Short and full demonstrative forms

Romanian demonstratives have a short preposed form and a full postposed form when they modify a noun: acest document and documentul acesta (this document). The full forms can also stand alone as pronouns: Acesta este documentul. (This is the document.)

How do you choose the short or full form?

First decide whether the demonstrative modifies a following noun or replaces a noun. If it modifies a noun, choose the position: short before the noun, full after the noun. If it replaces a noun, use the full independent form, such as Acela este al meu. (That one is mine.) In every pattern, choose near or far according to the context and match the form to the noun's gender and number. The separate Romanian demonstratives lesson covers near-versus-far meanings.

• Before a noun, use the short form and leave the noun without a definite article: acest răspuns (this answer).
• After a definite noun, use the full form: răspunsul acesta (this answer).
• Without a following noun, use the full form as a pronoun: Pe acesta îl aleg. (I choose this one.)

When does the noun take the definite article?

A short demonstrative already determines the noun phrase, so the noun has no definite article: acel tren (that train), not trenul acel. With a full postposed demonstrative, the noun is definite and takes its normal attached article: trenul acela (that train). Review the Romanian definite article for the noun endings.

• Before the noun: acest oraș, această stradă, acești vecini, aceste ferestre. The demonstrative is short and the noun is not separately marked definite.
• After the noun: orașul acesta, strada aceasta, vecinii aceștia, ferestrele acestea. The noun is definite and the demonstrative is full.
• The two neutral patterns are acest oraș and orașul acesta; do not combine them as acest orașul or oraș acesta.

Are the familiar forms also short forms?

No. The familiar series is postposed or independent, not the short preposed series: near ăsta, asta, ăștia, astea and far ăla, aia, ăia, alea. The familiar series is common in relaxed conversation and is recorded by DOOM3 with the label familiar. Use these forms independently or after a definite noun. For example, Băiatul ăsta așteaptă. (This boy is waiting.) Ăla este colegul meu. (That one is my colleague.)

For neutral contemporary Standard Romanian, start with the standard series in ordinary writing and careful speech: acest mesaj or mesajul acesta. The familiar forms are grammatical, not misspellings, but mesajul ăsta signals a relaxed relationship or conversational setting.

How do short and full forms change in the genitive-dative?

The genitive and dative share one set of demonstrative forms. The short/full position contrast remains visible when the demonstrative modifies a noun: acestui student (to/of this student) versus studentului acestuia (to/of this student). An independent demonstrative uses the full form: I-am răspuns acestuia. (I answered this one.)

Both noun-modifying patterns mark genitive-dative case. Before the noun, use the short form with a noun that has no definite article: I-am dat cartea acestei studente. (I gave the book to this student.) After the noun, use the full form and put the definite article on the noun: I-am dat cartea studentei acesteia. (I gave the book to this student.) With an independent pronoun, use the full form without a following noun: I-am dat cartea acesteia. (I gave the book to this one.)

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not use a full form before the noun in the neutral pattern: say acest proiect, not acesta proiect.
• Do not use a short form after a definite noun: say proiectul acesta, not proiectul acest.
• Do not add the definite article to a noun after a short demonstrative: această idee, not această ideea.
• Do not treat the familiar forms as preposed equivalents: say ideea asta in a familiar style, not asta idee.
• Do not mix agreement patterns: aceste probleme, problemele acestea, and problema aceasta are correct, but acest probleme is not.