Combining Demonstratives and Possessives
When you want to express a phrase like "these boots of mine" or "those suitcases of ours", Romanian uses a specific and very consistent word order. The noun sits comfortably between the demonstrative and the possessive.
The structure for plural nouns is: Demonstrative + Bare Noun + Linking Article + Possessive
Because the demonstrative adjective ("these" or "those") is placed directly in front of the noun, the noun itself is written in its simple, undefined plural form without a definite article attached to the end.
For masculine plural nouns, use the demonstratives acești (these) or acei (those), followed by the noun, the masculine plural linking article ai, and the possessive.
| I left these boots of mine in front of the door. | Am lăsat acești bocanci ai mei în fața ușii. |
Feminine and Neuter Plural Nouns
Feminine and neuter nouns share the same forms in the plural. For these nouns, you will use the demonstratives aceste (these) or acele (those), and the linking article ale.
| Why did you bring those suitcases of yours? | De ce ai adus acele valize ale tale? |
| Because I need these suitcases of mine for the trip. | Pentru că am nevoie de aceste valize ale mele pentru călătorie. |
| I saw that someone put those flashlights of ours behind the tent. | Am văzut că cineva a pus acele lanterne ale noastre în spatele cortului. |
Contrasting Multiple Belongings
When combining different items in the same sentence, simply ensure that the demonstrative and the linking article match the gender of the specific noun they belong to.
Notice in the examples below how a masculine noun like bocanci takes acei / ai, while feminine nouns like lanterne and sacoșe, as well as neuter nouns like brelocuri, all take aceste / acele / ale.
| We took these flashlights of ours and those boots of yours to explore the forest. | Am luat aceste lanterne ale noastre și acei bocanci ai tăi pentru a explora pădurea. |
| Where did you forget these shopping bags of yours and these keychains of mine? | Unde ai uitat aceste sacoșe ale tale și aceste brelocuri ale mele? |
Possessive adjectives like lor (their) do not change form for gender, but they still require the correct linking article (ai or ale) right before them to match the noun.
| These folders of ours and those ID badges of theirs are on the desk. | Aceste mape ale noastre și acele legitimații ale lor sunt pe birou. |
| Those guests of ours are waiting next to these crates of yours. | Acei oaspeți ai noștri așteaptă lângă aceste lăzi ale tale. |