Romanian grammar, step by step
A guided tour through Romanian grammar with glossed examples that show how each piece of a sentence fits together.
Grammar Walkthrough
Discover how the language works through examples
Romanian is the Romance language that kept Latin's case system and postposed its definite article — making "the boy" a single word, băiatul, where the article is fused to the end.
The article comes last
enclitic article| Gender | Noun | + Article |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | băiat (boy) | băiatul (the boy) |
| Feminine | carte (book) | cartea (the book) |
| Neuter (sg = M) | scaun (chair) | scaunul (the chair) |
Compare "băiat" and "băiatul" — where did the extra syllable appear? Now compare "carte" and "cartea." What is different about where "the" attaches?
The definite article attaches to the end of the noun as a suffix — not a separate word before it. Masculine and neuter singular add -(u)l, feminine singular adds -(u)a.
Three genders, two patterns
three genders| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | un băiat (a boy) | doi băieți (two boys) |
| Feminine | o carte (a book) | două cărți (two books) |
| Neuter | un scaun (a chair) | două scaune (two chairs) |
The neuter noun "scaun" takes "un" in the singular like masculine, but "două" in the plural like feminine. What does that tell you about how neuter actually works?
Romanian has three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Neuter nouns behave like masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural — so in practice, the article pattern has two forms per number.
Indefinite article before noun
indefinite articleThe definite article attaches to the end of the noun, but where does the indefinite article go? And what happens in the plural?
Unlike the definite article, the indefinite article is a separate word placed before the noun. Masculine/neuter singular uses "un," feminine singular uses "o," and the plural uses "niște."
Present tense verb classes
present tense| Class | Infinitive | 1SG | 3SG |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | a cânta | cânt | cântă |
| II | a vedea | văd | vede |
| III | a face | fac | face |
| IV | a vorbi | vorbesc | vorbește |
The verb "a vorbi" has the ending -esc in first person, while "a cânta" has no such extension. What might be different about the verb class?
Verbs belong to one of four conjugation classes based on their infinitive ending (-a, -ea, -e, -i/-î). Each class has its own set of present-tense endings.
Subject, verb, then object
word orderWhere does the adjective sit relative to the noun? And when the noun has the definite article, which word carries it — the noun or the adjective?
The default word order is subject-verb-object. Adjectives normally follow their noun, and when the noun carries the definite article, the adjective comes after it.
Possession changes the noun
genitive-dativeIn "cartea băiatului," the word for "boy" has changed from "băiat" to "băiatului." What was added, and what does it express?
The genitive (possession) and dative (recipient) share the same noun form. Masculine/neuter nouns add -ului, and feminine nouns change to -ei or -ii.
The compound past tense
past tense| Person | Auxiliary |
|---|---|
| eu (I) | am |
| tu (you) | ai |
| el/ea (he / she / they / it) | a |
| noi (we) | am |
| voi (you all) | ați |
| ei/ele (they) | au |
The verb is now two words: a short auxiliary and a form ending in -t. The auxiliary changes for person, but the second word stays the same. What is the pattern?
The most common past tense combines the auxiliary "a avea" (am, ai, a, am, ați, au) with the past participle. The participle is formed from the verb stem plus -t or -s.
Negation with "nu"
negationCompare "vorbesc" and "nu vorbesc." Where does the negation word sit? And in the compound past, does it go before the auxiliary or the participle?
Place "nu" directly before the verb (or before the auxiliary in compound tenses) to negate the sentence.
Asking questions in Romanian
questionsThe first example has the same words as a statement — only the intonation changes. What happens when a question word like "ce" or "cine" is added?
Yes/no questions simply use rising intonation. Information questions begin with a question word like "ce" (what), "cine" (who), "unde" (where), or "când" (when).
Să replaces the infinitive
subjunctive"Vreau să vorbesc" — the verb after "să" is conjugated, not an infinitive. Why would Romanian prefer a conjugated form where other languages use an infinitive?
After verbs of wanting, needing, or obligation, Romanian uses "să" + conjugated verb instead of an infinitive. The subjunctive is far more common than the infinitive in everyday speech.
Short pronouns before verbs
clitic pronouns| Person | Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|---|
| 1SG | mă | îmi |
| 2SG | te | îți |
| 3SG M | îl | îi |
| 3SG F | o | îi |
In "Mă vezi?" the object "me" appears as a short word before the verb. How does the clitic change when the object is "you" or "him"?
Object pronouns are short unstressed forms (clitics) placed before the conjugated verb. They change form based on whether they are direct or indirect objects.
Pronoun echoes the noun
clitic doublingIn "Îi dau cartea lui Ion," both "îi" and "lui Ion" refer to the same person. Why would Romanian use both a clitic and the full noun?
When a definite direct or indirect object noun is present, a matching clitic pronoun often appears before the verb as well — "doubling" the reference to that noun.
The habitual past tense
imperfect tenseCompare "am vorbit" (I spoke) with "vorbeam." Both refer to the past, but "vorbeam" uses a single word with a different ending. What kind of past action might it describe?
The imperfect describes habitual or background actions in the past. It is formed by adding -am, -ai, -a, -am, -ați, -au to a special imperfect stem.
Two ways to say future
future tenseThe first example uses "voi" + infinitive, while the second uses "o să" + subjunctive. Both mean "will speak." Which one sounds more literary, and which more conversational?
The formal future uses "voi/vei/va/vom/veți/vor" + infinitive. Colloquially, "o să" + subjunctive is far more common.
Actions that loop back
reflexive verbsIn "El se duce" the word "se" appears before the verb. It changes to "mă" for first person. What is this short word doing?
Reflexive verbs use the clitic "se" (3rd person) or its person-matching forms (mă, te, ne, vă). They can express true reflexive action, reciprocal action, or inherent meaning.
Calling someone by name
vocativeThe name "Ion" becomes "Ioane" when calling someone directly. What ending was added? Does the same happen with feminine names?
When addressing someone directly, the noun takes a vocative form. Masculine names typically add -e (Ion → Ioane), while feminine forms may shorten or remain unchanged.
The full picture
synthesisHow many grammar patterns from earlier steps can you identify in these sentences? Try naming each one as you read.
Romanian grammar is a network of enclitic articles, case endings, preverbal clitics, and the să-subjunctive working together. When you can follow these patterns through a complex sentence, you can read, build, and adapt freely.