The fastest choice is to check the verb and the meaning. A positive verb normally takes doar or numai: Am doar două ore. (I only have two hours.) A negative verb can take restrictive decât: Nu am decât două ore. (I only have two hours.) In a comparison, decât means “than”: Mara este mai înaltă decât Ioana. (Mara is taller than Ioana.)
How do you choose between decât and doar?
Use doar or numai for ordinary restriction with a positive verb, use nu...decât for the negative restrictive pattern, and use decât after a comparative word when the meaning is “than.”
| Meaning | Neutral pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| only, positive clause | verb + doar/numai + focus | Am doar două ore. (I only have two hours.) |
| only, negative construction | nu + verb + decât + focus | Nu am decât două ore. (I only have two hours.) |
| than, comparison | mai/mai puțin + adjective or adverb + decât + target | Mara este mai înaltă decât Ioana. (Mara is taller than Ioana.) |
When should you use doar or numai?
Use doar or numai when the clause is positive and you want to limit one person, thing, amount, time, place, or action. The two are ordinary neutral choices in this use: Doar Ana a venit. and Numai Ana a venit. (Only Ana came.)
| What is limited | Romanian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| person | Doar Ana a venit. | Only Ana came. |
| object | Cumpăr numai pâine. | I am buying only bread. |
| time | Lucrez doar seara. | I work only in the evening. |
| action | Vreau numai să dorm. | I only want to sleep. |
Place the restriction word before the phrase it limits. This is a useful scope test: Doar Ana a venit limits the people who came, while Ana a venit doar marți limits the day. The same words can therefore change the focus when their position changes. For related focus and degree meanings, see focus and degree particles.
When does decât mean “only”?
Restrictive decât means “only” in the negative construction nu...decât. The negative marker goes with the finite verb, and decât comes before the amount, person, phrase, or clause that is the sole permitted choice: Nu au sosit decât trei studenți. (Only three students arrived.) This is the specialized pattern described in the broader restrictive decât lesson.
- Put nu before the finite verb: Nu au sosit... or Nu citesc....
- Put decât before the restricted phrase: Nu au sosit decât trei studenți. (Only three students arrived.)
- Keep required grammar inside that phrase: Nu am văzut decât pe Vlad. (I saw only Vlad.)
- For a positive clause, choose doar or numai: Au venit doar trei studenți. (Only three students came.)
Why is nu doar not the same as nu...decât?
Doar and numai can occur in negative clauses too, but the negative marker then normally denies the exclusiveness of the phrase. Compare Nu am decât două opțiuni. (I have only two options.) with Nu am doar două opțiuni. (I do not have only two options.) The first presents two as the complete limit; the second rejects the claim that two is the complete limit and leaves other possibilities open.
| Sentence | Main message | Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Am doar două opțiuni. | Two is the complete number of options. | positive restriction |
| Nu am decât două opțiuni. | Two is the complete number of options. | negative restriction |
| Nu am doar două opțiuni. | Two is not presented as the complete number. | negative doar |
When does decât mean “than”?
In a comparison, decât introduces the person or thing used as the measuring point. It normally follows mai or mai puțin: Ana citește mai repede decât Vlad. (Ana reads faster than Vlad.) This decât does not mean “only,” and it does not require nu. For the larger comparison system, see comparing adverbs.
| Comparison | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| more ... than | mai + adjective or adverb + decât | Filmul este mai lung decât episodul. (The film is longer than the episode.) |
| less ... than | mai puțin + adjective or adverb + decât | Azi lucrez mai puțin decât ieri. (Today I work less than yesterday.) |
| only | doar/numai or nu...decât | Nu citesc decât seara. (I read only in the evening.) |
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Do not write Am decât două ore for the ordinary positive meaning “I only have two hours.” Use Am doar două ore or Am numai două ore.
- Do not remove nu from Nu am decât două ore when you mean that two hours is the complete amount.
- Do not read mai lung decât as a restriction: it compares two lengths, so decât means “than.”
- Do not assume that nu doar has the same meaning as nu...decât. It normally challenges the word doar, rather than setting a negative limit.
- A contracted form such as N-am decât două ore is common, especially in speech and informal writing. The full Nu am decât două ore is a clear learner model.
Which sentence uses a positive verb to say “I only have two hours”?
- Am doar două ore.
- Am decât două ore.
- Nu am decât două ore.
- Am mai mult decât două ore.
With the positive verb am, ordinary restriction uses doar or numai: Am doar două ore. Am decât lacks the negative pattern, while Nu am decât is the negative alternative and mai mult decât expresses comparison.
Choose the negative restrictive sentence meaning “Only three students arrived.”
- Au sosit decât trei studenți.
- Au sosit numai trei studenți.
- Nu au sosit decât trei studenți.
- Au sosit mai mulți decât trei studenți.
The requested negative restrictive pattern is nu + finite verb + decât + focus: Nu au sosit decât trei studenți. The second option is also a valid positive restriction, but it is not the requested construction.
What does Nu am doar două opțiuni normally communicate?
- I have exactly two options and no more.
- I do not present two options as the complete set; more may be available.
- I have no options at all.
- I have exactly two options because the verb is negative.
Negative nu rejects the exclusiveness of doar două opțiuni. The sentence does not say that there are no options; it leaves open a set larger than two or another contextually relevant alternative.
Which sentence contains comparative decât meaning “than”?
- Nu citesc decât seara.
- Am numai două cărți.
- Nu am decât două cărți.
- Romanul este mai lung decât povestirea.
In mai lung decât povestirea, decât introduces the comparison target, so it means “than the story.” The other sentences express restriction with numai or nu...decât.
Which sentence says “I work only in the evening” with a positive verb?
- Nu lucrez decât seara.
- Lucrez decât seara.
- Lucrez doar seara.
- Lucrez mai mult decât seara.
The positive verb lucrez takes doar for ordinary restriction: Lucrez doar seara. The first option has the valid negative restrictive pattern but is not positive, the second lacks the required pattern, and the last is comparative rather than restrictive.