The Trait as the Character
Fables often feature characters defined by a single strong trait, like "the boastful one" or "the coward". In Romanian, you can easily turn an adjective into a noun to represent a person with that specific trait.
To do this, take the adjective and attach the definite article directly to the end of it, exactly as you would with a regular noun. For masculine singular adjectives, you typically add -ul.
| Since you have read the fable, did the boastful one understand the moral? | De vreme ce ai citit fabula, lăudărosul a înțeles morala? |
| The brave man fights the danger, while the coward hides. | Curajosul luptă cu pericolul, în timp ce lașul se ascunde. |
General Groups of People
This same pattern is incredibly useful for talking about general categories of people in the plural, such as "the modest" or "the unjust".
To make a plural adjective act as a noun, start with its plural form and attach the plural definite article -i. Because most masculine plural adjectives already end in -i, adding the article creates a double -ii ending.
| The modest are often ignored, but the boastful are listened to. | Modeștii sunt adesea ignorați, dar lăudăroșii sunt ascultați. |
| The grateful and the modest change the world. | Recunoscătorii și modeștii schimbă lumea. |
Genitive and Dative Forms
Once an adjective has been transformed into a noun, it behaves fully like one. This means it will change its endings to show its grammatical case.
If you need to show possession (Genitive, like "of the rich") or an indirect object (Dative, like "to the grateful"), add the plural ending -lor to the plural form of the adjective.
| The greed of the rich destroyed the village of the poor. | Lăcomia bogaților a distrus satul săracilor. |
| The stingy one does not offer some gifts to the grateful ones. | Zgârcitul nu le oferă niște cadouri recunoscătorilor. |