the (in superlatives, with mai)
cel mai + adjective or adverb is the only way Romanian forms a superlative. cel agrees; mai never changes.
cel mai bun
the best
cea mai frumoasă zi
the most beautiful day
#67 · Determiner / article
cel
In Romanian, cel means “the (in superlatives, with mai)”. It’s the #67 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
Cel is the little word that builds the Romanian superlative: cel mai bun, "the best". Rank 67. It is not translated on its own — it agrees with the noun (cel, cea, cei, cele) and then hands over to mai. Beyond superlatives it also means "the one": cel de acolo "the one over there", cei care vor "those who want to".
neutralthe one / the ones
Stands in for a noun already known, followed by de, care or an adjective.
cel de acolo
the one over there
cei mici
the little ones
the (linking an adjective to a definite noun)
When an adjective follows a definite noun and needs its own article: băiatul cel mic.
băiatul cel mic
the youngest boy
Ștefan cel Mare
Stephen the Great
in ordinals above two
cel de-al doilea, cea de-a treia — the fuller ordinal form.
cel de-al doilea
the second one
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.
cel48%
cea24%
cele14%
Show 4 more forms
cei11%
celor2%
celui<1%
celei<1%
Forms & Contrasts
- Subtype
- article
| Masculine / neuter sg. | cel | cel mai bun; cel de acolo. |
|---|---|---|
| Feminine sg. | cea | cea mai bună. |
| Masculine pl. | cei | cei mai buni; cei care. |
| Feminine / neuter pl. | cele | cele mai bune. |
| Genitive-dative masc./neut. sg. | celui | celui mai bun. |
| Genitive-dative fem. sg. | celei | celei mai bune. |
| Genitive-dative pl. | celor | celor care au venit. |
vs. mai (on its own)
mai alone is the comparative "more / -er". Adding cel turns it into the superlative.
mai bun / cel mai bun
better / the best
vs. acela
Both can mean "that one", but acela genuinely points at something distant, while cel is a neutral placeholder waiting for de, care or an adjective.
cel de acolo / acela
the one over there / that one
vs. foarte
foarte gives "very"; only cel mai gives "the most". They are not interchangeable.
foarte bun / cel mai bun
very good / the best
Examples
E cel mai bun prieten al meu.
He's my best friend.
cel - The superlative frame cel mai + adjective. cel is masculine here because prieten is; al meu then needs its own possessive article.
Asta e cea mai bună soluție.
That's the best solution.
cea - Feminine agreement all the way down the phrase: cea, bună, soluție.
Cei care vor pot veni.
Those who want to can come.
cei - cei care is the standard "those who". The masculine plural is also the default for a mixed group of people.
Vreau cartea cea roșie.
I want the red book.
cea - The adjective after a definite noun takes cea. Modern speech usually drops it — cartea roșie — but the form survives in careful and written Romanian.
Cel de acolo e al tău.
The one over there is yours.
cel - cel de + a place word replaces a whole noun phrase, exactly like English "the one".
E prietenul celui mai bun coleg.
He's the friend of the best colleague.
celui - The genitive celui. These oblique forms are rare in speech but common in writing, which is why the measured counts drop sharply after cei.
The superlative always needs both words: cel mai bun. Dropping cel leaves you with mai bun, which means "better", not "best" — so cel is the whole difference between a comparison and a winner.