Editing Romanian grammar

{{short description|Grammar of the Romanian language}}
Standard [[Romanian language|Romanian]] (i.e. the ''[[Daco-Romanian]]'' language within [[Eastern Romance languages|Eastern Romance]]) shares largely the same [[grammar]] and most of the vocabulary and [[Romanian phonology|phonological processes]] with the other three surviving varieties of Eastern Romance, namely [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]], [[Megleno-Romanian language|Megleno-Romanian]], and [[Istro-Romanian language|Istro-Romanian]].

As a [[Romance languages|Romance language]], Romanian shares many characteristics with its more distant relatives: [[Italian language|Italian]], [[French language|French]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], etc. However, Romanian has preserved certain features of [[Latin]] grammar that have been lost elsewhere. This could be explained by a host of factors such as: relative isolation in the Balkans, possible pre-existence of identical grammatical structures in its substratum (as opposed to the substrata over which the other Romance languages developed), and existence of similar elements in the neighboring languages. One Latin element that has survived in Romanian while having disappeared from other Romance languages is the morphological [[Declension|case]] differentiation in nouns. Nevertheless, declensions have been reduced to only three forms (nominative/accusative, genitive/dative, and vocative) from the original six or seven. Another, that is only seen marginally in other Romance languages such as Italian, is the retention of the neuter [[Grammatical gender|gender]] in nouns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicolae |first=Andreea |last2=Scontras |first2=Gregory |date=2015 |title=The progression of gender from Latin to Romanian |url=https://www.academia.edu/19563354/The_progression_of_gender_from_Latin_to_Romanian_Harvard_Working_Papers_in_Linguistics_2015_ |access-date=6 September 2023 |website=Academia.edu}}</ref>

Romanian is attested from the 16th century. The first '''Romanian grammar''' was [[Elementa linguae daco-romanae sive valachicae]] by 
Samuil Micu and Gheorghe Șincai, published in 1780. Many modern writings on Romanian grammar, in particular, most of those published by the [[Romanian Academy]] ({{Lang|ro|Academia Română}}), are prescriptive; the rules regarding plural formation, verb conjugation, word spelling and meanings, etc. are revised periodically to include new tendencies in the language.<ref>James E. Augerot (2000). "Romanian / Limba română: A Course in Modern Romanian". Center for Romanian Studies.</ref><ref>Laura Daniliuc and Radu Daniliuc (2000). "Descriptive Romanian Grammar: An Outline". Lincom Europa, Munich, Germany.</ref><ref>Gheorghe Doca (1999). ''Romanian language''. Vol. I: ''Essential Structures''. Ars Docendi, Bucharest, Romania </ref><ref>Gheorghe Doca (2000). ''Romanian language''. Vol. II: ''Morpho-Syntactic and Lexical Structures''. Ars Docendi, Bucharest, Romania </ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} Liana Pop, Victoria Moldovan (eds) (1997). "Gramatica limbii române / Grammaire du roumain / Romanian Grammar". Echinox, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.</ref><ref>{{in lang|ro}} Maria Aldea, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120205175052/http://www.romaniaminor.net/ianua/Ianua05/ianua05_02.pdf "Valori referențiale generate de articolul definit și de cel indefinit românesc în determinarea substantivului. Studiu de caz: ''Scrisoarea lui Neacșu'' (1521)"].</ref>

