mum / my mum (mama)
The definite form carries "my" inside it. Adding mea is possible but usually unnecessary.
Mama e acasă.
Mum is home.
I-am spus mamei.
I told Mum.
#86 · Noun
mamă
In Romanian, mamă means “mum / my mum (mama)”. It’s the #86 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
Mamă is "mother", rank 86, feminine — and it works exactly like tată. The definite mama already means "my mum", so Mama a sunat is "Mum called" with no possessive needed. The bare mamă is both the plain noun and the way you address her, and it doubles as an exclamation: Vai, mamă! is closer to "Oh my God" than to anything about a parent.
neutralmother
The plain noun, with an article or an adjective: o mamă bună.
o mamă tânără
a young mother
mama copilului
the child's mother
mum (addressing her)
The bare mamă is the vocative — and a parent uses it back to a child, affectionately.
Mamă, unde ești?
Mum, where are you?
as an exclamation (mamă!)
Marks surprise or dismay, with no reference to anyone’s mother.
Mamă, ce cald e!
Wow, it's hot!
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 2 forms cover about 90% of everyday use — learn these first.
mama57%
mamă33%
Show 4 more forms
mamei8%
mame<1%
mamele<1%
mamelor<1%
Noun Forms
- Gender
- feminine
- Countability
- countable
| singular indefinite | mamă | |
|---|---|---|
| singular definite | mama | |
| plural indefinite | mame | |
| plural definite | mamele | |
| genitive dative singular | mamei | |
| genitive dative plural | mamelor |
A regular feminine noun in -ă: mamă → mama, plural mame → mamele, genitive-dative mamei. What is special is not the morphology but the use — like tata, the definite mama serves as a kinship name meaning "my mum", which is why it is the single most frequent form in the corpus.
Examples
Mama gătește foarte bine.
Mum cooks very well.
mama - The definite form standing alone for "my mother". Note foarte bine — the adverb, because it modifies a verb.
E o mamă foarte bună.
She's a very good mother.
mamă - The indefinite with the feminine article o, and the adjective agreeing: bună.
Cartea mamei e pe masă.
Mum's book is on the table.
mamei - The genitive mamei carries the possession, so no word for "of" is needed.
Mamă, vino repede!
Mum, come quickly!
mamă - The vocative is the bare form. Unlike domn, this noun does not take a special vocative ending.
Multe mame lucrează de acasă.
Many mothers work from home.
mame - The indefinite plural. The determiner agrees: multe, feminine plural.
Mama already means "my mum" — Mama vine is "Mum is coming", not "The mother is coming". If you are talking about somebody else’s mother, name whose: mama lui, mama ei, mama copilului. Saying just mama about a stranger’s mother is confusing.