Learn Romanian: Understanding the Article
When learning Romanian, one of the fundamental parts of speech you’ll encounter is the Article, or “articolul” in Romanian.
What is an Article?
An article is a flexible part of speech that usually accompanies a noun and indicates to what extent the object named by it is known to the speakers. It serves as a grammatical tool for the declension of the noun.
Classification of Articles in the Romanian Grammar
Articles in Romanian can be classified in several ways:
By Meaning
Articles can be definite (showing a known object to the speaker) or indefinite (showing an object that is less known to the speakers).
By Position
Articles can be enclitic (attached to the end of the word) or proclitic (located in front of the determined noun).
Definite Article
The definite article (also known as the proper definite article) shows an object known to the speaker. Unlike other articles, it does not appear as a standalone word and is attached to the end of a noun.
Examples: “copilul” (the child), “casa” (the house), “muntele” (the mountain), “oamenii” (the people), “casele” (the houses), “munții” (the mountains).
Indefinite Article
The indefinite article is used when the object named by a noun is less known to the speakers. In this case, the article stands in front of the noun, being written separately.
Examples: “un copac” (a tree), “o casă” (a house), “un pod” (a bridge), “niște copaci” (some trees), “niște case” (some houses), “niște poduri” (some bridges).
Possessive Article
The possessive article (genitival) is placed in front of a noun or pronoun in the genitive and is part of the possessive pronoun and ordinal numeral. In this case, the Article binds the name of the possessed object to the name of the possessor.
Examples: “al copilului” (of the child), “a mamei” (of the mother), “ai copiilor” (of the children), “ale mamelor” (of the mothers).
Demonstrative Article
The demonstrative article (adjectival) accompanies an adjective or a numeral, establishing the connection between these parts of speech and the determined noun.
Examples: “cel bun” (the good one), “cea frumoasă” (the beautiful one), “cei buni” (the good ones), “cele frumoase” (the beautiful ones).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the article has the following characteristics: it represents a morphological class remaining; it does not have semantic autonomy; it does not perform syntactic functions; it only serves as an auxiliary grammatical tool for the inflection of other parts of speech.
Learning about the article in Romanian is a crucial step in your Romanian lessons. As you continue to learn Romanian, you’ll discover the richness and complexity of this part of speech and how it contributes to the beauty of the Romanian language.
Remember, learning a new language opens up a world of possibilities. So keep going with your Romanian lessons, and soon you’ll be able to navigate the Romanian language with ease.