Ways to say it
| Romanian | Note |
|---|---|
| cel mai bun prieten | masculine |
| cea mai bună prietenă | feminine |
The phrase is used to describe an especially close and trusted friend.
What does it mean word for word?
The masculine form cel mai bun prieten literally translates to "the most good friend", built from cel (the), mai (more), bun (good) and prieten (friend).
Which one should you use?
To distinguish between a "good friend" and a "best friend", use prieten bun for the former and cel mai bun prieten for the latter to indicate the superlative degree of closeness.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use the masculine form cel mai bun prieten when referring to a male best friend and the feminine form cea mai bună prietenă when referring to a female best friend. While cel mai bun prieten al meu is grammatically correct, it is very common to use the possessive adjective meu directly after the noun, as in prietenul meu cel mai bun.
Did you know?
- In Romanian culture, the concept of a 'best friend' often overlaps with the term frate or sora, meaning 'brother' or 'sister', even when there is no blood relation.
- The word bun in cel mai bun prieten is inherited from the Latin bonus, which also gave English the word 'bonus'.
- While cel mai bun prieten is the standard term, Romanians often use the slang bestie borrowed from English among Gen Z and Millennials in urban areas.
Examples in context
- Cel mai bun prieten m-a mințit.My best friend lied to me.This sentence shows how to use cel mai bun prieten in a statement about a person lying.Tatoeba #10000154 by elenacristina260, translation #2427914 by Hybrid
- Ești cel mai bun prieten al meu.You are my best friend.This sentence uses cel mai bun prieten to express a direct statement to someone.Tatoeba #6555403 by fathe, translation #20116 by CK
- John este cel mai bun prieten de-al meu.John is my best friend.This sentence shows a way to state that someone is a best friend using cel mai bun prieten.Tatoeba #6578306 by CataG, translation #52585 by CN
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrei introduces his friend to Elena.
- AndreiElena, acesta este cel mai bun prieten al meu.Elena, this is my best friend.
- ElenaBună! Mă bucur să te cunosc.Hi! I am glad to meet you.
- AndreiNe cunoaștem de la școală.We have known each other since school.
- ElenaCe frumos este să ai un astfel de prieten.How lovely it is to have such a friend.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “best friend” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bun, cel, mai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
