Demonstrative Pronouns in Romanian

In Brief

Romanian demonstratives agree with the noun in gender and number: acest băiat “this boy,” această fată “this girl,” and acele cărți “those books.” Before a noun, use forms such as acest, această, acel, acea; when the word stands alone or follows the noun, use forms such as acesta, aceasta, acela, aceea: cartea aceasta or simply aceasta.

Overview

Demonstratives are words that point something out: English this, that, these, and those. They can accompany a noun—această casă “this house”—or replace one—Aceasta este nouă “This one is new.” A word that replaces a noun is a pronoun; one that accompanies and describes a noun is often called a demonstrative adjective or demonstrative determiner.

At A2, the central task is to choose a form that matches the noun. Romanian has masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns, and demonstratives also distinguish singular from plural. Neuter follows the masculine pattern in the singular and the feminine pattern in the plural: acest scaun “this chair,” but aceste scaune “these chairs.” This builds directly on Romanian noun gender.

English learners must also pay attention to position. English uses the same form in “this book” and “this one.” Romanian usually does not: compare această carte with cartea aceasta and aceasta. The noun also takes the definite ending—roughly the Romanian equivalent of “the”—when the demonstrative follows it.

How It Works

The beginner rule

First decide whether you mean near (“this/these”) or more distant (“that/those”). Then identify the noun’s gender and number. Finally, choose the set required by the demonstrative’s position:

1. Before a noun: acest băiat, acea casă.
2. After a definite noun: băiatul acesta, casa aceea.
3. Without a noun: acesta, aceea.

For an A2 learner, mastering these nominative-accusative forms—the forms normally used for subjects and direct objects—is the priority.

Before the noun

A subject is who or what performs the action; a direct object is who or what the action directly affects. The same basic demonstrative forms are used for both roles.

Gender and number	Near: this/these	More distant: that/those	Example
Masculine singular	acest	acel	acest băiat / acel băiat
Feminine singular	această	acea	această fată / acea fată
Masculine plural	acești	acei	acești băieți / acei băieți
Feminine or neuter plural	aceste	acele	aceste fete / acele scaune

The noun does not take the definite article in this pattern: această carte, not această cartea. Romanian normally places an adjective after the noun, but these short demonstrative forms naturally come before it.

After the noun or standing alone

Gender and number	Near: this one/these	More distant: that one/those	Example after a noun
Masculine singular	acesta	acela	băiatul acesta / băiatul acela
Feminine singular	aceasta	aceea	fata aceasta / fata aceea
Masculine plural	aceștia	aceia	băieții aceștia / băieții aceia
Feminine or neuter plural	acestea	acelea	fetele acestea / scaunele acelea

When the demonstrative follows a noun, that noun is definite: cartea aceasta literally has the shape “the-book this.” The two standard patterns usually express the same basic idea:

• această carte = this book
• cartea aceasta = this book

The longer forms also stand alone. The intended noun may be understood from the situation:

• Vreau aceasta. — I want this one. (feminine)
• Aceștia sunt colegii mei. — These are my colleagues. (masculine plural)
• Acelea sunt prea scumpe. — Those are too expensive. (feminine or neuter plural)

Romanian does not have a separate neutral word exactly matching English “this” in every situation. Speakers select a grammatical form according to the understood referent. When pointing at a feminine noun such as rochie “dress,” say aceasta; for a masculine noun such as pulover “sweater,” say acesta.

Neuter nouns

Romanian neuter nouns behave like masculine nouns in the singular and feminine nouns in the plural. The demonstrative makes that pattern visible:

Number	Near	More distant
Singular	acest scaun / scaunul acesta	acel scaun / scaunul acela
Plural	aceste scaune / scaunele acestea	acele scaune / scaunele acelea

Do not look for a separate “neuter demonstrative.” Use the masculine singular and feminine plural forms.

Agreement with people and things

Gender is grammatical, not simply biological. Persoană “person” is feminine even when it refers to a man, so it takes a feminine demonstrative: această persoană. Likewise, agreement follows the noun’s grammatical form rather than the object’s natural properties.

In mixed groups of people, the masculine plural is normally used: aceștia can refer to a group containing men and women. With a group named by a feminine plural noun, however, use the feminine plural: aceste persoane.

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Acest băiat locuiește lângă mine.	This boy lives near me.	Masculine singular, before the noun
Această fată vorbește românește foarte bine.	This girl speaks Romanian very well.	Feminine singular, before the noun
Îmi plac acești pantofi.	I like these shoes.	Masculine plural
Aceste flori sunt pentru tine.	These flowers are for you.	Feminine plural
Nu cumpăr acel telefon.	I’m not buying that phone.	Masculine singular, more distant set
Cine locuiește în acea casă?	Who lives in that house?	Feminine singular
Am citit deja acele cărți.	I have already read those books.	Feminine plural
Cartea aceasta este ușor de citit.	This book is easy to read.	Definite noun followed by demonstrative
Oamenii aceia așteaptă autobuzul.	Those people are waiting for the bus.	Masculine plural after the noun
Care rochie îți place? — Aceasta.	Which dress do you like? — This one.	Pronoun referring to feminine rochie
Acesta este pașaportul meu.	This is my passport.	Pronoun referring to masculine pașaport
Acestea sunt scaunele pentru balcon.	These are the chairs for the balcony.	Neuter plural uses the feminine plural form
Prefer ceaiul acesta, nu acela.	I prefer this tea, not that one.	Contrast between near and distant
Vreau aceasta, vă rog.	I want this one, please.	Feminine singular direct object

Common Mistakes

Using a short form by itself

• Wrong: Vreau această.
• Right: Vreau aceasta.
• Why: Această is the form used before a feminine singular noun: această carte. Without the noun, use the independent form aceasta.

