Ordinal numbers answer "which one in a sequence" — first, second, third. English just bolts -th onto the cardinal (four → fourth), but Romanian wraps the cardinal in a two-part gendered frame: al cincilea (the fifth, masculine) versus a cincea (the fifth, feminine). "First" sits outside the frame as a suppletive irregular, primul / prima, and there is a separate invariable word întâi that means "first" in dates and after a noun. Getting ordinals right matters early, because "the second time", "the third floor", and "the first of May" are everyday phrases.
The frame: al …lea (masc.) / a …a (fem.)
From "second" upward, the ordinal is built around the cardinal with a particle in front (al or a) and an ending behind. The masculine frame is al …lea; the feminine frame is a …a.
| Number | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | al doilea | a doua |
| 3rd | al treilea | a treia |
| 4th | al patrulea | a patra |
| 5th | al cincilea | a cincea |
| 6th | al șaselea | a șasea |
| 7th | al șaptelea | a șaptea |
| 8th | al optulea | a opta |
| 9th | al nouălea | a noua |
| 10th | al zecelea | a zecea |
| 20th | al douăzecilea | a douăzecea |
| 100th | al o sutălea | a o suta |
The al/a particle is not a typo of the definite article — it is a dedicated ordinal marker (historically the same element that builds possessives like al meu). The masculine al takes the cardinal plus -lea; the feminine a takes the cardinal in its feminine form plus -a. So the gender of the thing being ranked decides which frame you reach for, just like an adjective.
Locuiesc la etajul al treilea, fără lift.
I live on the third floor, with no lift.
E a doua oară când îți spun același lucru.
This is the second time I'm telling you the same thing.
A terminat cursa pe locul al cincilea, foarte aproape de podium.
He finished the race in fifth place, very close to the podium.
"First": the irregular primul / prima
The number "first" does not use the al…lea frame. It is suppletive — a completely different word, prim, that takes the definite article: primul (masc.), prima (fem.). This parallels English, where "first" and "second" share no root with "one" and "two".
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| singular | primul | prima |
| plural | primii | primele |
Primul tren spre Brașov pleacă la ora șase fix.
The first train to Brașov leaves at six o'clock sharp.
Prima dată când am venit aici, m-am rătăcit complet.
The first time I came here, I got completely lost.
Primele zile de școală sunt mereu obositoare.
The first days of school are always tiring.
There is no *al unulea for "first" — that form simply does not exist. If you find yourself building an ordinal of "one" with the frame, stop and use primul/prima.
Întâi: the invariable "first" for dates and post-nominal use
Alongside primul/prima, Romanian has întâi — an older, invariable word for "first". It does not change for gender or number, and it appears in three main places:
- Dates: the first of the month is întâi, never the cardinal unu. Întâi mai (the first of May), pe întâi decembrie (on the first of December).
- After a noun, in fixed rankings: clasa întâi (first grade/class), rândul întâi (the front row), Mihai Viteazul... actul întâi (Act One).
- As an adverb meaning "first / firstly": Întâi mănânci, apoi te joci (First you eat, then you play).
Ne vedem pe întâi mai, de Ziua Muncii.
We'll see each other on the first of May, on Labour Day.
Copilul meu e în clasa întâi anul acesta.
My child is in first grade this year.
Întâi termini tema, apoi ieși afară.
First you finish your homework, then you go outside.
So Romanian effectively has two "firsts": primul/prima, which sits before the noun and inflects (primul rând), and întâi, which is invariable and sits after the noun or stands as an adverb (rândul întâi). The date use is the one learners must lock in — unu mai sounds foreign; întâi mai is the native form. (The dates page covers this in full.)
Where ordinals go: before the noun, with the article
Like primul/prima, the al…lea / a…a ordinals normally sit before the noun, and the noun carries the definite article when the phrase is definite: al doilea etaj, a treia carte. When the ordinal follows a noun that already has the article, the structure flips: etajul al doilea, capitolul al treilea — both are correct and common, the post-nominal version sounding slightly more formal or catalogue-like.
Am citit deja al doilea capitol, dar al treilea mi se pare greu.
I've already read the second chapter, but the third one seems hard to me.
Răspunsul corect e la întrebarea a patra.
The correct answer is to the fourth question.
Common Mistakes
Using the masculine frame for a feminine noun:
❌ Este al doua oară.
Incorrect — oară is feminine, so use the 'a…a' frame: a doua oară.
✅ Este a doua oară.
It's the second time.
Building "first" with the al…lea frame instead of the suppletive primul:
❌ al unulea om
Incorrect — 'first' has no frame form; use primul.
✅ primul om
the first man
Using a plain cardinal for the first of the month instead of întâi:
❌ pe unu mai
Incorrect — the 1st of the month is întâi: pe întâi mai.
✅ pe întâi mai
on the first of May
Dropping the al/a particle, as if the cardinal alone were the ordinal:
❌ Stau la etajul doilea.
Incorrect — the ordinal needs its particle: etajul al doilea.
✅ Stau la etajul al doilea.
I live on the second floor.
Treating întâi as inflecting like primul (it never changes):
❌ clasa întâia
Incorrect — întâi is invariable: clasa întâi.
✅ clasa întâi
first grade
Key Takeaways
- Ordinals from "second" up use a gendered frame: masculine al …lea (al cincilea), feminine a …a (a cincea). Match the frame to the noun's gender.
- "First" is suppletive: primul / prima (plural primii / primele) — there is no *al unulea.
- Întâi is an invariable alternative "first" used in dates (întâi mai), after a noun (clasa întâi), and as an adverb ("firstly").
- Ordinals sit before the noun with the article (a treia carte) or after it (capitolul al treilea, slightly more formal).
Now practice Romanian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- Cardinal Numbers 0–20A1 — Counting from zero to twenty in Romanian — the base numbers, why 1 and 2 are gendered (un/o, doi/două), and how the teens are transparent 'X-upon-ten' compounds (unsprezece, paisprezece, șaisprezece) whose spelling hides phonetic reductions.
- Cardinal Numbers 20 and AboveA1 — The tens (douăzeci…nouăzeci), compound numbers built with 'și' (douăzeci și unu = 21), hundreds and thousands, and the rule that defines Romanian counting above twenty: from 20 up, the number connects to its noun with 'de'.
- Telling Dates and TimeA2 — Dates use plain cardinals plus a month (pe 5 martie) — except the 1st, which is the special ordinal 'întâi'; clock time uses 'și' for minutes past the hour (trei și zece) and 'fără' ('without') for minutes to the hour (patru fără cinci).
- Four-Form Adjectives (bun, bună, buni, bune)A1 — The largest Romanian adjective class, with four distinct forms for masculine/feminine singular and plural, and the vowel and consonant alternations it shares with nouns.
- The Definite Article: Feminine (-a, -ua)A1 — How the enclitic definite article attaches to feminine singular nouns — -ă nouns swap to -a (casă → casa), -e nouns add -a (floare → floarea), and stressed-vowel nouns take -ua (cafea → cafeaua) — and why 'a house' and 'the house' differ by only one vowel.
- Quantifiers (mult, puțin, tot, câțiva)B1 — Romanian quantifiers — mult/puțin (much/little), destul (enough), tot (all), câțiva (a few), atât (so much) — with their agreement as determiners versus their invariable adverbial use, the trap that makes one word run on two grammars.