#61 · Determiner / article · DET
In Romanian, al means “possessive article used in genitive-like constructions”. It’s the #61 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Possessive article used before a noun when indicating possession and agreeing in gender, number, and case with the noun. It is part of Romanian possessive constructions such as "cartea lui Andrei" or, with the article, "cartea a lui Andrei" depending on structure.
neutralMarks possession and helps connect a possessed noun to a possessor phrase; it changes form according to the noun it accompanies.
mine / my own
the house of my relatives / my family’s house
a friend of Andrei's
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 2 forms cover about 86% of everyday use — learn these first.
| masculine singular | al | Used before masculine singular nouns. |
|---|---|---|
| feminine singular | a | Used before feminine singular nouns. |
| masculine plural | ai | Used before masculine plural nouns. |
| feminine plural | ale | Used before feminine plural nouns. |
| genitive/dative forms | alui / aei / ailor / alelor | Rare, archaic or dialectal in standard usage; modern Romanian usually uses other structures. |
vs. lui / ei
"al/a/ai/ale" is an agreeing possessive article; "lui/ei" are possessive pronouns or prepositional genitive markers in other constructions.
cartea lui Andrei / cartea al lui Andrei
Andrei's book / the book of Andrei
vs. a
"a" is the feminine singular form corresponding to masculine singular "al".
un prieten al meu / o prietenă a mea
a friend of mine / a female friend of mine
vs. ai / ale
"ai" and "ale" are plural forms used with masculine and feminine plural nouns respectively.
frații mei / surorile mele
my brothers / my sisters
Este cartea alui?
Is it his book?
alui - Incorrect form?
Nu acesta este stiloul al meu, ci al tău.
This is not my pen, but yours.
al meu / al tău - Shows agreement in the possessive phrase.
Am vorbit cu o prietenă a lui Maria.
I spoke with a friend of Maria's.
a - Illustrates the related feminine form.