When a speaker piles a further point on top of the last one — "and on top of that," "what's more," "and even" — they reach for additive markers. These all push in the same direction as what came before (unlike the contrastive markers, which turn against it). Romanian's additive inventory is straightforward except for one gem English has no single word for: ba chiar, which doesn't just add — it escalates, upgrading to a stronger item. This page sorts the family by how strongly each one pushes, from a neutral "also" to a forceful "and even."
de asemenea — the neutral "also / likewise"
de asemenea ("also, likewise, as well") is the standard additive, leaning slightly (formal) / written. Its quirk for English speakers is position: it most naturally opens the clause, set off by a comma — De asemenea, … — rather than sitting next to the verb the way English "also" tends to ("I also think…"). It can appear medially, but clause-initial is its home.
Vă mulțumim pentru participare. De asemenea, vă reamintim termenul de plată.
Thank you for attending. We also remind you of the payment deadline. (formal)
Oferim cazare. De asemenea, micul dejun este inclus.
We offer accommodation. Breakfast is also included.
în plus — "in addition / on top of that"
în plus ("in addition, moreover, on top of that") stacks a further point in the same direction. It is neutral and at home everywhere — speech and writing alike. It typically opens the clause with a comma.
Apartamentul e luminos. În plus, e foarte aproape de metrou.
The flat is bright. On top of that, it's very close to the metro.
E un candidat puternic. În plus, vorbește trei limbi.
He's a strong candidate. In addition, he speaks three languages.
pe lângă asta — the conversational "besides"
pe lângă asta ("besides this, on top of that, apart from that") is the more (informal), conversational additive. Literally "alongside this," it tacks on a supporting extra in a relaxed register — where în plus might appear in writing, pe lângă asta is what you'd say to a friend.
E prea scump. Și pe lângă asta, nici nu-mi place culoarea.
It's too expensive. And besides, I don't even like the color. (informal)
N-am timp acum. Pe lângă asta, sunt și obosit.
I don't have time right now. Besides, I'm tired too. (informal)
totodată — the parallel "likewise"
totodată ("at the same time, likewise, simultaneously") adds a parallel point — a second aspect or function of the same thing. (Be careful: despite resembling totuși, it is not contrastive — see contrastive markers.) It leans neutral-to-(formal).
E un instrument de lucru și, totodată, o piesă de colecție.
It's a working tool and, at the same time, a collector's item.
nu numai… ci și — the correlative "not only… but also"
nu numai… ci și ("not only… but also") is the framed, two-part additive — it sets up an expectation with the first part and then exceeds it with the second. (Its grammatical mechanics as a correlative pair are covered under correlative conjunctions; here the point is its additive force — it adds with emphasis.) Note the ci (not dar): after a nu numai frame, the corrective "but" is ci.
E cunoscut nu numai în țară, ci și în străinătate.
He's known not only at home but also abroad.
Reforma nu numai că reduce costurile, ci și simplifică totul.
The reform not only cuts costs but also simplifies everything.
ba chiar — the escalating "and even"
Here is the star of the page. ba chiar ("and even, in fact even, what's more even") does not merely add — it escalates. It introduces a stronger, more extreme item that upgrades the previous claim: you state something, then ba chiar tops it with a bolder version. English has no single word for this; it must reach for "and even," "in fact even," or "if anything." ba chiar is register-neutral and extremely common in lively speech.
Filmul e bun, ba chiar excelent.
The film is good — in fact, excellent. (escalating from 'good' to 'excellent')
N-a fost de acord, ba chiar s-a supărat.
He didn't agree — what's more, he actually got upset.
Mâncarea era acceptabilă, ba chiar surprinzător de bună.
The food was acceptable — and, in fact, surprisingly good.
