that / that one (pronoun)
Standing alone for something further away, or already known. Spoken forms: ăla (m.), aia (f.).
Vreau aia, nu asta.
I want that one, not this one.
Cine e acela?
Who is that?
#46 · Pronoun
acela
In Romanian, acela means “that / that one (pronoun)”. It’s the #46 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
The far half of the Romanian demonstrative pair: acesta is "this", acela is "that". As with acesta, the measured corpus shows the textbook forms losing to the spoken ones — aia and ăla are what people actually say. Same rule about position, too: before the noun it shortens to acel/acea and the noun drops its article; after the noun the long form is used and the noun keeps it.
neutralthat (after the noun: omul acela)
The neutral position. The noun takes its definite ending and the long form follows it.
omul acela
that man
ziua aceea
that day
that (before the noun: acel om)
The short forms acel / acea go in front and read more written or formal; the noun stays indefinite.
acel oraș
that city
acea seară
that evening
the one who / the one that (cel, cea, cei, cele)
The reduced relative article from the same family: cel care, cea de acolo — "the one who", "the one over there".
cel care a venit
the one who came
cei de acolo
the ones over there
what / that which (ceea ce)
The fixed neuter relative ceea ce refers back to a whole clause, not to a single noun.
ceea ce contează
what matters
Nu e ceea ce crezi.
It isn't what you think.
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 6 forms cover about 83% of everyday use — learn these first.
ceea28%
cei18%
aceea10%
cel10%
aia9%
cea8%
Show 9 more forms
cele6%
celor4%
ăla3%
acela3%
celui<1%
acelea<1%
aceia<1%
celei<1%
acelora<1%
Forms & Contrasts
- Subtype
- demonstrative
| Masculine sg. (after noun) | acela / ăla | omul acela; colloquial ăla. |
|---|---|---|
| Feminine sg. (after noun) | aceea / aia | ziua aceea; aia is the common spoken form. |
| Masculine pl. | aceia / ăia | oamenii aceia. |
| Feminine / neuter pl. | acelea / alea | zilele acelea. |
| Masculine sg. (before noun) | acel | acel om — noun stays indefinite. |
| Feminine sg. (before noun) | acea | acea casă. |
| Genitive-dative sg. | aceluia / aceleia | părerea aceluia. |
| Genitive-dative pl. | acelora | părerea acelora. |
| Related: demonstrative article | cel / cea / cei / cele | cel care, cei de acolo; gen.-dat. celui, celei, celor. |
| Related: neuter relative | ceea ce | Invariable — "what / that which". |
vs. acesta / asta
acesta is near ("this"), acela is far or already-known ("that"). The same two-tier split as English.
Nu vreau asta, vreau aia.
I don't want this one, I want that one.
vs. acel (before) vs. acela (after)
Before the noun the form is short and the noun indefinite; after it the form is long and the noun definite.
acel copil / copilul acela
that child (both, different register)
vs. ăla / aia (colloquial)
Everywhere in speech, but distinctly informal — avoid ăla about a person in a formal setting, where it can sound dismissive.
Ăla cine mai e?
And who's that guy?
vs. cel care vs. acela care
Both mean "the one who"; cel care is the ordinary spoken choice, acela care is heavier and more emphatic.
Cel care a plecat primul.
The one who left first.
Examples
Cine e băiatul acela?
Who is that boy?
acela - After the noun, so the noun is definite: băiatul acela, never *băiat acela.
Dă-mi cartea aia, te rog.
Give me that book, please.
aia - aia is the everyday feminine form of aceea, and by far the more common one in speech.
În acel an s-a mutat la București.
That year he moved to Bucharest.
acel - Pre-noun short form; the noun stays indefinite — acel an, not *acel anul.
Cel care întreabă învață.
The one who asks, learns.
cel - cel + care turns a clause into a noun phrase — "the one who". Feminine: cea care.
Fă ceea ce trebuie.
Do what needs to be done.
ceea ce - ceea ce is one unit meaning "that which"; it never agrees and never changes shape.
Do not double the article: it is acel om or omul acela, never *acel omul. And keep ceea ce ("what, that which") apart from ce ("what?" in a question) — Ce vrei? asks a question, Ceea ce vrei nu există states one.