totul

Totul is a Romanian pronoun meaning “everything” or “the whole thing.” It functions as the subject or direct object of a sentence and can stand alone or accompany a verb, as in examples such as “Totul merge bine” (Everything is going well) or “Am văzut totul” (I saw everything). As a pronoun, totul refers to the entirety of a previously mentioned set or situation, without naming its components.

Etymology and form: totul is formed from the adjective tot (all, whole) with the definite article suffix -ul, which is a common way Romanian creates definite forms of masculine or neuter nouns and pronouns. The underlying word tot comes from Latin totus, from which Romanian has inherited many forms meaning “all” or “whole.” Totul operates as a neuter singular pronoun and is used to express totality in a compact, indefinite way.

Usage and nuance: totul is widely used in everyday Romanian to emphasize completeness or totality, sometimes in contrast with partial or incomplete references. It can appear in a wide range of registers, from casual speech to formal writing. While it often functions as the subject of a sentence, it can also be used in idiomatic expressions and rhetorical constructions to stress comprehensiveness.

In culture: totul appears frequently in Romanian language as a basic lexical item in literature, journalism, and dialogue. As a common pronoun meaning “everything,” it enables concise statements about broad or universal conditions, events, or experiences.