UML Activity — Determine the Gender (Genul) of a Romanian Noun
UML Activity — Determine the Gender (Genul) of a Romanian Noun
Start
Receive noun (singular,
nominative)
Refers to MALE
person/animal
or a masculine role/title?
MASCULINE
(e.g., bărbat, băiat, tată,
domn)
yes
Ending ă / a / ea / e / ie
/ -re?
no
FEMININE
(e.g., fată→fete,
femeie→femei, iubire→iubiri)
yes
Ending -iu or -ou?
no
NEUTER
(e.g., fotoliu→fotolii,
stilou→stilouri)
yes
Ending consonant / -u / -i
/ -e?
no
Cautious default: FEMININE
(verify by
plural/dictionary)
no
Do you know the plural?
yes
Rule of thumb (plural
unknown)
Plural -e/-uri/-ii/-ouri ⇒
NEUTER; otherwise often ⇒
MASCULINE
no
Plural looks
"feminine"
(-e/-uri/-ii/-ouri)
or typical neuter
irregulars?
yes
NEUTER
(e.g., caiet→caiete,
tren→trenuri, timbru→timbre,
cui→cuie, ou→ouă, nume→nume)
yes
MASCULINE
(e.g., băiat→băieți,
frate→frați, pui→pui)
no
Useful exceptions:
Masculine: om→oameni, tată→tați, unchi→unchi
Feminine: zi→zile, soră→surori, noră→nurori,
oaie→oi
Common categories for MASCULINE nouns:
• Male persons & male animals: bărbat,
băiat, tată, cocoș, taur
• Roles/titles/jobs (base form): domn, profesor,
doctor, director, inginer
• Agentive/occupation suffixes (often masculine
base): -ar, -er, -or, -eț, -ist (feminine via
-ă/-iță: profesor→profesoară)
• Many concrete countables in consonant/-u/-i
with plural in -i: perete→pereți, metru→metri,
litru→litri
• Nationality/adjectival nouns for men:
român→români, francez→francezi