Dialogue: At the Market | Romanian Grammar

The open-air market (piața) is where Romanian quantity grammar gets a full workout. Buying two kilos of tomatoes forces you through three rules at once: the number + de + noun pattern for quantities of twenty and up (and for measure words like kilogram), the partitive de that links a measure to its contents (un kilogram *de mere), and the *definite-vs-indefinite contrast that decides whether you ask about the apples on the stall (merele) or some apples in general (niște mere). This dialogue puts all three to work in a single transaction.

This page presents a short market dialogue, then walks through it line by line: asking the price, the partitive de, the number+de+noun rule, the definite plural, and ordering quantities with a vrea / a dori.

The dialogue

A shopper (Cumpărătorul) buys produce from a vendor (Vânzătorul). They use the polite register, as is usual with a stranger at a stall.

— Bună ziua! Cât costă merele?

Good day! How much are the apples?

— Cinci lei kilogramul. Sunt foarte dulci.

Five lei a kilo. They're very sweet.

— Atunci aș dori două kilograme, vă rog. Și niște roșii.

Then I'd like two kilos, please. And some tomatoes.

— Câte kilograme de roșii?

How many kilos of tomatoes?

— Un kilogram și jumătate. Sunt bune pentru salată?

A kilo and a half. Are they good for salad?

— Foarte bune. Mai doriți ceva? Avem și struguri proaspeți.

Very good. Anything else? We also have fresh grapes.

— Nu, atât. Cât face în total?

No, that's all. How much does it come to in total?

— Douăzeci și cinci de lei.

Twenty-five lei.

Line by line

Cât costă merele? — asking the price of the definite goods

You ask the price with Cât costă...? ("How much does/do ... cost?") followed by the produce in its definite plural form: merele ("the apples"), because you mean the apples right there on the stall. The verb costă is the same in 3rd singular and plural, so it covers both Cât costă mărul? ("How much is the apple?") and Cât costă merele? ("How much are the apples?").

Cât costă roșiile astea?

How much are these tomatoes?

Cât costă strugurii?

How much are the grapes?

The vendor's reply Cinci lei kilogramul ("five lei a/the kilo") uses the definite kilogramul where English uses "a kilo" — Romanian states the unit price with the definite article, as in zece lei bucata ("ten lei apiece," literally "ten lei the piece").

Pepenele e trei lei kilogramul.

Watermelon is three lei a kilo.

un kilogram de mere — the partitive de

When you attach a measure word to its contents, you link them with the partitive de: un kilogram *de mere ("a kilo *of apples"), o sticlă *de apă ("a bottle *of water"), un pahar *de vin ("a glass *of wine"). This de is the exact equivalent of English "of" in "a kilo of apples" — and unlike English, it is never omitted.

Un kilogram de cartofi și o legătură de pătrunjel.

A kilo of potatoes and a bunch of parsley.

Aș vrea jumătate de kilogram de brânză.

I'd like half a kilo of cheese.

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A measure word always links to what it measures with de: un kilogram *de roșii, o cutie **de ouă ("a box of eggs"), un litru **de lapte ("a liter of milk"). English "of" maps onto this *de one-to-one. See count vs. mass nouns.

două kilograme de roșii — the number + de + noun rule

Here's the rule that catches every English speaker. With numbers 1 through 19, the noun follows directly: două mere ("two apples"), cinci roșii ("five tomatoes"). But from 20 upward, and with measure words above one, you must insert de between the number and the noun: douăzeci *de mere ("twenty apples"), o sută **de lei ("a hundred lei"). The measure word *kilograme triggers the same de: două kilograme *de roșii*.

Number	Pattern	Example
1–19	number + noun (no de)	cinci mere ("five apples")
20+	number + de + noun	douăzeci de mere ("twenty apples")
measure word	number + measure + de + noun	două kilograme de roșii

Douăzeci de ouă, vă rog, și două kilograme de mere.

Twenty eggs, please, and two kilos of apples.

Costă patruzeci și cinci de lei kilogramul.

It costs forty-five lei a kilo.

