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To say that something represents the extreme limit of a quality—like the tallest, the fastest, or the most famous—Romanian uses a specific structure. You combine a demonstrative article (**cel**), the word **mai** (more), and the adjective.

**cel mai** + adjective

### Agreement in Gender and Number

The demonstrative article and the adjective must both agree with the noun they describe. The word *mai* never changes.

| Gender & Number | Article | Example Structure |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Masculine/Neuter Singular | **cel** | cel mai înalt |
| Feminine Singular | **cea** | cea mai înaltă |
| Masculine Plural | **cei** | cei mai înalți |
| Feminine/Neuter Plural | **cele** | cele mai înalte |

When placed directly before a noun, the superlative phrase replaces the noun's definite article:

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### Using Superlatives After a Verb

Just like in English, a superlative can follow the verb *a fi* (to be) to describe the subject. The article and adjective still agree with the subject of the sentence.

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### Ranked Superlatives

To talk about records like "the second biggest" or "the third oldest", simply place the ordinal number (such as *al doilea* for "the second") right before the superlative phrase.

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Superlative adjectives (cel mai / cea mai)

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 (demonstrative article, as in "the most ...") / the one (who/that)	cel
the peak / the tip, the end (of hair)	vârful
Which is the highest peak of the mountain?	Care este cel mai înalt vârf al muntelui?
famous	faimos
the player	jucătorul
the team	echipa
Who is the most famous player of the team?	Cine este cel mai faimos jucător al echipei?
rich	bogat
They are the richest men in the city.	Ei sunt cei mai bogați oameni din oraș.
This is the newest model.	Acesta este cel mai nou model.
popular	popular
The most popular teams play today.	Cele mai populare echipe joacă astăzi.
the ocean	oceanul
Which is the second largest ocean?	Care este al doilea cel mai mare ocean?
That actor is the richest man.	Acel actor este cel mai bogat om.
strong	puternic
Our team is the strongest.	Echipa noastră este cea mai puternică.
We swam in the deepest lake.	Am înotat în cel mai adânc lac.
Did you reach the highest peak?	Ai ajuns pe cel mai înalt vârf?
It is the most popular song in the country.	Este cea mai populară melodie din țară.
The fastest player won the competition.	Cel mai rapid jucător a câștigat concursul.
Who is the strongest man?	Cine este cel mai puternic bărbat?
That ocean is the most famous.	Acel ocean este cel mai faimos.
the record	recordul
This record is the best.	Acest record este cel mai bun.
The player has the oldest record.	Jucătorul are cel mai vechi record.

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