Loanword Inflection

Level 5

Romanian treats loanwords (mostly from English) as native stems. They take definite articles and plural endings. The main challenge is knowing when to use a hyphen before the suffix.

How It Works

Romanian is currently absorbing many English terms. To become proficient in their use, you must follow the orthographic rules established in the latest dictionary (DOOM3).

1. Gender Assignment
Most inanimate objects borrowed from English are treated as neuter nouns. They behave like masculine nouns in the singular and feminine nouns in the plural (e.g., un gadget, două gadgeturi).

2. The Hyphen Rule (DOOM3)
Suffixes (articles and plurals) are attached based on the final sound and spelling of the word:

  • Solid Attachment: Used when the loanword ends in a letter pronounced the same in Romanian as in the source language. This includes consonants like p, t, g, m, n, k (e.g., linkul, snackuri). Crucially, the letter y is treated as a standard letter when pronounced as i or ĭ, meaning suffixes are attached directly even after vowel combinations like -ay, -ey, -oy (e.g., displayul, sprayul, hobbyul, partyul).
  • Hyphenated Attachment: Used as a 'reading aid' in two specific cases: when the word ends in a silent letter (like the English silent -e) or when the final letter has a non-standard pronunciation in Romanian (like the English w).
    Example: site-ul (silent e), mouse-ul (silent e), show-ul (final w is not pronounced with its standard Romanian phonetic value).

3. Pluralization
Integrated loans normally take Romanian endings. Many neuter loans use -uri (e.g., itemuri, linkuri).

Examples (4)

  1. Am trimis linkul pe grupul de WhatsApp.

    I sent the link on the WhatsApp group.

    Word by Word: I-have sent link-the on group-the of WhatsApp.

    According to DOOM3, 'link' attaches the article solidly (linkul) because the final 'k' is pronounced as in Romanian, unlike words with silent endings.

  2. Site-urile de știri au preluat imediat informația.

    The news sites picked up the information immediately.

    Word by Word: Site-the-plural of news have taken-over immediately information-the.

    A hyphen is mandatory here because 'site' ends in a silent 'e'. Without the hyphen, the Romanian suffix would incorrectly alter the pronunciation of the root.

  3. Hobbyul lui preferat este fotografia.

    His favorite hobby is photography.

    Word by Word: Hobby-the his favorite is photography-the.

    Words ending in 'y' pronounced as 'i' (like hobby or party) attach the article solidly in modern standard Romanian (hobbyul).

  4. Managerul a verificat toate itemurile din listă.

    The manager checked all the items in the list.

    Word by Word: Manager-the has checked all items-the from list.

    'Manager' and 'item' are treated as native stems, taking standard Romanian suffixes without hyphens.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the English plural '-s' instead of Romanian suffixes.

    Am primit multe link-s.
    Am primit multe linkuri.

    Romanian grammar requires Romanian endings. Even for loanwords, the plural must be Romanian (usually -uri for neuter nouns).

  • Using a hyphen for words ending in 'k' or 'nk'.

    Nu funcționează link-ul.
    Nu funcționează linkul.

    DOOM3 specifies that words ending in 'k' (like link, check, snack) attach suffixes directly without a hyphen.

  • Treating neuter loanwords as masculine in the plural.

    Am două gadget-i noi.
    Am două gadgeturi noi.

    Most English loanwords for objects are neuter, so learn their actual plural forms, such as gadgeturi. Neuter gender does not by itself require -uri for every noun.

How It Connects

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

Loanword InflectionLevel 5

Learn This First

Recognize article attachment when checking the written form of a borrowed noun. Check the attested plural of a loanword instead of guessing it from the source language.