Forgetting the definite ending after the noun

• Wrong: carte aceasta
• Right: cartea aceasta
• Why: A noun followed by a demonstrative is normally definite. Romanian attaches the definite article to the noun: carte becomes cartea.

Adding a definite ending before the demonstrative

• Wrong: această cartea
• Right: această carte
• Why: In the pre-noun pattern, the demonstrative already determines the noun. Do not add the noun’s definite ending.

Treating neuter as one fixed agreement pattern

• Wrong: acești scaune
• Right: aceste scaune
• Why: Scaun is neuter. It patterns as masculine in acest scaun but as feminine in the plural aceste scaune.

Copying English “this” without checking the noun

• Wrong: acesta for every object you point to
• Right: acesta for an understood masculine singular noun, aceasta for a feminine one, and so on
• Why: English demonstratives do not show gender; Romanian ones do. Mentally supply the omitted Romanian noun before choosing the pronoun.

Mixing forms from different positions

• Wrong: băiatul acest
• Right: acest băiat or băiatul acesta
• Why: Acest belongs before the noun. After a definite noun, use acesta.

Usage Notes

Near and far are useful, but context matters

The acest- set generally points to something nearer to the speaker or more immediate in the conversation; the acel- set points farther away or contrasts it with the nearer item. This is similar to English “this” versus “that.” Actual physical distance is not always decisive, however. A speaker may choose a form to organise a contrast, return to something already mentioned, or create emotional distance.

If two products are in front of you, Îl vreau pe acesta, nu pe acela means “I want this one, not that one.” The contrast itself makes the choice clear even if both objects are physically close.

Before or after the noun?

Both această problemă and problema aceasta are standard. Pre-noun forms are compact and frequent in careful writing. The post-noun pattern is also fully standard and common in ordinary speech. Position can contribute emphasis or rhythm, but beginners should not try to assign a rigid English-style meaning difference to the two orders.

Everyday spoken forms

Conversation very often uses shorter forms, especially after a noun or independently:

Standard form	Common spoken form	Meaning
acesta	ăsta	this one, masculine singular
aceasta	asta	this one, feminine singular
aceștia	ăștia	these, masculine plural
acestea	astea	these, feminine/neuter plural
acela	ăla	that one, masculine singular
aceea	aia	that one, feminine singular
aceia	ăia	those, masculine plural
acelea	alea	those, feminine/neuter plural

Thus cartea asta and băiatul ăla are natural in informal speech. Learn to recognise these early, but use the full forms in formal writing. Tone matters: a shortened form about a person can sound neutral among friends, but it may also sound dismissive in a phrase such as omul ăla “that man.” The context and voice carry much of that effect.

Beyond the Basics: Case and Emphasis

You do not need to master this section at A2, but these forms are common enough that you will meet them later.

Genitive and dative forms

Romanian changes demonstratives in the genitive (usually expressing possession or relationship) and dative (marking the recipient or beneficiary of an action). Together these are often taught as genitive-dative forms.

Before a noun, use the shorter agreeing forms:

Gender and number	Near	More distant	Example
Masculine or neuter singular	acestui	acelui	acestui student “to this student”
Feminine singular	acestei	acelei	acestei colege “to this colleague”
All genders, plural	acestor	acelor	acestor copii “to these children”

When the demonstrative stands alone or follows a definite noun, it has a longer ending:

Gender and number	Near	More distant
Masculine or neuter singular	acestuia	aceluia
Feminine singular	acesteia	aceleia
All genders, plural	acestora	acelora

Compare:

• I-am dat cartea acestui student. — I gave the book to this student.
• I-am dat cartea studentului acestuia. — I gave the book to this student.
• Răspunsul acesteia este corect. — This woman’s/her answer is correct.
• Le-am explicat acestora problema. — I explained the problem to these people.

The same position rule remains visible: the noun is definite in studentului acestuia, while acestui student places the demonstrative first.

People as direct objects

When a demonstrative pronoun refers to a specific person and functions as a direct object, Romanian commonly uses pe, the personal direct-object marker:

• Îl cunosc pe acesta. — I know this one/this man.
• O aleg pe aceea. — I choose that one/that woman.

The small pronouns îl and o repeat the object in these sentences, a regular Romanian pattern called clitic doubling (using a short object pronoun alongside the full object). With things, usage depends on the construction and intended meaning; at this stage, learn person examples as a dependable pattern rather than adding pe to every demonstrative.

Demonstratives as discourse pointers

Asta is especially common in conversation with a broad meaning such as “this,” “that,” or “this fact,” without referring to a named feminine object:

• Asta e problema. — That’s the problem.
• Nu știam asta. — I didn’t know that.
• Ce înseamnă asta? — What does that mean?

Here asta points to a situation, statement, or idea. Standard aceasta can perform a similar role, but often sounds more careful or formal. This broad use explains why learners hear asta extremely often even though Romanian demonstratives normally show agreement.

Practice Tips

1. Learn forms in position pairs. Say acest băiat — băiatul acesta and această carte — cartea aceasta. Pairing the short and long forms prevents errors such as băiatul acest.
2. Point and name the hidden noun. Before saying “this one,” silently identify the Romanian noun and its gender: rochie → aceasta; telefon → acesta; scaune → acestea.
3. Train near/far contrasts with real objects. Put two books or pictures at different distances and make pairs such as cartea aceasta / cartea aceea. Once the standard forms feel secure, listen for asta, ăsta, aia, and ăla in informal Romanian.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Noun Gender — explains masculine, feminine, and neuter agreement, including the singular/plural behavior of neuter nouns.