Language/Romanian/Grammar/Adjectives-and-Adverbs

Romanian → Grammar → Adjectives and Adverbs

As a Romanian language teacher with 20 years of experience, I'm excited to introduce you to the next step in mastering the basics of Romanian grammar: adjectives and adverbs. In this lesson, we will explore how to form and use these essential parts of speech in Romanian sentences.

Adjectives

What are adjectives?

In simple terms, adjectives are words that describe or modify nouns or pronouns. They provide more information about the qualities, characteristics, or states of the subject. In Romanian, adjectives agree in gender, number, and case with the noun or pronoun they modify.

How to form adjectives in Romanian

In Romanian, most adjectives are formed by adding suffixes to the root of the noun they modify. The suffixes depend on the gender, number, and case of the noun. Here are some examples:

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
fata frumoasă	[ˈfata fruˈmoasə]	beautiful girl
băiat bun	[bəˈjat bun]	good boy
masă mare	[ˈmasə ˈmare]	big table
flori frumoase	[ˈflori fruˈmoase]	beautiful flowers

As you can see, the suffix -a is added for feminine singular adjectives, -i for masculine singular adjectives, and -e for plural adjectives, regardless of the gender. When the adjective modifies a noun in a different case, the suffixes change accordingly.

Adjective agreement in Romanian

As mentioned earlier, adjectives in Romanian agree in gender, number, and case with the noun they modify. Here are some examples:

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
băiat bun	[bəˈjat bun]	good boy
fată bună	[ˈfata ˈbunə]	good girl
băieți buni	[bəˈje̯tsi ˈbuni]	good boys
fete bune	[ˈfete ˈbune]	good girls

As shown in the examples above, the adjective bun (good) changes its form depending on the gender and number of the noun it modifies. This rule applies to all adjectives in Romanian.

Position of adjectives in Romanian sentences

In Romanian, adjectives usually come after the noun or pronoun they modify. Here's an example:

Masa mare este albastră. (The big table is blue.)

In some cases, however, the adjective can come before the noun for emphasis or poetic effect. For instance:

Frumoasa primăvară. (The beautiful spring.)

Adverbs

What are adverbs?

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They describe how an action is performed, the extent or degree of a quality, or the time, place, or frequency of an event. In Romanian, adverbs are usually formed by adding suffixes to adjectives, but there are also many irregular adverbs with their own forms.

How to form adverbs in Romanian

Most adverbs in Romanian are formed by adding the suffix -mente to the feminine singular form of the adjective. Here are some examples:

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
frumos	[ˈfrumos]	beautiful	frumoasă + -mente = frumosamente	[frumozaˈmente]	beautifully
clar	[klar]	clear	clară + -mente = claramente	[klaraˈmente]	clearly
natural	[naˈturəl]	natural	naturală + -mente = naturalmente	[natuˈralmente]	naturally

As you can see, the suffix -mente is added to the feminine singular form of the adjective, regardless of the gender of the subject. Some adverbs have irregular forms, such as bine (well) or deja (already).

Adverb position in Romanian sentences

Adverbs in Romanian usually come before the verb they modify. Here's an example:

El mă ascultă atent. (He listens to me attentively.)

However, some adverbs can also come after the verb or at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis or rhetorical effect. For example:

Niciodată nu voi renunța la visurile mele. (I will never give up on my dreams.)

Tips

- Remember that adjectives and adverbs in Romanian agree in gender, number, and case with the subject they modify or describe. - Practice forming and using adjectives and adverbs in simple sentences until you feel confident to use them in more complex sentences.

Sources

• Romanian Adjectives: Endings, Comparisons, and Expressions
• Romanian grammar - Wikipedia
• Romanian Adverbs: A Quick Reference

Related Lessons

• Greetings in Romanian
• Relative Pronouns and Clauses
• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Cases
• Plural in Romanian
• How to use the Modal Verb “Must” in Romanian
• Prepositions
• Prepositions and Postpositions
• Instrumental Case in Romanian