this (pointing to something near)
Placed before the noun, which then stays indefinite: acest om, not *acest omul.
acest oraș
this city
această săptămână
this week
#58 · Determiner / article
acest
In Romanian, acest means “this (pointing to something near)”. It’s the #58 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
Acest is "this" placed in front of its noun: acest om, această zi. It is the short, slightly more written twin of acesta, which goes after the noun (omul acesta). Rank 58, and the whole family is worth learning as one block, because the position you choose also decides whether the noun takes its definite ending or not.
neutralthis (the one just mentioned)
Points back into the conversation rather than into the room — very common in explanations and writing.
acest motiv
this reason
în acest caz
in this case
these (plural)
acești for masculine, aceste for feminine and neuter.
acești ani
these years
aceste lucruri
these things
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 3 forms cover about 86% of everyday use — learn these first.
acest48%
această24%
aceste14%
Show 5 more forms
acești4%
acestui4%
acestei4%
acestor2%
astă<1%
Forms & Contrasts
- Subtype
- demonstrative
| Masculine / neuter sg. | acest | acest om, acest lucru — the most frequent form. |
|---|---|---|
| Feminine sg. | această | această zi, această casă. |
| Masculine pl. | acești | acești oameni. |
| Feminine / neuter pl. | aceste | aceste zile, aceste lucruri. |
| Genitive-dative masc./neut. sg. | acestui | prețul acestui telefon. |
| Genitive-dative fem. sg. | acestei | ușa acestei case. |
| Genitive-dative pl. | acestor | părerea acestor oameni. |
| Short colloquial fem. | astă | Rare, and almost only in astă-seară, astă-vară. |
vs. acesta
Same word, different position. acest goes before an indefinite noun; acesta goes after a definite one.
acest om / omul acesta
this man (both, the second more spoken)
vs. acel
acest is near ("this"), acel is far ("that"). They decline in exactly the same pattern.
acest an / acel an
this year / that year
vs. ăsta / asta
The colloquial spoken forms. They only ever follow the noun, and they belong to relaxed speech, not to writing.
omul ăsta, ziua asta
this guy, this day
Examples
Acest om știe ce face.
This man knows what he is doing.
acest - The masculine singular before the noun. The noun om stays bare — the demonstrative already does the pointing.
Această casă e prea mare.
This house is too big.
această - The feminine singular această, the second most frequent form of the set.
Aceste zile trec repede.
These days go by quickly.
aceste - aceste serves both feminine and neuter plurals — one form covering two genders.
Prețul acestui telefon e mare.
This phone's price is high.
acestui - The genitive-dative masculine acestui. Romanian marks possession on the demonstrative, so no extra word is needed for "of".
În acest moment nu pot vorbi.
I can't talk at this moment.
acest - în acest moment is a set phrase and one of the commonest homes for this word.
The noun must stay indefinite after acest: acest om, această carte — never *acest omul or *această cartea. If you want the definite noun, move the demonstrative behind it and use the long form: omul acesta.