==Nouns==
{{main|Romanian nouns}}

===Gender===

Romanian [[noun]]s are categorized into three [[grammatical gender|genders]]: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The neuter behaves like the masculine in the singular and the feminine in the plural, unlike the neuter in [[Latin]] which had distinct forms.<ref>{{cite book|title=Gender across languages |author1=Marlis Hellinger |author2=Hadumod Bussmann |year=2001 |isbn=978-90-272-1841-4|page=231|publisher=John Benjamins }}</ref> Nouns which in their dictionary form ([[grammatical number|singular]], [[nominative case|nominative]], with no [[Article (grammar)|article]]) end in a [[consonant]] or the [[vowel]]/[[semivowel]] '''-u''' are mostly masculine or neuter; if they end in '''-ă''' or '''-a''' they are usually feminine. In the [[plural]], the ending '''-i''' corresponds generally to masculine nouns, whereas feminine and neuter nouns often end in '''-e'''. In [[Synchronic analysis|synchronic]] terms, Romanian [[neuter nouns]] can also be analysed as "ambigeneric", that is as being masculine in the singular and feminine in the plural (see below)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://people.exeter.ac.uk/kschulte/Schulte-MorphologyOfTheEggs.pdf |title=Morphology of the eggs, and what it can tell us about Romanian nominal inflection |last=Schulte |first=Kim |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725165224/http://people.exeter.ac.uk/kschulte/Schulte-MorphologyOfTheEggs.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-25 |url-status=dead |access-date=2009-11-11}}</ref> and even in [[Historical linguistics|diachronic]] terms certain linguists have argued that this pattern, as well as that of case differentiation, was in a sense "re-invented" rather than a "direct" continuation of the Latin neuter.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~lingdept/Romanian_MIT%20reprint.pdf |title=Romanian as a Two-Gender Language  |last1=Bateman |first1=Nicoleta |last2=Polinsky |first2=Maria |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803100804/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~lingdept/Romanian_MIT%20reprint.pdf |archive-date=2010-08-03 |url-status=dead}}</ref> However, most noun genders correspond to Latin categorization, such as [[first declension]] which remained feminine. Similarly [[third declension]] nouns retained the gender from Latin, neuter included, most likely reinforced by the Latin plural form -ores which gave the feminine plural -uri in Romanian. [[Second declension]] nouns were reanalysed on their semantic characteristic (cervus >cerb "stag" remained masculine but campus >câmp  "field" became neutral). As for the [[fourth declension]], the nouns were analysed in regards to their plural endings as the declension collapsed into the second, being reassigned as neutral based on the -ores plural form. The change of gender can thus be explained by syncretism and homophony.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nicolae |first=Andreea |last2=Scontras |first2=Gregory |date=2015 |title=The progression of gender from Latin to Romanian |url=https://www.academia.edu/19563354/The_progression_of_gender_from_Latin_to_Romanian_Harvard_Working_Papers_in_Linguistics_2015_ |access-date=6 September 2023 |website=Academia.edu}}</ref>

Examples:
* Masculine: {{Lang|ro|om}} ('man, human being'), {{Lang|ro|bou}} ('ox'), {{Lang|ro|copac}} ('tree');
* Neuter: {{Lang|ro|drum}} ('road'), {{Lang|ro|cadou}} ('present, gift'), {{Lang|ro|exemplu}} ('example');
* Feminine: {{Lang|ro|bunică}} ('grandmother'), {{Lang|ro|carte}} ('book'), {{Lang|ro|cafea}} ('coffee').

For nouns designating people the grammatical gender can only be masculine or feminine, and is strictly determined by the biological sex, no matter the phonetics of the noun. For example, nouns like {{Lang|ro|tată}} (father) and {{Lang|ro|popă}} (priest) are masculine as they refer to male people, although phonetically they are similar to typical feminine nouns.

For native speakers, the general rule for [[Romanian nouns#Gender|determining a noun's gender]] relies on the "one-two" test, which consists in inflecting the noun to both the singular and the plural, together with the [[Romanian numbers|numbers]] ''one'' and ''two''. Depending on the gender, the numbers will have different forms for each of the three genders: masculine nouns will be {{Lang|ro|un-doi}}; feminine nouns, {{Lang|ro|o-două}}; neuter nouns, {{Lang|ro|un-două}}.

* Masculine: {{Lang|ro|un om}}'','' {{Lang|ro|doi oameni}} ('one human being', 'two human beings'), {{Lang|ro|un iepure}}'','' {{Lang|ro|doi iepuri}} ('one rabbit', 'two rabbits'). In this case both {{Lang|ro|un}} and {{Lang|ro|doi}} are in their masculine forms.
* Feminine: {{Lang|ro|o fată}}'','' {{Lang|ro|două fete}} ('one girl', 'two girls'), {{Lang|ro|o pasăre, două păsări}} ('one bird', 'two birds'). In this case both {{Lang|ro|o}} and {{Lang|ro|două}} are in their feminine forms.
* Neuter: {{Lang|ro|un corp}}'','' {{Lang|ro|două corpuri}} ('one body', 'two bodies'), {{Lang|ro|un sertar}}'','' {{lang|ro|două sertare}} ('one drawer', 'two drawers'). In this case {{Lang|ro|un}} is in its masculine form while {{Lang|ro|două}} is in its feminine form. This is the only case in which the two numbers have different genders.

[[Romanian numbers]] generally have a single form regardless of the gender of the determined noun. Exceptions are the numbers {{Lang|ro|un/o}} ('one') {{Lang|ro|doi/două}} ('two') and all the numbers made up of two or more digits when the last digit is 1 or 2; these have masculine and feminine forms. In Romanian there is no gender-neutral form for numbers, adjectives or other noun determiners.

