in; inside; within
basic location or inclusion
în casă
in the house
în România
in Romania
în apă
in water
#45 · Preposition · ADP
In Romanian, in means “in; inside; within”. It’s the #45 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Romanian preposition meaning mainly "in, within, into," with a wide range of uses for place, time, state, and result. It is very common and often combines with cases or fixed patterns that English may express differently.
neutralbasic location or inclusion
in the house
in Romania
in water
movement toward the inside of a place
he/she went into the room
he/she put the book in the bag
used with time periods and broader stretches of time
in summer
in 2024
in two hours
introduces a condition, role, or resulting state
in a hurry
in danger
as a teacher
Usually stays unchanged and is followed by a noun phrase or an infinitive-like complement depending on the construction.
The preposition itself does not change form.
în casă
in the house
Very often marks location after verbs of being or movement.
Common with verbs like a fi, a intra, a pune.
E în autobuz.
He/She is on the bus.
Can introduce fixed expressions for time, manner, and state.
English may need different wording, but Romanian still uses în.
în liniște
quietly; in silence
vs. la
la often means at/to a point or institution, while în usually means inside or within a space, period, or domain.
Sunt la școală. / Sunt în clasă.
I’m at school. / I’m in the classroom.
vs. pe
pe often means on, on the surface of, or along; în means inside or within.
cartea pe masă / cartea în geantă
the book on the table / the book in the bag
vs. din
din means from/out of, often expressing origin or movement out of a place.
Am ieșit din casă.
I came out of the house.
Sunt în birou acum.
I’m in the office now.
în - Simple location.
Am intrat în magazin să cumpăr pâine.
I went into the shop to buy bread.
în - Movement toward the inside.
Ne vedem în două ore.
We’ll meet in two hours.
în - Time until an event.
Lucrează în domeniul medical.
He/She works in the medical field.
în - Area or field of activity.