This is the 51st most frequent Romanian word.
asta
"This."
In this sentence, 'asta' is a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to something or someone that is being pointed at or introduced.
Asta este fratele meu.
This is my brother.
Here, 'asta' is used as a demonstrative adjective qualifying the noun 'mâncarea' (the food) and specifying which food is being referred to.
Nu-mi place mâncarea asta.
I don't like this food.
In this context, 'asta' functions as a demonstrative pronoun referring to an abstract concept or a previously mentioned idea.