primului

Primului is the genitive and dative singular form of the Romanian ordinal numeral primul, which means "the first." It appears when a masculine singular noun it modifies is in the genitive or dative case, typically within noun phrases that require a determiner rather than a standalone adjective. The form indicates possession or indirect relation, such as "the book of the first" or "to the first," depending on the governing preposition or construction.

Etymology and grammar: Primul derives from Latin primus, with Romanian definite-comparative morphology adding the suffix -ul. In the genitive/dative, the ending changes to -ului (primului), aligning with standard Romanian declension patterns for adjectives used as ordinal determiners. The neuter and feminine forms follow analogous patterns, while plural forms adapt to their respective cases (primului ministru for masculine singular, primei/primului pentru feminine, primii/primele for plurals, etc.).

Declension overview (masculine singular as base): nominative/accusative singular — primul; genitive/dative singular — primului. Feminine: nominative prima; genitive/dative primei. Neuter mirrors masculine in singular. Plural: masculine primii (nominative), primilor (genitive/dative); feminine primele (nominative), primelor (genitive/dative).

Usage notes: Primului is almost always found in fixed noun phrases where the noun is in a case requiring a dependent form, such as expressions of possession or indirect relation. Common collocations include phrases like "cartea primului ministru" (the prime minister’s book) or "deciziile primului ministru" (the prime minister’s decisions), where primului functions as the form that agrees with the head noun's case.

See also: Romanian grammar, ordinal numerals, Romanian declension.