Fractions and Percentages

Level 4

Learn the fraction or percentage expression, its link to the whole, and the agreement appropriate to that subject phrase.

How It Works

Fractions: Use o treime/două treimi, o jumătate/două jumătăți, and un sfert/două sferturi. The numeral follows the gender of the fraction noun.

Percentages: Read 20% as douăzeci la sută. You can also use the noun procent: un procent, două procente, douăzeci de procente. The noun follows ordinary numeral syntax.

Link to the whole: din introduces a whole or group; dintre selects from a set: o parte din apă, două treimi dintre elevi. Measures use phrases such as o jumătate de oră.

Agreement: Look at the whole subject phrase and its meaning. Două treimi dintre elevi au plecat uses a plural verb. A percentage of a singular mass can have singular agreement: 20% din suprafață este acoperită. A percentage of people commonly uses plural agreement: 20% dintre studenți sunt de acord. Singular fraction expressions can permit grammatical or meaning-based agreement depending on whether the fraction is treated as one part or as members of a group; do not reduce this to a formal-versus-colloquial rule.

Decimals: Romanian writes a decimal comma: 3,5%, read trei virgulă cinci la sută.

Examples (4)

  1. Două treimi dintre români plătesc mai mult în vacanță.

    Two thirds of Romanians pay more on vacation.

    Word by Word: Two thirds among Romanians pay more in vacation.

    Demonstrates plural semantic agreement. The verb 'plătesc' is plural to agree with 'români', even though 'treimi' is the syntactic head.

  2. Douăzeci la sută din suprafață a fost distrusă.

    Twenty percent of the surface was destroyed.

    Word by Word: Twenty per hundred from surface has been destroyed.

    Demonstrates singular agreement. Because 'suprafață' is singular, the verb 'a fost' is singular.

  3. O jumătate dintre elevi au promovat examenul.

    Half of the students passed the exam.

    Word by Word: A half among students have passed exam-the.

    Even though 'o jumătate' is singular, the verb 'au promovat' is plural to match the plural noun 'elevi' (semantic agreement).

  4. Prețurile au crescut cu 5,5 la sută anul acesta.

    Prices have increased by 5.5 percent this year.

    Word by Word: Prices-the have grown with 5,5 per hundred year-the this.

    Shows the correct Romanian punctuation for decimals (a comma, not a period).

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the preposition between the percentage and the noun.

    20 la sută oamenii cred asta.
    20 la sută dintre oameni cred asta.

    You cannot place the noun directly after the percentage. You must link them using 'din' or 'dintre'.

  • Using este for the group in 20% dintre studenți.

    20% dintre studenți este de acord.
    20% dintre studenți sunt de acord.

    In this sentence, 20% dintre studenți refers to multiple students and takes sunt. This does not make every percentage expression plural: compare 20% din suprafață este acoperită.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Fractions and PercentagesLevel 4

Learn This First

Know numeral agreement and the usual de pattern, then consider the structure and meaning of the complete quantified subject when choosing verb agreement.