Genitive/Dative -ului
Masculine Genitive/Dative -ului
In Romanian, the ending -ului is the standard way to say 'of the' or 'to the' for masculine and neuter singular nouns. It combines the definite article and the case marker into one suffix.
How It Works
The definite genitive/dative singular forms of many masculine and neuter nouns end in -ului.
Formation: Replace the nominative/accusative article rather than adding another article to it: băiatul → băiatului, scaunul → scaunului. For nouns in -e, compare fratele → fratelui.
Genitive: This identifies a possessor or relation: cartea băiatului (the boy's book). The ending does not change with the gender of the thing possessed.
Dative: This marks a recipient: I-am dat băiatului o carte. In contemporary neutral usage, human recipients are normally accompanied by an appropriate dative clitic. This is not an unconditional rule for every inanimate noun ending in -ului.
Other nouns: Feminine singular and all plural nouns have different case forms. Many masculine personal names use lui before the name, as in lui Andrei.
Examples (5)
- Acesta este rezultatul efortului tău.
This is the result of your effort.
Word by Word: This is result-the effort-the-of your.
Efort is neuter. Its definite genitive/dative singular form is efortului: aici, 'of your effort'.
- I-am trimis un mesaj profesorului.
I sent a message to the teacher.
Word by Word: To-him I-have sent a message teacher-the-to.
Here, -ului marks the Dative (indirect object). Note the clitic 'i-' (to him) doubling the noun.
- Centrul orașului este foarte frumos.
The city center is very beautiful.
Word by Word: Center-the city-the-of is very beautiful.
'Oraș' is a neuter noun. In the singular, it follows the masculine pattern for the Genitive case.
- I-am dat cheia fratelui meu.
I gave the key to my brother.
Word by Word: To-him I-have given key-the brother-the-to my.
Nouns ending in -e like 'frate' take -lui instead of -ului.
- Culoarea peretelui este albă.
The color of the wall is white.
Word by Word: Color-the wall-the-of is white.
'Perete' (wall) is masculine and ends in -e, so it becomes 'peretelui' in the Genitive.
Common Mistakes
Using -ului with masculine proper names of people.
Cartea Ionului este aici.Cartea lui Ion este aici.For masculine names of people, you must use the separate word 'lui' before the name instead of adding a suffix. See Lui With Names.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the masculine genitive/dative ending -ului, you must first be comfortable with the three noun genders, as this ending applies to masculine and neuter nouns. You also need to understand how the basic definite article (-ul) is attached to nouns, as the genitive form builds directly upon that structure.
Related Patterns
- Feminine Genitive/Dative
Feminine singular genitive/dative nouns follow their own case patterns, often ending in -ei or -ii when definite.
Level 2 - lui + NameLui with Names
Explains how to show possession for people's names, which differs from common nouns.
Level 2 - Dative Doubling
Human recipients in contemporary neutral usage normally take a dative clitic; inanimate dative phrases do not all follow the same rule.
Level 4 - Plural Genitive/Dative -lor
The plural version of the Genitive/Dative case for all genders.
Level 3 - al / a / ai / alePossessive Article
These articles are often used in front of Genitive nouns to clarify possession.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Genitive/Dative -ului in Bubblegum
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