===Number===
Romanian has two [[grammatical number]]s: singular and [[plural]]. Morphologically, the plural form is built by adding specific endings to the singular form. For example, nominative nouns without the definite article form the plural by adding one of the endings '''-i''', '''-uri''', '''-e''', or '''-le'''. The plural formation mechanism, often involving other changes in the word structure, is an intrinsic property of each noun and has to be learned together with it.

Examples:
* '''-i''': {{lang|ro|pom}} – {{lang|ro|pomi}} ('tree'), {{lang|ro|cal}} – {{lang|ro|cai}} ('horse'), {{lang|ro|tată}} – {{lang|ro|tați}} ('father'), {{Lang|ro|barcă}} – {{Lang|ro|bărci}} ('boat');
* '''-uri''': {{lang|ro|tren}} – {{lang|ro|trenuri}} ('train'), {{lang|ro|treabă}} – {{lang|ro|treburi}} ('job, task'), {{lang|ro|cort}} – {{Lang|ro|corturi}} ('tent');
* '''-e''': {{lang|ro|pai}} – {{lang|ro|paie}} ('straw'), {{lang|ro|masă}} – {{lang|ro|mese}} ('table, meal'), {{lang|ro|teatru}} – {{lang|ro|teatre}} ('theater'), {{lang|ro|muzeu}} – {{lang|ro|muzee}} ('museum');
* '''-le''': {{lang|ro|stea}} – {{lang|ro|stele}} ('star'), {{lang|ro|cafea}} – {{lang|ro|cafele}} ('coffee'), {{lang|ro|pijama}} – {{lang|ro|pijamale}} ('pajama').

===Case===
Romanian has inherited three cases from Latin: [[nominative]]/[[accusative]], [[dative]]/[[genitive]] and [[vocative]]. Morphologically, the nominative and the accusative are identical in nouns; similarly, the genitive and the dative share the same form (these pairs are distinct in the personal pronouns, however). The vocative is less used as it is normally restricted to nouns designating people or things which are commonly addressed directly. Additionally, nouns in the vocative often borrow the nominative form even when there is a distinct vocative form available.

The genitive-dative form can be derived from the nominative. For feminine nouns the form used in the dative/genitive singular is most often identical to the nominative plural, for example {{Lang|ro|o carte}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|unei cărți}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|două cărți}} (a book – of/to a book – two books).

If the noun is determined by a determiner other than the definite article (an indefinite article, a demonstrative, an indefinite [[Quantifier (linguistics)|quantifier]]), then the genitive-dative affixes are applied to this determiner, not to the noun, for example {{Lang|ro|un băiat}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|unui băiat}} ('a boy' – 'of/to a boy'). Similarly, if the noun is determined by the definite article (an [[enclitic]] in Romanian, see that section), the genitive-dative mark is added at the end of the noun together with the article, for example {{Lang|ro|băiatul}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|băiatului}} ('the boy' – 'of/to the boy'), {{Lang|ro|cartea}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|cărții}} ('the book' – 'of/to the book'). Masculine proper names designating people form the genitive-dative by placing the article {{Lang|ro|lui}} before the noun: {{Lang|ro|lui Brâncuși}} ('of/to [[Brâncuși]]'); the same applies to feminine names only when they don't have a typically feminine ending: {{Lang|ro|lui Carmen}}.

In usual genitival phrases such as {{Lang|ro|numele trandafirului}} ('the name of the rose'), the genitive is only recognized by the specific ending (''-''{{Lang|ro|lui}} in this example) and no other words are necessary. However, in other situations, usually if the noun modified by the genitive attribute is ''indefinite,'' the genitival article is required, as for example in {{Lang|ro|câteva opere '''ale''' scriitorului}} ('some of the writer's works').

Romanian dative phrases exhibit [[clitic doubling]] similar to that in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], in which the noun in the dative is doubled by a pronoun. The position of this pronoun in the sentence depends on the [[Grammatical mood|mood]] and [[Grammatical tense|tense]] of the [[verb]]. For example, in the sentence {{Lang|ro|'''Le''' dau un cadou părinților}} ('I give a present to [my] parents'), the pronoun {{Lang|ro|le}} doubles the noun {{Lang|ro|părinților}} without bringing any additional information.

