my (before a noun)
Follows the noun, and the noun carries the definite article: prietenul meu, casa mea.
prietenul meu
my friend
casa mea
my house
#28 · Determiner / article
meu
In Romanian, meu means “my (before a noun)”. It’s the #28 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 28th most frequent Romanian word — "my". Two things make it unlike English. It comes after the noun, and the noun takes its definite article: fratele meu, literally "the brother my". And it agrees with what is owned, not with the owner: mea is not "her", it is "my" in front of a feminine noun (mașina mea).
neutralmine (standing alone, with al/a/ai/ale)
As a full pronoun it needs the possessive article: al meu, a mea, ai mei, ale mele.
Cartea e a mea.
The book is mine.
un prieten de-al meu
a friend of mine
my (in address and affection)
Very common in vocatives and set phrases — dragul meu, Doamne, Dumnezeul meu.
dragul meu
my dear
Dumnezeul meu!
My God!
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 4 forms cover about 82% of everyday use — learn these first.
mea36%
meu33%
mele8%
noastră6%
Show 5 more forms
nostru6%
mei5%
noastre5%
noștri2%
-meu<1%
Forms & Contrasts
- Subtype
- possessive
| masculine singular | meu | fratele meu |
|---|---|---|
| feminine singular | mea | casa mea — the most frequent form of all |
| masculine plural | mei | prietenii mei |
| feminine / neuter plural | mele | cărțile mele |
| standalone (with possessive article) | al meu / a mea / ai mei / ale mele | Used when no noun follows: E al meu. |
| enclitic, close family | -meu / -mea | Colloquial fusion: frate-meu, soră-mea, maică-mea. |
vs. nostru / noastră (our)
Same four-way agreement, but for a plural owner: nostru, noastră, noștri, noastre.
casa mea / casa noastră
my house / our house
vs. său / sa (his / her)
său agrees with the possessed thing too; in speech Romanians usually replace it with lui (his) or ei (her), which do not agree.
cartea sa / cartea lui
his book / his book (more colloquial)
vs. mi- / îmi (dative clitic)
With body parts and close relations Romanian often uses a dative pronoun instead of a possessive.
Mă doare capul. / Mă doare capul meu.
My head hurts. (the first is what people actually say)
Examples
Acesta e fratele meu.
This is my brother.
meu - Masculine noun with its definite article -le, then meu behind it. English word order reversed.
Mașina mea e veche.
My car is old.
mea - mașina is feminine, so the possessive is mea — agreement is with the thing owned.
Părinții mei locuiesc în Cluj.
My parents live in Cluj.
mei - Masculine plural: mei, with the noun taking the plural article -i.
Astea sunt cheile mele.
These are my keys.
mele - Feminine plural — cheile mele. Four forms in total, no more.
Locul acesta e al meu.
This seat is mine.
al meu - Without a noun in front, the possessive article al is obligatory: al meu, a mea, ai mei, ale mele.
Mama mea gătește foarte bine.
My mother cooks very well.
mea - Close family can also drop the article and fuse in speech: mama mea, or simply mama; colloquially even soră-mea, frate-meu.
mea is "my", not "her". Romanian possessives agree with the possessed noun, so mea/mele are simply the feminine forms of meu. "Her" is a different word altogether (ei, or său/sa).