Appendix:Romanian adjectives
Most adjectives in Romanian have more than one form for the various genders and numbers of nouns modified. Some have only one form for all genders and numbers.
For more detailed information on the declension of specific types of adjectives, see the following:
- 4-form adjectives
- End in consonants or -u (most adjectives are in this category)
- 3-form adjectives
- End in -c, -g, -esc or -iu
- 2-form adjectives
- End in -e, -i or -ui
Note that the number of forms to which the classes refer reflect the number of nominative/accusative forms, not all forms together.
Basic information
[edit]In Romanian, adjectives generally come after the noun they modify. When they come before, they are more emphasized. (Certain adjectives can only come before or after the noun they modify.)
Adjectives can be declined much like nouns when they come before the modified noun. This means that an adjective can be declined in nominative/accusative and genitive/dative cases, and can take the enclitic definite article. For example:
| noun first | adj first | english |
|---|---|---|
| nominative/accusative | ||
| bărbatul amar | amarul bărbat | the bitter man |
| femeia frumoasă | frumoasa femeie | the beautiful woman |
| florile delicate | delicatele flori | the delicate flowers |
| vocea plăcută a lui | plăcuta voce a lui | his pleasant voice |
| genitive/dative | ||
| fiica bărbatului amar | fiica amarului bărbat | the bitter man's daughter |
| vocea femeii frumoase | vocea frumoasei femei | the beautiful woman's voice |
The rules for declining adjectives in this way are the same as those for nouns. First the gender of the adjective must be determined, and from there the adjective is declined as if it were a noun of that gender. For information on this, see Appendix:Romanian noun declension.