all / the whole (determiner before a noun)
Agrees with the noun, and the noun must carry its definite article: toată casa, toți copiii.
toată ziua
all day
toți oamenii
all the people
#32 · Pronoun
tot
In Romanian, tot means “all / the whole (determiner before a noun)”. It’s the #32 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 32nd most frequent word, and one that wears three hats. As a determiner it means "all / the whole" and demands the definite article on its noun: toată ziua, toți oamenii. As a pronoun it is "everything" — the measured top form is totul. And as an adverb it means "still / keeps on": tot vine, tot mai bine. One word, three grammars.
neutraleverything (pronoun: totul / tot)
totul is the standalone "everything"; bare tot does the same job as a direct object: Știu tot.
Totul e bine.
Everything is fine.
Am înțeles tot.
I understood everything.
everyone (toți / toate)
The plural pronoun. toți for a mixed or male group, toate for a female group or for things.
Toți știu.
Everyone knows.
Le-am citit pe toate.
I read them all.
still / keeps on (adverb)
Persistence: tot + verb = "still doing it". With mai it builds "more and more": tot mai bine.
Tot nu înțeleg.
I still don't understand.
tot mai mult
more and more
each / every (distributive)
Before a time unit it means "every": tot omul, la tot pasul.
în tot cazul
in any case
la tot pasul
at every step
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 4 forms cover about 92% of everyday use — learn these first.
totul32%
tot28%
toți18%
toate14%
Show 4 more forms
toții5%
tuturor3%
totu<1%
toată<1%
Forms & Contrasts
- Subtype
- indefinite
| masculine / neuter singular | tot | tot orașul; also the adverb "still" |
|---|---|---|
| feminine singular | toată | toată ziua |
| masculine plural | toți | toți copiii |
| feminine / neuter plural | toate | toate lucrurile |
| pronoun "everything" | totul | Subject or object: Totul e bine. |
| genitive-dative plural | tuturor | Same for both genders: Le-am spus tuturor. |
| set phrase | cu toții / cu toatele | "all of us / all of them", after the verb |
vs. totul vs. tot
totul is the independent subject pronoun; bare tot is used as an object or in fixed phrases.
Totul e gata. / Am făcut tot.
Everything is ready. / I did everything.
vs. toți vs. toate
toți for people in general or a masculine/mixed group; toate for feminine people and for things.
Toți au venit. / Toate sunt aici.
Everyone came. / They (fem./things) are all here.
vs. mult / fiecare
tot takes the whole set at once; fiecare picks them out one by one, and mult is just "a lot".
toți studenții / fiecare student
all the students / each student
vs. tot (adverb) vs. încă
Both render "still". tot suggests stubborn repetition, încă is the neutral "not yet finished".
Tot plouă. / Încă plouă.
It keeps raining. / It's still raining.
Examples
Am muncit toată ziua.
I worked all day.
toată - Feminine singular toată, and ziua keeps its definite article -a. Dropping it (*toată zi) is wrong.
Totul e în regulă.
Everything is fine.
totul - The most frequent measured form. totul is a subject pronoun and takes a 3rd-singular verb.
Toți prietenii mei vin.
All my friends are coming.
toți - Masculine plural toți with the definite plural prietenii — the article is obligatory after tot.
Mulțumesc tuturor.
Thanks to everyone.
tuturor - The genitive-dative plural, one shape for both genders — used after verbs like a mulțumi.
Tot nu a sunat.
He still hasn't called.
tot - Adverbial tot in front of the verb — "still", with a hint of impatience.
E tot mai frig.
It's getting colder and colder.
tot mai - tot mai + adjective is the standard way to say a quality keeps increasing.
Am venit cu toții.
We all came.
toții - The set phrase cu toții / cu toatele means "all of us together" and always follows the verb.
After tot the noun must keep its definite article: toată ziua, tot orașul, toți copiii — never *toată zi. This is the opposite of English, where "all day" drops the article entirely.
In expressions
Common phrases built around tot — worth learning as whole units.
tot ce— everything that, all that
lit. “all what”
toată lumea— everyone, everybody
lit. “all the-world”
toate astea— all this, all these things
lit. “all these”
cu toții— all of us/them, everyone (together)
lit. “with all”
tot timpul— all the time, always
lit. “all the-time”
peste tot— everywhere
lit. “over all”
Asta e tot.— That's all. / That's it.
lit. “this is all”
Corpus examples
.
Everything will be fine.
?
Is everything okay?