that one; that (person/thing) over there
points to a specific person or thing, usually farther away or less immediate than acesta
Îmi place acela.
I like that one.
Cartea aceea este interesantă.
That book is interesting.
#46 · Pronoun · PRON
In Romanian, acela means “that one; that (person/thing) over there”. 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.
acela is a demonstrative pronoun/determiner meaning "that one" or "the former". It is used for something farther away, already mentioned, or to contrast with "this one".
neutralpoints to a specific person or thing, usually farther away or less immediate than acesta
I like that one.
That book is interesting.
used to refer back to something previously named
Between the two, I choose that one.
I don't like this idea; the other one was better.
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 6 forms cover about 83% of everyday use — learn these first.
| masc. sg. nom./acc. | acela | basic form |
|---|---|---|
| fem. sg. | aceea | feminine singular |
| masc. pl. | aceia | masculine plural |
| fem. pl. | acelea | feminine plural |
| common short forms | ăla / aia / ăia / alea | very common colloquial alternatives; less formal |
vs. acesta
acesta means "this one" and points to something nearer or more immediate; acela means "that one" and points farther away or back to a previously mentioned item.
Acesta e al meu; acela e al tău.
This one is mine; that one is yours.
vs. celălalt
celălalt means "the other one" in a two-item contrast; acela means "that one" more generally.
Din cele două, îl iau pe celălalt.
Of the two, I’ll take the other one.
Acela este fratele meu.
That is my brother.
acela - basic deictic use
Îl prefer pe acela din stânga.
I prefer the one on the left.
acela - refers to one of several
Nu acesta, ci acela.
Not this one, but that one.
acela - contrast with acesta