As specified above, the vocative case in Romanian has a special form for most nouns. The tendency in contemporary Romanian is to use the nominative forms, however. The traditional vocative is retained in speech, however, especially in informal speech, or by people living in the countryside. It is seen as a mark of ''unrefined'' speech by the majority of city-dwellers, who refrain from its usage. The forms of the vocative are as follows. (Note that the vocative does not have both definite and indefinite forms. The following rules are to be applied for the indefinite form of the nouns):

* Singular feminine nouns and proper names ending in an unstressed '''-ă/-a''' take the ending '''-o''' e.g. {{Lang|ro|fat'''ă'''}} → {{Lang|ro|fat'''o'''}} ('girl!'). <small>Some popular plurals are different, though:</small> {{Lang|ro|Maria}} <small>→</small> {{Lang|ro|Mări'''e'''}}<small>''!'' ('Mary!').</small>
* Singular feminine nouns ending in an unstressed '''-e''' take the ending '''-eo''' e.g. {{Lang|ro|punt'''e'''}} → {{Lang|ro|punte'''o'''}}''!'' ('bridge!'). <small>Sometimes, the ''e'' is dropped altogether.</small>
* Singular feminine nouns ending in a stressed '''-a''' take the ending '''-auo''' e.g. {{Lang|ro|nu'''ia'''}} → {{Lang|ro|nu'''iauo'''}}''!'' ('stick!').
* Singular masculine and neuter nouns ending in a consonant take the ending '''-ule''' e.g. {{Lang|ro|băiat}} → {{Lang|ro|băiat'''ule'''}}''!'' ('boy!'). <small>The vocative for animate nouns is sometimes formed as if the noun were a proper name:</small> {{Lang|ro|băiat}} <small>→</small> {{Lang|ro|băiet'''e'''}}<small>''!'' (see below).</small>
* Singular masculine and neuter nouns ending in unstressed '''-e/-ă''' take no extra ending ('''-Ø''') e.g. {{Lang|ro|frate}} → {{Lang|ro|frate}}''!'' ('brother!').
* Masculine proper names take the ending '''-e''' e.g. {{Lang|ro|Ștefan}} → {{Lang|ro|Ștefan'''e'''}}''!'' ('Stephen!'). <small>Some words also experience some change in their vowels (</small>{{Lang|ro|Ion}} <small>→</small> {{Lang|ro|I'''oa'''ne}}<small>''!'' 'John!').</small>
* All plural nouns take the ending '''-lor''' e.g. {{Lang|ro|mere}} → {{Lang|ro|mere'''lor'''}}''!'' ('apples!').

Here are some examples of nouns completely inflected.

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=3 |
! colspan=6 | Without a definite article
|-
! colspan=2 | Masculine
! colspan=2 | Feminine
! colspan=2 | Neuter
|-
! Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural
|-
! Nominative<br />Accusative
| rowspan="2" | {{Lang|ro|băiat}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjat]}}
| rowspan="2" | {{Lang|ro|băieți}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjet͡sʲ]}}
| {{Lang|ro|mamă}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmamə]}}
| rowspan="2" | {{Lang|ro|mame}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmame]}}
| rowspan="2" | {{Lang|ro|ou}} <br />{{IPA|[ow]}}
| rowspan="2" | {{Lang|ro|ouă}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈowə]}}
|-
! Genitive<br />Dative
| {{Lang|ro|mame}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmame]}}
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=3 |
! colspan=6 | With a definite article
|-
! colspan=2 | Masculine
! colspan=2 | Feminine
! colspan=2 | Neuter
|-
! Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural
|-
! Nominative<br />Accusative
| {{Lang|ro|băiatul}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjatul]}}
| {{Lang|ro|băieții}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjet͡sij]}}
| {{Lang|ro|mama}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmama]}}
| {{Lang|ro|mamele}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmamele]}}
| {{Lang|ro|oul}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈo.ul]}}
| {{Lang|ro|ouăle}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈowəle]}}
|-
! Genitive<br />Dative
| {{Lang|ro|băiatului}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjatuluj]}}
| {{Lang|ro|băieților}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjet͡silor]}}
| {{Lang|ro|mamei}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmamej]}}
| {{Lang|ro|mamelor}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmamelor]}}
| {{Lang|ro|oului}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈo.uluj]}}
| {{Lang|ro|ouălor}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈowəlor]}}
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=3 |
|-
! colspan=2 | Masculine
! colspan=2 | Feminine
! colspan=2 | Neuter
|-
! Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural
|-
! Vocative
| {{Lang|ro|băiatule/băiete}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjatule, bəˈjete]}}
| {{Lang|ro|băieților}} <br />{{IPA|[bəˈjet͡silor]}}
| {{Lang|ro|mamo}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmamo]}}
| {{Lang|ro|mamelor}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈmamelor]}}
| {{Lang|ro|oule}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈo.ule]}}
| {{Lang|ro|ouălor}} <br />{{IPA|[ˈowəlor]}}
|}

