Common Romanian adjective form patterns

Romanian adjectives change their form to match the noun they describe. Compare un băiat bun (a good boy), o fată bună (a good girl), and două scaune bune (two good chairs).

How do you choose an adjective form?

First identify the noun's gender and number, then choose that adjective's form pattern: some adjectives have four forms, some have three or two, and some stay the same.

1. Find the noun's gender and number. A neuter noun uses a masculine adjective form in the singular and a feminine plural form in the plural; review Romanian noun gender if needed.
2. Check the adjective's pattern rather than adding an ending automatically. Learn a new adjective with its useful forms.
3. Match the adjective to the noun phrase, including a plural noun: o carte interesantă (an interesting book), două cărți interesante (two interesting books).

These labels count distinct forms, not just visible endings. The three forms of mic are mic, mică, mici, while the plural form serves masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns.

What are the most common four-form adjectives?

Four-form adjectives have a separate form for masculine singular, feminine singular, masculine plural, and feminine plural. A neuter noun takes the masculine singular form or the feminine plural form according to its number.

How can a stem change in a feminine or plural form?

The ending can be added or replaced, and the stem can change as well. Treat the full form as the model: frumos, frumoasă, frumoși, frumoase (beautiful), românesc, românească, românești (Romanian), and nou, nouă, noi (new).

• A consonant-final adjective often adds -ă in the feminine singular: bun becomes bună, and its masculine plural is buni.
• An adjective ending in -u can replace that ending: mândru becomes mândră, mândri, mândre (proud).
• Some forms have a spelling change before the plural ending: mic becomes mici, and frumos becomes frumoși. Keep the required diacritics in every form.

When do two-form and one-form adjectives help?

A two-form adjective has fewer contrasts to memorize. Mare is the same for masculine and feminine singular, then becomes mari in every plural: un oraș mare (a big city), o casă mare (a big house), două orașe mari (two big cities).

Invariable adjectives such as roz are standard, not incomplete forms. They keep one spelling with masculine, feminine, singular, and plural nouns. Other invariable color adjectives exist, but learn each one as a dictionary item rather than guessing from its meaning.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not use the feminine singular with a neuter plural: două scaune bune, not a form based on bună.
• Do not assume every adjective has four different forms. mare has mare/mari, and roz does not change.
• Do not attach a plural ending without checking the adjective. The standard forms are nou, nouă, noi and vechi, veche, vechi.
• The adjective's position can affect emphasis and article placement in some constructions; ordinary noun-first order is the neutral starting point. See adjective position for that separate choice.