Genitive Article 'al / a / ai / ale' — Romanian Grammar

When you express possession with the genitive ("of …"), Romanian sometimes needs an extra little word in front of the possessor: , , or . It is called the possessive or genitive article, and it has no direct English equivalent - English just uses "of" or "'s".

It Agrees With the Thing Owned

The form is chosen by the gender and number of the possessed thing (the noun before it), not the owner:

- one masculine/neuter thing
- one feminine thing
- several masculine things
- several feminine/neuter things

un prieten al meu
a friend of mine
o prietenă a mea
a friend of mine (female)
o carte a Mariei
a book of Maria's

When You Need It

You use this article when the possessor is not directly attached to a definite noun - for instance when a word comes between them, or after a number or indefinite article. Compare:

cartea Mariei
Maria's book (directly attached, no article)
o carte a Mariei
a book of Maria's (article needed)

In the Superlative

You meet it often in phrases like "the best friend of mine", where the possessor follows a longer description:

cel mai bun prieten al meu
my best friend
cea mai bună prietenă a mea
my best friend (female)

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