The mechanics are worth seeing clearly: ba chiar takes a first claim and replaces it with a stronger point on the same scale. Bun → ba chiar excelent climbs the scale of quality; n-a fost de acord → ba chiar s-a supărat climbs the scale of reaction. The marker ba on its own is an old emphatic contradiction particle ("on the contrary, why, even"), and chiar means "even / really" — together they form a tight, idiomatic escalator. This is genuinely something Romanian does in one breath that English can't.
| Marker | Force | Register |
|---|---|---|
| de asemenea | also, likewise (clause-initial) | (formal) / neutral |
| în plus | in addition, on top of that | neutral |
| pe lângă asta | besides, apart from that | (informal) |
| totodată | likewise, at the same time | neutral / (formal) |
| nu numai… ci și | not only… but also | neutral |
| ba chiar | and even, in fact even (escalates) | neutral |
Common Mistakes
The signature errors are mispositioning de asemenea, using dar instead of ci in the nu numai frame, and treating ba chiar as a plain "also."
❌ Eu de asemenea cred că e o idee bună.
Calque of English 'I also think' — de asemenea wants the clause-initial slot, not the mid-sentence one. Better: De asemenea, cred că e o idee bună.
✅ De asemenea, cred că e o idee bună.
I also think it's a good idea.
❌ Nu numai în țară, dar și în străinătate.
Wrong 'but' — after nu numai, the corrective is ci, not dar: …ci și în străinătate.
✅ Nu numai în țară, ci și în străinătate.
Not only at home but also abroad.
❌ E bun, ba chiar bun.
Pointless — ba chiar must escalate to something stronger, not repeat the same word. E bun, ba chiar excelent.
✅ E bun, ba chiar excelent.
It's good — in fact, excellent.
❌ E scump, totodată merită.
Wrong family — totodată is additive ('likewise'), not the contrastive 'at the same time' English allows here. Use totuși: E scump, totuși merită.
✅ E scump, totuși merită.
It's expensive; still, it's worth it.
Key Takeaways
- Additive markers push in the same direction as the previous point; the question is how much more.
- de asemenea ("also, likewise") is neutral/formal and favors the clause-initial slot — not the English mid-sentence "also" position.
- în plus is the neutral "in addition"; pe lângă asta is its casual cousin; totodată adds a parallel point (additive, not contrastive).
- nu numai… ci și is the framed "not only… but also" — and takes ci, not dar.
- ba chiar is the gem: a one-word escalating additive ("and even / in fact even") that upgrades to a stronger item (bun → ba chiar excelent) — something English needs a whole phrase for.
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Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- Discourse Markers: OverviewB1 — A survey of the words that organize talk rather than carry meaning — additive (în plus, de asemenea), contrastive (totuși, însă, pe de altă parte), causal/consecutive (deci, prin urmare, așadar), reformulative (adică, cu alte cuvinte), exemplifying (de exemplu, bunăoară), and interactional fillers (păi, mă rog, gen). The casual fillers vs the formal connectors are a sharp register signal.
- Emphasis and Focus Markers (chiar, tocmai, doar)B2 — The small particles that redirect emphasis without touching word order: chiar (even / really / exactly), tocmai (precisely / just now), doar (only / just / after all), focus-și (even, too) and măcar (at least). Each pins a spotlight onto one element of the sentence, and choosing the right one — plus placing it next to the right word — is what makes Romanian emphasis sound native rather than translated.
- Contrastive Markers (totuși, însă, totodată)B1 — How Romanian turns talk against expectation — totuși (however/nevertheless), the mobile însă that idiomatically sits in second position (E greu, e însă posibil), pe de altă parte and în schimb (on the other hand / instead), cu toate acestea (nevertheless), and totodată (at the same time). The standout is însă's preference for second position, a positional contrast English 'however' doesn't have.
- Sentence Connectors (deci, totuși, prin urmare, așadar)B1 — The connectors that link whole sentences rather than join clauses — deci (so/therefore), prin urmare and așadar (consequently, formal), totuși (however), de aceea (that's why), în plus (moreover), de altfel (besides) and pe de altă parte (on the other hand) — with their clause-initial position, comma punctuation, and the register signal that separates casual deci from formal așadar.
- Correlative Conjunctions (atât...cât, nu numai...ci și)B2 — Romanian's paired connectors that work in two halves — atât... cât și (both... and), nu numai... ci și (not only... but also), nici... nici (neither... nor), fie... fie (either... or), pe de o parte... pe de altă parte (on the one hand... on the other), and cu cât... cu atât (the more... the more) — with the parallel-structure rule that keeps them balanced and the corrective ci that distinguishes 'not X but Y'.