The total in the dialogue, douăzeci și cinci de lei ("twenty-five lei"), shows the same rule: 25 is above 20, so de appears before lei. Compare cinci lei ("five lei," no de) with douăzeci de lei ("twenty lei," with de).

Cincisprezece lei plus zece lei fac douăzeci și cinci de lei.

Fifteen lei plus ten lei make twenty-five lei.

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The number/de split: 1–19 glue straight onto the noun (nouăsprezece mere, "nineteen apples"), but 20 and up insert de (douăzeci *de mere*). This is one of the most reliable tells of fluent Romanian. See cardinals 20+ and numbers for quantity.

merele vs. niște roșii — the definite/indefinite contrast

Romanian draws a sharp line between definite goods (the specific apples on this stall) and indefinite/partitive goods (some tomatoes, an unspecified amount). You ask the price of the definite merele ("the apples") because they're the known item in front of you. But when you request an unspecified quantity, you switch to niște ("some") + the bare plural: niște roșii ("some tomatoes"), niște pâine ("some bread").

Aș dori și niște castraveți pentru salată.

I'd also like some cucumbers for the salad.

Merele de aici sunt mai dulci decât merele de la celălalt stand.

The apples here are sweeter than the apples at the other stall.

The contrast is grammatical, not just stylistic: merele (definite, "the apples") points to specific, identifiable fruit; niște mere (indefinite, "some apples") leaves the amount and identity open. English marks this with "the apples" vs. "some apples," but English can also drop the article entirely ("I want apples"), which Romanian generally cannot in this position — you need either the definite ending -le or the indefinite niște.

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Merele = "the (specific) apples" — used to ask the price of the goods on the stall. Niște mere / niște roșii = "some apples/tomatoes" — used to request an unspecified amount. Don't leave the noun bare and article-less the way English does ("I want apples"); pick definite -le or indefinite niște. See count vs. mass nouns and indefinite article.

aș dori / aș vrea — ordering the quantity

The order itself rides on the polite conditional: aș dori / aș vrea ("I'd like") + the quantity. Just as in a café, the blunt present Vreau sounds like a demand; Aș dori două kilograme is the natural request. The question Mai doriți ceva? ("Anything else?") and the closer Nu, atât ("No, that's all") wrap up the exchange.

Aș vrea un kilogram de struguri, dacă sunt copți.

I'd like a kilo of grapes, if they're ripe.

— Mai doriți ceva? — Nu, atât, mulțumesc.

— Anything else? — No, that's all, thank you.

See a vrea vs. a dori for the difference in register between the two verbs.

Common Mistakes

Dropping de in the number + noun rule for quantities above 20:

❌ douăzeci lei

Wrong — from 20 up you need de: douăzeci de lei.

✅ douăzeci de lei

twenty lei

Conversely, adding de with small numbers (1–19):

❌ cinci de mere

Wrong — 1–19 attach directly, no de: cinci mere.

✅ cinci mere

five apples

Forgetting the partitive de after a measure word:

❌ un kilogram roșii

A measure word needs de before its contents: un kilogram de roșii.

✅ un kilogram de roșii

a kilo of tomatoes

Leaving the noun bare and article-less, copying English "I want apples":

❌ Aș dori mere.

Unnatural — choose definite or indefinite: Aș dori niște mere / două kilograme de mere.

✅ Aș dori niște mere.

I'd like some apples.

Asking the price with an indefinite where the definite is needed:

❌ Cât costă niște mere?

Odd — you mean the apples on the stall: Cât costă merele?

✅ Cât costă merele?

How much are the apples?

Key Takeaways

Ask the price with Cât costă
- the definite produce: Cât costă merele?; the vendor quotes the unit price with the definite kilogramul.
A measure word links to its contents with the partitive de: un kilogram *de mere*.
Number + noun: 1–19 attach directly (cinci mere), but 20+ and measure words insert de (douăzeci *de mere, două kilograme **de roșii*).
Choose definite -le (merele, the specific goods) or indefinite niște (niște roșii, some); don't leave the noun bare.
Order with the polite conditional aș dori / aș vrea
- the quantity, and close with Nu, atât.

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