unui / unei / unor

Indefinite Genitive/Dative Articles

Level 3

In Romanian, the indefinite articles change their form to show the Genitive (possession) and Dative (indirect object) cases. Unlike the definite article, these are separate words placed before the noun.

How It Works

Romanian uses the Genitive-Dative case to answer the questions 'Whose?' (Genitive) and 'To whom?' (Dative). When the noun is indefinite (a/an/some), we use these specific articles:

  • unui: Used for masculine and neuter singular nouns. The noun remains in its base form.
    Example: unui băiat (to/of a boy)
  • unei: Used for feminine singular nouns. Crucially, the noun takes its feminine singular genitive/dative form, usually identical to its plural form.
    Example: o fată (a girl) → unei fete (to/of a girl)
  • unor: Used for all plural nouns. The noun stays in its plural form.
    Example: unor prieteni (to/of some friends)

Note that in the Dative case (to a...), contemporary neutral Romanian normally doubles a human recipient with indirect object clitics to double the noun, such as îi dau unui prieten (I give [to him] to a friend).

Examples (5)

  1. Culoarea unei flori este roșie.

    The color of a flower is red.

    Word by Word: Color-the of-a flower is red.

    Here, 'unei' is used because 'floare' (flower) is feminine. Notice that 'floare' changes to its plural stem 'flori'.

  2. I-am trimis un mesaj unui coleg.

    I sent a message to a colleague.

    Word by Word: To-him I-have sent a message to-a colleague.

    'Unui' is used for the masculine noun 'coleg'. The clitic 'i-' (to him) doubles the indirect object.

  3. Părerea unor prieteni contează mult.

    The opinion of some friends matters a lot.

    Word by Word: Opinion-the of-some friends matters much.

    'Unor' is the plural indefinite article used for all genders.

  4. I-am dat o carte unei eleve.

    I gave a book to a student (female).

    Word by Word: I-have given a book to-a student.

    'Eleve' is the plural form of 'elevă'. We use the plural stem after 'unei'.

  5. Acesta este succesul unui proiect mare.

    This is the success of a big project.

    Word by Word: This is success-the of-a project big.

    'Proiect' is a neuter noun, so it uses the masculine/neuter form 'unui'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative singular after unei.

    Am dat o floare unei fată.
    Am dat o floare unei fete.

    The feminine singular genitive/dative of fată is fete: unei fete. This form is identical to the plural for this noun.

  • Double articulation (using both the indefinite article and the definite suffix).

    Cartea unui băiatului.
    Cartea unui băiat.

    In Romanian, a noun is either definite (băiatului) or indefinite (unui băiat), never both at the same time.

How It Connects

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

unui / unei / unorLevel 3Indefinite Genitive/Dative Articles

Learn This First

To learn the indefinite genitive-dative articles, you first need to be familiar with the basic nominative indefinite articles and how Romanian nouns are categorized by gender. Additionally, since the feminine singular form 'unei' triggers a specific noun ending change, understanding how feminine nouns behave in the genitive-dative case is crucial.

Words in This Pattern