminine. By contrast, lui (his) and ei (her) explicitly mark the owner's gender and do not agree with the possessed noun. In context, El caută mașina sa can mean 'He is looking for his own car,' but the său series is not limited to reflexive possession. Importantly, in everyday spoken Romanian, lui and ei are the default choices for living people, even when referring back to the subject. Using său/sa for people sounds more formal, literary, or elegant.

2. Indefinite Possession & Possessive Articles
The basic formula is indefinite noun + al/a/ai/ale + possessive, with the possessive article agreeing with the possessed noun.
You can also possess indefinite nouns ('a friend of mine'). To do this, you must use a possessive article that agrees with the noun's gender and number: al (masculine/neuter singular), a (feminine singular), ai (masculine plural), and ale (feminine/neuter plural). This is required when:

  • The noun is indefinite: un prieten al meu (a friend of mine)
  • The possessive acts as a predicate: cartea este a mea (the book is mine)
  • The possessive is separated from the definite noun by another word, like an adjective or demonstrative: cartea nouă a mea (my new book) or prietenul acesta al meu (this friend of mine)
  • Coordinating multiple possessors: prietenul meu și al tău (my friend and yours)

Examples (4)

  1. Telefonul meu este nou.

    My phone is new.

    Word by Word: Phone-the my is new.

    Telefonul is neuter singular and has the definite article '-ul'. The possessive meu matches it.

  2. Unde este sora ta?

    Where is your sister?

    Word by Word: Where is sister-the your?

    Sora is feminine singular with the definite article '-a'. The possessive ta matches it.

  3. Mașina lui este roșie.

    His car is red.

    Word by Word: Car-the his is red.

    Lui means 'his'. It does not change form, even though mașina is feminine.

  4. Pisica ei este jucăușă.

    Her cat is playful.

    Word by Word: Cat-the her is playful.

    Ei means 'her'. It remains invariable and simply indicates that the owner is female.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the definite article from the noun.

    Telefon meu este pe masă.
    Telefonul meu este pe masă.

    For the definite phrase my phone in this sentence, use telefonul meu. Indefinite possession follows a different pattern, as in un telefon al meu.

  • Making the possessive agree with the owner instead of the object.

    Cartea meu este interesantă.
    Cartea mea este interesantă.

    A male speaker might try to use meu because he is male. However, variable possessives like meu/mea must agree with the object being owned. Since carte (book) is feminine, it must be cartea mea, regardless of who owns it.

  • Assuming 'său' means 'his' and 'sa' means 'her'.

    Bărbatul caută mașina său.
    Bărbatul caută mașina sa.

    Său/sa agree with the possessed noun, not the owner. Mașină is feminine, so use mașina sa even when its owner is a man. These possessives are not restricted to reflexive ownership. Lui and ei identify the owner as masculine or feminine.

How It Connects

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Basic PossessivesLevel 1

Learn This First

Recognize noun gender and number before using agreeing possessives such as meu, mea, mei and mele. Distinguish these from invariant lui and ei, and learn the definite noun phrase in which the possessive appears.

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Words in This Pattern

ta