this / this one (pronoun)
Standing alone, referring to something near or just mentioned. Spoken form: asta.
Ce e asta?
What is this?
Asta e!
That's it!
#18 · Pronoun
acesta
In Romanian, acesta means “this / this one (pronoun)”. It’s the #18 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 Romanian "this / this one". The measured corpus tells the real story: the textbook form acesta is rare, and what people actually say is asta — by a factor of twenty. Learn asta first, recognise acesta when you read it.
neutralthis (after the noun: omul acesta)
Placed after a definite noun — the standard neutral position in Romanian.
omul acesta
this man
în seara asta
this evening
this (before the noun: acest om)
The shorter acest / această goes in front and reads slightly more formal or written.
acest oraș
this city
această problemă
this problem
that / it (loose reference)
asta often just means "that thing / it", pointing back at a whole situation.
Nu-mi place asta.
I don't like that.
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 83% of everyday use — learn these first.
asta83%
Show 10 more forms
aceasta4%
astea4%
acesta4%
ăsta2%
acestea1%
ăștia<1%
aceștia<1%
acestuia<1%
acestora<1%
acesteia<1%
Forms & Contrasts
- Subtype
- demonstrative
| Masculine sg. (after noun) | acesta / ăsta | omul acesta; colloquial ăsta. |
|---|---|---|
| Feminine sg. (after noun) | aceasta / asta | asta is the most frequent form of all. |
| Masculine pl. | aceștia / ăștia | oamenii aceștia. |
| Feminine / neuter pl. | acestea / astea | zilele acestea, astea. |
| Masculine sg. (before noun) | acest | acest om — noun stays indefinite. |
| Feminine sg. (before noun) | această | această casă. |
| Genitive-dative sg. | acestuia / acesteia | părerea acestuia. |
| Genitive-dative pl. | acestora | părerea acestora. |
vs. acela / ăla
acesta is near ("this"), acela is far ("that"). Same two-tier split as English.
Vreau asta, nu aia.
I want this one, not that one.
vs. acest (before) vs. acesta (after)
Before the noun the form is short and the noun indefinite; after it the form is long and the noun definite.
acest băiat / băiatul acesta
this boy (both, different register)
vs. asta vs. ăsta
asta is feminine/neutral-reference and fully neutral; ăsta is masculine and distinctly colloquial.
Ce-i asta? / Ăsta cine e?
What's this? / Who's this guy?
Examples
Cine e fata asta?
Who is this girl?
asta - After the noun, and the noun carries its definite ending: fata asta, not *fată asta.
Astea sunt ale mele.
These are mine.
astea - Feminine/neuter plural — the everyday form of acestea.
Acest lucru este important.
This thing is important.
acest - Pre-noun form; here the noun stays indefinite — acest lucru, never *acest lucrul.
Ăsta e prietenul meu.
This is my friend.
ăsta - Colloquial masculine. Very common in speech, but avoid it about people in formal settings — it can sound dismissive.
The position decides the noun's article: acest om (no article, demonstrative in front) versus omul acesta (definite ending, demonstrative after). Mixing them — *acest omul — is the classic slip.