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Scaunul acesta este al meu.

Scaunul acesta este al meu.
This chair is mine.
FromLesson 9inHardcore Romanian

Breakdown of Scaunul acesta este al meu.

a fi
to be
scaunul
the chair
al meu
mine
acesta
this

Questions & Answers about Scaunul acesta este al meu.

What does scaunul mean, and why is there -ul at the end?
Scaun means “chair.” The ending -ul is the masculine singular definite article in Romanian, so scaunul literally means “the chair.”
Why is acesta placed after the noun, instead of saying acest scaun?

Romanian allows demonstratives either before or after the noun.

  • acest scaun is more neutral: “this chair.”
  • scaunul acesta often adds emphasis on this particular chair, especially in spoken or colloquial style.
Could I say scaunul ăsta este al meu instead?
Yes. ăsta is a colloquial reduced form of acesta. So scaunul ăsta este al meu means exactly the same but sounds more informal.
Why do we say al meu instead of just mine?

Romanian expresses possession with a genitive construction:

  1. A preposition al (or a, ai, ale) matches the gender and number of the noun.
  2. A possessive pronoun follows: meu (“my/mine”).
    Together al meu means “(one) of mine,” i.e. “mine.”
Why is it al meu (masculine) and not a mea (feminine)?
The form of al/a/ai/ale agrees with the gender and number of the noun possessed, not the possessor. Since scaun is masculine singular, you use al meu. If it were masa (feminine “table”), you’d say masa aceea este a mea.
Can I drop este and just say Scaunul acesta al meu?
No. In Romanian you need a copula (like este) or some linking element. Without este it sounds ungrammatical. Instead you could say Scaunul acesta, al meu, but that’s more like a clipped, poetic style.
Is there any nuance in choosing acesta vs. acela?

Yes:

  • acesta (“this one”) refers to something close to the speaker.
  • acela (“that one”) refers to something farther away.
    So scaunul acesta is “this chair (near me),” whereas scaunul acela would be “that chair (over there).”
How do I pronounce scaunul acesta smoothly?

Break it into syllables:
sca-u-nul a-ces-ta
With stress on the second syllable of scaunul (SCAU-nul) and on the second syllable of acesta (a-CES-ta).

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