To express astonishment at a large amount or number of things—similar to "what a lot of" or "so many"—Romanian uses the exclamatory structure ce de.
This phrase is invariable and is always followed directly by a bare plural noun (a plural noun without a definite article).
| What a lot of knick-knacks you have on the shelf! | Ce de bibelouri ai pe raft! |
| What a lot of useless things I had in the cellar of the house! | Ce de lucruri inutile aveam în pivnița casei! |
Heaps, Stacks, and Overflowing Spaces
When describing hoarding habits or overflowing spaces, you can pair ce de with quantitative nouns like mormane (heaps) or stive (stacks). Just like in English, these are followed by the preposition de (of) and the item being piled up.
| What a lot of heaps of clothes you have gathered in this attic! | Ce de mormane de haine ai adunat în mansarda asta! |
| What a lot of stacks of documents I had on the table! | Ce de stive de documente aveam pe masă! |
You can also combine ce de with verbs for cramming things into tight spaces (a înghesui) or reacting to massive amounts (a se minuna).
| What a lot of shirts my sister crammed into this small wardrobe! | Ce de cămăși a înghesuit sora mea în acest dulap mic! |
| “What a lot of people are on the platform!” the little girl marveled. | „Ce de oameni sunt pe peron!”, s-a minunat fetița. |
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