How to Express Order and Sequence
When you begin to learn Romanian, one essential grammar topic that helps you structure your communication is learning how to express order. Whether you’re talking about the first day of school, the third exercise in your book, or the fifth student in the line, ordinal numbers play an important role in everyday conversations.
What Are Ordinal Numbers?
Ordinal numbers indicate position or sequence in a list: first, second, third, and so on. In Romanian, they agree in gender and number with the noun they modify and take specific forms for masculine and feminine contexts.
Basic Romanian Ordinal Numbers
Here are some of the most commonly used ordinal numbers in Romanian:
| Number | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | primul | prima |
| 2 | al doilea | a doua |
| 3 | al treilea | a treia |
| 4 | al patrulea | a patra |
| 5 | al cincilea | a cincea |
| 7 | al șaptelea | a șaptea |
| 50 | al cincizecilea | a cincizecea |
| Last | ultimul | ultima |
These forms are used in both formal and informal contexts and must always agree with the noun they describe:
primul student – the first student (masculine)
prima lecție – the first lesson (feminine)
a treia carte – the third book
al doilea exercițiu – the second exercise
How to Form Ordinal Numbers
The basic structure is:
Masculine: al + number stem + suffix -lea
Feminine: a + number stem + suffix -a
This means:
al patrulea coleg (the fourth male colleague)
a patra colegă (the fourth female colleague)
Ordinal numbers are typically placed before the noun they modify:
Al doilea text este dificil. – The second text is difficult.
A cincea oră este despre verbe. – The fifth class is about verbs.
Practice: Real-Life Examples for Learners
Throughout beginner Romanian lessons, learners are encouraged to use ordinal numbers in real communication. For example:
Primul student care răspunde este Radu.
Ema rezolvă exercițiul al cincilea.
Citim al doilea text din manual.
A treia lecție este despre familie.
These examples help reinforce both grammar and vocabulary and allow students to describe sequences in class, books, events, and daily life.
Join Our Romanian Lessons and Speak with Confidence
Learning how to express order in Romanian opens up more fluent communication and supports better understanding of instructions, directions, and everyday interactions. At Punto Iberica, our Romanian lessons focus on building clear, structured language skills for real situations. Join us today and explore grammar through fun, practical contexts that help you speak Romanian with ease and confidence!
For additional grammar explanations, check out our recommended grammar resources.
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