Unele

Unele is a word in Romanian that serves as the feminine plural form of the indefinite determiner and can also function as a pronoun. In this role it expresses a non-specific subset of feminine plural nouns and translates roughly to “some” in English. It is used before feminine plural nouns, for example: Unele cărți sunt pe masă (Some books are on the table).

As a pronoun, unele can stand in for a feminine plural noun that has already been mentioned or is understood from context, as in Unele au venit (Some have come). The form agrees with the gender and number of the noun it modifies or replaces, and it is part of Romanian’s system of indefinite determiners that mark indefiniteness without using a definite article.

Etymology and related forms: Unele is related to the broader family of determiners derived from numerical or quantifying elements in Romanian. It is the feminine plural counterpart to masculine plural forms used for indefiniteness, and it appears in everyday Romanian alongside other forms that indicate indefiniteness for different genders and numbers.

Notes: While unele is common in standard Romanian usage, there are parallel constructions such as niște, which also convey indefiniteness before plural nouns and are widely used in contemporary speech. The choice between forms can be influenced by regional preference and register.

See also: Romanian grammar, Indefinite determiners, Pronouns.