amândoi / amândouă
Both
Amândoi (masculine) and amândouă (feminine/neuter) mean 'both'. They function as either determiners (before a noun) or pronouns (standing alone).
How It Works
Amândoi and amândouă mean “both”.
Gender: Use amândoi băieții for a masculine pair and amândouă fetele for a feminine pair. Neuter nouns take feminine-type plural agreement: amândouă scaunele. For a mixed-gender human pair, use amândoi, as when referring to a brother and sister together.
Noun phrases: With an otherwise unmodified following noun, use the definite form: amândoi băieții. A preceding demonstrative supplies definiteness in amândoi acești băieți, so the noun does not have an attached article. The quantifier can follow the noun: băieții amândoi.
Genitive and dative: Use amânduror before a noun, as in amânduror prietenilor. Use amândurora alone or after the noun: Le-am spus amândurora and prietenilor amândurora. These forms are shared across genders.
Ambii/ambele: These synonyms are often more formal. Compare amândoi băieții with ambii băieți; in the latter, the attached definite article belongs to ambii.
Examples (5)
- Amândoi prietenii mei sunt aici.
Both my friends are here.
Word by Word: Both the-friends my are here.
Uses the masculine 'amândoi' with the definite noun 'prietenii'.
- Am cumpărat amândouă cărțile.
I bought both books.
Word by Word: I-have bought both the-books.
Uses the feminine 'amândouă' because 'carte' (book) is feminine.
- Le-am dat cadouri amândurora.
I gave gifts to both of them.
Word by Word: To-them I-have given gifts to-both-of-them.
Uses the pronominal dative form 'amândurora' to mean 'to both'.
- Amândouă mașinile sunt noi.
Both cars are new.
Word by Word: Both the-cars are new.
Even though 'mașină' is feminine, the rule is the same: the noun must be definite ('mașinile').
- Vă iubesc pe amândoi!
I love you both!
Word by Word: You I-love PE both!
Here 'amândoi' acts as a pronoun. Note the use of 'pe' for direct objects referring to specific people.
Common Mistakes
Omitting the noun article in amândoi băieții.
amândoi băiețiamândoi băiețiiIn this ordinary noun phrase, use the definite noun băieții: amândoi băieții. A preceding demonstrative changes the pattern: amândoi acești băieți.
Using the masculine form for neuter plural nouns.
amândoi tablourileamândouă tablourileNeuter nouns behave like feminine nouns in the plural, so they must take 'amândouă'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Learn the gender contrast doi/două and the feminine-type plural agreement of neuter nouns. Amânduror and amândurora are separate irregular genitive/dative forms, not forms built by adding a noun’s definite ending.
- One and Two Agreement
The collective numerals amândoi and amândouă are built on the same gender-agreement logic as the number 'two' (doi/două).
Level 1 - Plural Genitive/Dative -lor
Amânduror/amândurora are irregular genitive/dative forms. They express a similar case function to plural noun -lor, but do not contain that ending.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- The Attached Definite Article
Compare amândoi băieții with amândoi acești băieți: an attached noun article is used in the first pattern, while the preceding demonstrative supplies definiteness in the second.
Level 1 - Neuter Agreement
Neuter nouns take feminine-type agreement in the plural, so use amândouă scaunele. The noun itself remains neuter.
Level 1 - Differential Object Marking
When 'amândoi' refers to people as a direct object, it often requires the preposition 'pe'.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice amândoi / amândouă in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Romanian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
