Short and full demonstrative forms

Romanian demonstratives have a short preposed form and a full postposed form when they modify a noun: acest document and documentul acesta (this document). The full forms can also stand alone as pronouns: Acesta este documentul. (This is the document.)

What changes when the demonstrative changes position?

Use the short form before the noun and the full form after it; the noun is unarticulated before the demonstrative but carries the definite article after it. This position contrast is separate from the near-versus-far meanings covered in Romanian demonstratives.

In the plural, the same rule gives acești studenți / studenții aceștia (these students), aceste cărți / cărțile acestea (these books), acei studenți / studenții aceia (those students), and acele cărți / cărțile acelea (those books). The demonstrative agrees with the noun in gender and number; remember that a neuter noun is masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural.

How do you choose the short or full form?

First decide whether the demonstrative modifies a following noun or replaces a noun. If it modifies a noun, choose the position: short before the noun, full after the noun. If it replaces a noun, use the full independent form, such as Acela este al meu. (That one is mine.)

1. Choose near or far according to the referent: acest / acesta means “this,” while acel / acela means “that.”
2. Match the demonstrative to the noun's gender and number: această problemă, aceste probleme, acel răspuns, acele răspunsuri.
3. Put the short form before an unarticulated noun: acest răspuns (this answer).
4. Put the full form after a definite noun: răspunsul acesta (this answer).
5. Use a full form by itself when it is a pronoun: Pe acesta îl aleg. (I choose this one.)

What happens to the article?

A short demonstrative already determines the noun phrase, so the noun has no definite article: acel tren (that train), not trenul acel. With a full postposed demonstrative, the noun is definite and takes its normal attached article: trenul acela (that train). Review the Romanian definite article for the noun endings.

• Before the noun: acest oraș, această stradă, acești vecini, aceste ferestre. The demonstrative is short and the noun is not separately marked definite.
• After the noun: orașul acesta, strada aceasta, vecinii aceștia, ferestrele acestea. The noun is definite and the demonstrative is full.
• Do not combine the two ordinary patterns: acest orașul and oraș acesta are not the neutral forms taught here.

Are the familiar forms also short forms?

The familiar series is common in relaxed conversation and is recorded by DOOM3 with the label familiar: near ăsta, asta, ăștia, astea and far ăla, aia, ăia, alea. These forms are not used before the noun in the standard positional pattern. Use them independently or after a definite noun: Băiatul ăsta așteaptă. (This boy is waiting.) / Ăla este colegul meu. (That one is my colleague.)

For neutral contemporary Standard Romanian, start with the standard series in ordinary writing and careful speech: acest mesaj or mesajul acesta. The familiar forms are grammatical, not misspellings, but mesajul ăsta signals a relaxed relationship or conversational setting. They should not be presented as more correct than the standard forms, nor as universal replacements.

What should you know about the genitive-dative?

The genitive and dative share one set of demonstrative forms. The short/full position contrast remains visible when the demonstrative modifies a noun: acestui student (to/of this student) versus studentului acestuia (to/of this student). An independent demonstrative uses the full form: I-am răspuns acestuia. (I answered this one.)

Case is visible in both noun-modifying patterns. Before the noun, use the short form with an unarticulated noun: I-am dat cartea acestei studente. (I gave the book to this student.) After the noun, use the full form and put the definite article on the noun: I-am dat cartea studentei acesteia. (I gave the book to this student.) With an independent pronoun, use the full form without a following noun: I-am dat cartea acesteia. (I gave the book to this one.)

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not use a full form before the noun in the neutral pattern: say acest proiect, not acesta proiect.
• Do not use a short form after a definite noun: say proiectul acesta, not proiectul acest.
• Do not add the definite article to a noun after a short demonstrative: această idee, not această ideea.
• Do not treat the familiar forms as preposed equivalents: say ideea asta in a familiar style, not asta idee.
• Do not mix agreement patterns: aceste probleme, problemele acestea, and problema aceasta are correct, but acest probleme is not.