Most Romanian masculine count nouns use written -i in the basic plural: un profesor becomes doi profesori (one teacher, two teachers). The ending is consistent across the main patterns, but the route to it is not: a final vowel can disappear, a consonant can change, or the stem can shift.
How do you form the basic masculine plural?
Start from the noun's dictionary singular and form the plural in -i: add it after many consonants or use it in place of a final vowel, then check whether the stem also changes.
This is the masculine detail behind the general Romanian plural pattern. Use un and doi to keep the gender visible while you learn each pair.
| Singular shape | Common plural pattern | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Consonant | Add -i when the stem stays otherwise clear. | un profesor, doi profesori (one teacher, two teachers) |
| Consonant | Add -i, with a visible consonant change in many nouns. | un student, doi studenți (one student, two students); un brad, doi brazi (one fir tree, two fir trees) |
| Final -e | Replace -e with -i; another sound or spelling change may appear. | un frate, doi frați (one brother, two brothers); un câine, doi câini (one dog, two dogs) |
| Final -u | Replace -u with -i. | un membru al clubului, doi membri ai clubului (one club member, two club members); un fiu, doi fii (one son, two sons) |
| Final -i | The basic plural may have the same spelling as the singular. | un unchi, doi unchi (one uncle, two uncles); un ochi, doi ochi (one eye, two eyes) |
| Final -ă (a small group) | Replace -ă with -i, often with another change. | un tată, doi tați (one father, two fathers) |
The table describes neutral contemporary Standard Romanian. It is a recognition guide, not a guarantee: the noun determines its own plural, so record the complete pair rather than applying one letter change blindly.
What can change before -i?
- A final consonant can change: student, studenți; urs, urși; brad, brazi.
- A vowel or a larger part of the stem can change: băiat, băieți (boy, boys) and om, oameni (person, people).
- Some frequent nouns have their own spelling pattern: copil, copii (child, children). Treat copii as the basic plural rather than trying to derive it one letter at a time.
In a sentence, use the verified plural as one unit: Doi băieți așteaptă autobuzul. (Two boys are waiting for the bus.) La stație sunt trei oameni. (There are three people at the bus stop.)
When do singular and plural look the same?
With nouns such as unchi and ochi, the basic singular and plural are spelled alike. The numeral or another agreeing word carries the number contrast: Am un unchi în Cluj. (I have one uncle in Cluj.) Am doi unchi în Cluj. (I have two uncles in Cluj.)
How many written is do you need?
First write the basic plural, then add the masculine plural definite article -i when the noun itself carries the article. The Romanian definite article therefore turns studenți into studenții and unchi into unchii.
| Meaning | Basic plural | Definite plural | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| students | studenți | studenții | Doi studenți intră în sală. (Two students enter the room.) Studenții intră în sală. (The students enter the room.) |
| uncles | unchi | unchii | Am doi unchi. (I have two uncles.) Unchii locuiesc aici. (The uncles live here.) |
| children | copii | copiii | Doi copii se joacă afară. (Two children are playing outside.) Copiii se joacă afară. (The children are playing outside.) |
The number of letters follows the forms, not a separate shortcut: copii already has two is in the basic plural, and the definite ending produces copiii with three.
Using masculine plurals in sentences
- Use masculine doi: Avem doi profesori. (We have two teachers.)
- After numbers from three upward, keep the noun in the basic plural: Trei frați locuiesc aici. (Three brothers live here.)
- You can use niște to mean some with a plural: În sală sunt niște studenți. (There are some students in the room.)
Mistakes to avoid
Do not infer masculine gender from -i alone: frați goes with doi, but feminine povești goes with două. Do not add the definite ending after an ordinary numeral: write doi copii, while copiii means the children. Most importantly, learn un om, doi oameni as a pair instead of forcing a regular-looking form.
What does doi frați mean?
- one brother
- the brothers
- two brothers
- two fathers
Frați is the masculine plural of frate, and doi marks two with a masculine noun.
Choose the plural phrase for un fiu.
- doi fii
- doi fi
- două fii
- doi fiuri
The final -u is replaced in the plural, giving fii. Because fiu is masculine, it takes doi.
Complete: În parc se joacă doi ___. (Two children are playing in the park.)
- copiii
- copii
- copil
- copiluri
The basic plural is copii. After doi, the noun is not definite, so the form is doi copii, not copiii.
Which sentence is correct in neutral Standard Romanian?
- Am două unchi în Brașov.
- Am doi unchii în Brașov.
- Am doi unchiuri în Brașov.
- Am doi unchi în Brașov.
Masculine unchi takes doi, and its basic plural has the same spelling as its singular: un unchi, doi unchi.
Which sentence means “The children are waiting outside”?
- Doi copii așteaptă afară.
- Copilul așteaptă afară.
- Copiii așteaptă afară.
- Unchii așteaptă afară.
Copii is the basic plural, and the masculine plural definite article adds another -i: copiii means the children.