G1.4 Possessive pronouns in Romanian
Possessive pronouns in Romanian
The possessive pronoun states that someone (called owner) has something (e.g. the object). There can be many combinations that can happen, one owner having one object, one owner having many objects, multiple owners having one object and several owners having several objects.
| One owner, and one single object | ||
|---|---|---|
| Romanian | English | How many owners, how many objects |
| Al meu este mai bun | Mine is better | One owner, one masculine object e.g. un măr (an apple) |
| A mea este mai bună | Mine is better | One owner, one feminine object e.g. o mașină (a car) |
| Al tău este mai bun | Yours is better | One owner, one masculine object e.g. un măr (an apple) |
| A ta este mai bună | Yours is better | One owner, one feminine object e.g. o mașină (a car) |
| Al său este mai bun | His/hers is better | One owner, one masculine object e.g. un măr (an apple) |
| A sa este mai bună | His/hers is better | One owner, one feminine object e.g. o mașină (a car) |
| Multiple owners, and one single object | ||
|---|---|---|
| Romanian | English | How many owners, how many objects |
| Al nostru este mai bun | Ours is better | Multiple owners, one masculine being e.g. un băiat (a boy) |
| A noastră este mai bună | Ours is better | Multiple owners, one feminine object e.g. o casă (a house) |
| Al vostru este mai bun | Yours is better | Multiple owners, one masculine object e.g. un televizor (a TV) |
| A voastră este mai bună | Yours is better | Multiple owners, one feminine object e.g. o mașină (a car) |
| Al lor este mai bun | Theirs is better | Multiple owners, one masculine object e.g. un calculator (an computer) |
| A lor este mai bună | Theirs is better | Multiple owners, one feminine object e.g. o tabletă (a tablet) |
In the above and below examples what matters is whether the object is feminine or masculine plural or singular. It is important to note that the gender of the owner (masculine or feminine) does not make a difference: Al meu este mai bun - can be said by both a man and a woman as long as they refer to one masculine object e.g. un măr (an apple).
| One owner, and multiple objects | ||
|---|---|---|
| Romanian | English | How many owners, how many objects |
| Ai mei sunt mai buni | Mine are better | One owner, multiple masculine objects e.g. doi pantofi (two shoes) |
| Ale mele sunt mai bune | Mine are better | One owner, multiple feminine objects e.g. două mașini (two cars) |
| Ai tăi sunt mai buni | Yours are better | One owner, multiple masculine objects e.g. doi pești (two fish) |
| Ale tale sunt mai bune | Yours are better | One owner, multiple feminine objects e.g. două flori (two flowers) |
| Ai săi sunt mai buni | His/hers are better | One owner, multiple masculine beings e.g. doi măgari (two donkeys) |
| Ale sale sunt mai bune | His/hers are better | One owner, multiple feminine objects e.g. două case (two houses) |
| Multiple owners, and multiple objects | ||
|---|---|---|
| Romanian | English | How many owners, how many objects |
| Ai noștri sunt mai buni | Ours are better | Multiple owners, several masculine objects e.g. trei nasturi (three buttons) |
| Ale noastre sunt mai bune | Ours are better | Multiple owners, multiple feminine objects e.g. două cărți (two books) |
| Ai voștri sunt mai buni | Yours are better | Multiple owners, multiple masculine objects e.g. doi papuci (two slippers) |
| Ale voastre sunt mai bune | Yours are better | Multiple owners, multiple feminine objects e.g. trei bomboane (three candies) |
| Ai lor sunt mai buni | Theirs are better | Multiple owners, multiple masculine objects/beings e.g. doi pomi (two trees) |
| Ale lor sunt mai bune | Theirs are better | Multiple owners, multiple feminine objects e.g. două bluze (two blouses) |
The above examples use the pair owner - object that makes it easier to learn the rules. However in practice the possession can refer to more than objects; one can have children, or animals. In those cases, the same rules apply, you will just need to know the gender of the person/animal/being.
The above examples also use the simplification masculine objects or feminine objects, when in fact any Romanian noun can be used for that purpose. Romanian nouns have three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. The neuter is a simple combination of masculine singular and feminine plural. Thus neuter singular nouns follow the rules of singular masculine and plural neuter nouns the ones of plural feminine.While this might sound confusing, it's actually relatively easy to apply. For more information please check out our lesson on Romanian nouns gender
8 comments
Variations of possessive
The above info is very helpful, but I am still a bit confused by the sample sentences Duolingo is throwing at me. Sometimes the structure seems to require the a/al/ai/ale and sometimes not and I haven't worked out what the distinction is. Also I am sure at one point I got lui for his - is that possible?
Mine vs My, Romanian Possessive pronouns vs possessive adjective
Hi,
Indeed, you got it right, that "lui" alone can express possession.
The above lesson explains the possessive pronouns such as mine,yours,hers,his,ours,theirs.
When you want to say "My car", then you need to replace the "a/al/ai/ale" by the noun (e.g. car).
My car is broken. It is mine - Mașina mea e stricată. E a mea.
Your car is blue. It is yours - Mașina ta e albastră. E a ta.
His pen is black. It is his - Stiloul lui este negru. E al lui.
Her brush is new. It is hers - Peria ei este nouă. E a ei.
My apples are red. They are mine - Merele mele sunt roșii. Sunt ale mele.
I hope this answers your questions, otherwise feel free to ask.
Happy to help!
Thanks
Yes that's really clear, many thanks!
Reply
We can use : al său /a să / instead of : E al lui /Ea ei
Thank you
Romanian possessive pronouns - variants
Hi Yasar,
Yes you are right, it's perfectly fine to say in Romanian:
"E al său" , that is the same as saying "E al lui" or "E al ei"
"E a sa" that is the same as saying "E a ei" or "E a lui"
However "sa/său" is considered to be a bit more formal and more sophisticated Romanian language. In coloquial Romanian, spoken language, you will hear much more frequently "al/a ei/lui"
Happy to help!
Duolingo is weird.
Duolingo doesn't really explain anything to you as it seemingly just tries to teach you through muscle memory. I suppose it works for some but I needed something more to help me get into the groove of things. Duolingo also has a lot of stuff that doesn't make completely sense. I'd take it's grammar with a grain of salt sometimes. I mainly use it for practice and vocabulary building personally. I started learning Romanian with Duolingo but from my experience, it's not an end all, be all.
Thank you!
A big thank you for your very useful and hard work! I'm so glad to have found your site. I have regained my Romanian nationality (which was taken from my mother after the war) and so I really need to learn Romanian which isn't easy to do, especially during covid. So there are no words to thank you enough for this sacred work.
Bine ai (re)venit!
Bine ai (re)venit!
Wow! That is amazing! I guess that you must feel a great relief and happiness.
I also guess that it will be an interesting journey for you discovering or maybe rediscovering Romania, its language and culture.
Feel free to ask any question about the Romanian language and culture, I'd be happy to answer.
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