Questions & Answers about Cea mai ieftină gustare este pâinea cu sare.
Why is Cea used at the beginning instead of Cel?
Cea is the feminine singular form of the demonstrative pronoun used in relative superlatives. It agrees with gustare, which is a feminine noun. For a masculine noun you would use Cel (e.g., Cel mai ieftin produs).
How do you form the superlative in Romanian?
Romanian has two main superlatives:
- Absolute superlative (intensification): foarte ieftin, extrem de ieftin (“very cheap”).
- Relative superlative (the cheapest): you use Cel/Cea
Why is ieftină ending in -ă? Shouldn’t it be ieftin?
Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify.
- Gustare is feminine singular, so ieftin becomes ieftină (feminine singular).
- Masculine singular form is ieftin, plural forms would be ieftini (m.) or ieftine (f.).
Why is the adjective phrase cea mai ieftină placed before gustare? I thought adjectives follow nouns in Romanian.