cal
/kal/
The Romanian word for horse is cal.
cal refers to members of the species Equus ferus.
Meaning: members of the species ''Equus ferus'' (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate a specific horse, the definite article is added as a suffix -ul to create calul (the horse). The genitive and dative singular form, used to express 'of the horse' or 'to the horse', is calului.
How do you pronounce it?
/kal/
Did you know?
- The word cal shares an unexpected linguistic ancestor with certain Scythian or Proto-Iranian languages, suggesting the term traveled through ancient nomadic routes into Europe.
- Romanian has a specific distinction between cal for a general horse and caluț for a pony or a hobby horse, but caluț is also used affectionately for a child's first toy.
- In Romanian equestrian terminology, the word for a stallion is often armăsar, a term that sounds nothing like the common cal.
Examples in context
- Nu este un cal.It's a horse.This sentence is useful for identifying that something is a cal.Tatoeba #8862593 by elenacristina260, translation #3640592 by Ricardo14
- Calul meu a fugit.My horse ran away.This sentence is useful for describing an action taken by a cal.Tatoeba #8577364 by fathe, translation #5313562 by mailohilohi
- Care este calul tău?Which one is your horse?This sentence is useful for asking a question about a specific cal.Tatoeba #12773092 by ridisegnandone, translation #11158945 by CK
- Această rasă de cal este foarte rezistentă.This horse breed is very robust.
- Am văzut un cal frumos în spectacolul de dresaj.I saw a beautiful horse in the dressage show.
- Am vizitat Maramureșul și am admirat căluții frumoși de aici.I visited Maramureș and admired the beautiful young horses from here.
- Proprietarul grajdului se ocupă de creșterea căluților.The stable owner takes care of raising colts.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are looking at animals in a field.
- AlexandruElena, privește acel cal mare!Elena, look at that big horse!
- ElenaDa, Alexandru, este un cal frumos.Yes, Alexandru, it is a beautiful horse.
- AlexandruCrezi că poate să alerge?Do you think it can run?
- ElenaSigur că poate, e un cal puternic.Of course it can, it's a strong horse.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “horse” translations and entries cal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
