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In English, we show possession with an apostrophe (the car's engine) or the word "of" (the engine of the car). In Romanian, you express this using the **Genitive case**.

The word order in Romanian is always **Possessed Noun + Possessor Noun**. The noun that *owns* the object (the possessor) takes a special Genitive ending.

### Forming the Genitive

To put a noun into the Genitive case, you change the definite article attached to the end of the word.

| Gender | Standard Definite Ending (The...) | Genitive Ending (Of the... / 's) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Masculine & Neuter** | -ul | **-ului** (motorul → motorului) |
| **Feminine** | -a | **-ei** or **-ii** (mașina → mașinii) |

Let's look at some feminine nouns first. Notice how the possessed object comes first, followed by the possessor in the Genitive:

{{item:1123813}}

{{item:1123820}}

For masculine and neuter nouns, the standard `-ul` ending simply becomes `-ului`:

{{item:1123815}}

{{item:1123816}}

### Describing Car Parts

As you describe the mechanics of cars, you will use this structure constantly. Notice how the first noun (the feature or part being possessed) stays in its standard definite form, while the second noun takes the Genitive tag.

{{item:1123824}}

{{item:1123827}}

{{item:1123834}}

Possession with the genitive case

adjective

adverb

adverbial phrase

auxiliary

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The verb to be and definite articles (a fi, -ul, -le)

Feminine definite articles (-a, -ua)

Indefinite articles (un, o)

Negative sentences (nu)

Question words (ce, unde, cine)

The verb to have (a avea)

Masculine plural nouns (-i, -ii)

Feminine plural nouns (-e, -i, -le)

Neuter plural nouns (-uri, -e, -le)

Adjectives and agreement

Present tense of regular -a verbs

Present tense of -a verbs with suffix (-ez)

Present tense of regular -i and -î verbs

Present tense of -i and -î verbs with suffix (-esc / -ăsc)

Present tense of -ea and -e verbs

Reflexive pronouns (mă, te, se, ne, vă)

Accusative prepositions (în, la, pe, din, cu)

Likes and dislikes (îmi place)

Possessive adjectives (meu, tău, său)

Third-person possessives (lui, ei, lor)

Possessive articles (al, a, ai, ale)

Formal politeness (dumneavoastră)

Demonstrative adjectives (acest, acel)

Numbers 1 to 10

The number two (doi, două)

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Quantifying large numbers (de)

The subjunctive (să)

Third-person subjunctive (să)

Direct object pronouns (îl, o, îi, le)

Personal direct objects (pe)

Days of the week

Telling time (e ora...)

Months of the Year (January to June)

Months of the Year (July to December)

The Four Seasons

Weather Conditions

Rooms in a House

Basic Body Parts: Upper Body

Basic Body Parts: Limbs

Everyday Clothing

Basic Foods: Groceries

Fruits and Vegetables

Around Town

Getting Around

Setting the Table

A Colorful World

Common Animals

In the Wild

Jobs and Careers

Everyday Tech

Describing people (tânăr, bătrân, înalt)

Asking when and why (când, de ce, care)

Hello and goodbye (bună ziua, la revedere)

Coming and going (intra, sta, trece)

Where is it? (sub, lângă, între)

Knowing and thinking (știu că, cred că)

Sorry, welcome, congratulations (îmi pare rău, la mulți ani)

Introducing yourself (mă numesc, sunt din România)

How much and how many (puțin, prea, doar)

Can and may (pot merge, pot să merg)

If and whether (dacă)

At school and university

Irregular verbs in the present (vrea, lua, da, bea, sta)

Free time and sport

How much is it? (cât costă, câți, câte)

Before and after (înainte, după, până)

At the doctor (mă doare)

Meals of the day (micul dejun, prânzul, cina)

At the restaurant

Ability and permission (a putea să)

Obligation and necessity (trebuie să)

Desires and intentions (a vrea să)

Impersonal statements (se)

Adverbs of frequency (adesea, uneori)

Conjunctions for reasons and links (pentru că, deci)

Stressed accusative pronouns (pe mine, pe tine)

Indefinite pronouns (cineva, ceva)

Negative pronouns and double negation (nimeni, nimic)

The past tense auxiliary (am, ai, a)

The past tense (am, ai, a)

Regular past participles (-at, -it)

Regular past participles (-ut, -s, -t)

Negative past tense (nu am)

Question	Answer
the mechanic	mecanicul
the engine	motorul
The mechanic checks the car's engine.	Mecanicul verifică motorul mașinii.
the oil	uleiul
The mechanic's friend buys the oil.	Prietenul mecanicului cumpără uleiul.
The engine's oil is dirty.	Uleiul motorului este murdar.
the wheel	roata
the tire	anvelopa
The car's wheel has a new tire.	Roata mașinii are o anvelopă nouă.
The tire's price is very high.	Prețul anvelopei este foarte mare.
The driver changes the left wheel.	Șoferul schimbă roata stângă.
the steering wheel	volanul
The mechanic repairs the car's steering wheel.	Mecanicul repară volanul mașinii.
The steering wheel's color is gray.	Culoarea volanului este gri.
the brake	frâna
The woman uses the car's brake.	Femeia folosește frâna mașinii.
The mechanic solves the brake's problem.	Mecanicul rezolvă problema frânei.
the headlight	farul
The headlight's color is white.	Culoarea farului este albă.
the trunk	portbagajul
I see the car's headlight and trunk.	Văd farul și portbagajul mașinii.
the windshield	parbrizul
The driver cleans the windshield and the trunk.	Șoferul curăță parbrizul și portbagajul.
The windshield's price is low.	Prețul parbrizului este mic.