==Articles==

===Definite article===
An often cited peculiarity of Romanian, which it shares with [[Aromanian language|Aromanian]], [[Megleno-Romanian language|Megleno-Romanian]], and [[Istro-Romanian language|Istro-Romanian]], is that, unlike all other [[Romance language]]s, the [[definite article]]s are usually attached to the end of the noun as [[enclitic]]s (as in  [[Albanian language|Albanian]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] and [[North Germanic languages]]) instead of being placed in front (See [[Balkan sprachbund]]). These enclitic definite articles are believed to have been formed, as in other Romance languages, from [[Latin language|Latin]] demonstrative pronouns. The table below shows the generally accepted [[etymology]] of the Romanian definite article.<ref>{{in lang|ro}} Maria Aldea, [http://www.romaniaminor.net/ianua/Ianua05/ianua05_02.pdf "Valori referențiale generate de articolul definit și de cel indefinit românesc în determinarea substantivului. Studiu de caz: ''Scrisoarea lui Neacșu'' (1521)"], p. 24</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=2 | Masculine
! colspan=2 | Feminine
|-
! Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural
|-
! Nominative<br />Accusative
| Lat. acc. {{Lang|la|illum}}<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-ul}} → {{Lang|ro|-l}}'','' {{Lang|ro|-le}}'','' {{Lang|ro|-ul}}
| Lat. nom. {{Lang|la|illī}}<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-l'i}} → {{Lang|ro|-i}}
| Lat. acc. {{Lang|la|illam}}<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-euă}} → {{Lang|ro|-eau}} → {{Lang|ro|-a}}
| Lat. nom. {{Lang|la|illae}}<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-le}}
|-
! Genitive<br />Dative
| Late Lat. dat. {{Lang|la|illui}}, influenced by {{Lang|la|cui}} and vulgar {{Lang|la|illaei}}<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-lui}}
| Lat. gen. {{Lang|la|illōrum}}<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-lor}}
| Lat. dat. {{Lang|la|illī}}, influenced by {{Lang|la|cui}}<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-ei}}
| Lat. gen. {{Lang|la|illōrum}} (gender distinction lost)<br /> → Rom. {{Lang|ro|-lor}}
|}

Examples:

* Masculine nouns (singular, nominative/accusative):
:{{Lang|ro|codru}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|codru'''l'''}} ('forest' – 'the forest');
:{{Lang|ro|pom}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|pom'''ul'''}} ('tree' – 'the tree');
:{{Lang|ro|frate}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|frate'''le'''}} ('brother' – 'the brother');
:{{Lang|ro|tată}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|tată'''l'''}} ('father' – 'the father').

* Neuter nouns (singular, nominative/accusative):
:{{Lang|ro|teatru}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|teatru'''l'''}} ('theater' – 'the theater');
:{{Lang|ro|loc}} ''–'' {{Lang|ro|loc'''ul'''}} ('place' – 'the place');

* Feminine nouns (singular, nominative/accusative):
:''casă – cas'''a''''' (house – the house);
:''floare – floare'''a''''' (flower – the flower);
:''cutie – cuti'''a''''' (box – the box);
:''stea – stea'''ua''''' (star – the star);

===Indefinite article===
The Romanian indefinite article, unlike the definite article, is placed before the noun, and has likewise derived from [[Latin language|Latin]]:

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=2 | Masculine
! colspan=2 | Feminine
|-
! Singular || Plural || Singular || Plural
|-
! Nominative<br />Accusative
| Lat. acc. ''ūnum''<br /> → Rom. ''un''
| Lat. ''nescio quid''<br /> → Rom. ''niște''
| Lat. acc. ''ūnam''<br /> → Rom. ''o''
| Lat. ''nescio quid''<br /> → Rom. ''niște''
|-
! Genitive<br />Dative
| Lat. dat. ''ūnī'', infl. by ''cui''<ref name="Herman">Herman (2000), p. 68.</ref><br /> → Rom. ''unui''
| Lat. gen. ''ūnōrum''<br /> → Rom. ''unor''
| Lat. gen./dat. ''ūnae'', infl. by ''cui''<br /> → Rom. ''unei''
| Lat. gen. ''ūnōrum'' (gender distinction lost)<br /> → Rom. ''unor''
|}

(The Latin phrase ''nescio quid'' means "I don't know what".)

Nouns in the vocative case cannot be determined by an indefinite article.

Examples of indefinite article usage:

*Masculine:
**nominative/accusative: singular ''un copil'' (a child) – plural ''niște copii'' ([some] children);
**genitive/dative: singular ''unui copil'' (of/to a child) – plural ''unor copii'' (of/to [some] children);
*Neuter:
**nominative/accusative: singular ''un loc'' (a place) – plural ''niște locuri'' ([some] places);
**genitive/dative: singular ''unui loc'' (of/to a place) – plural ''unor locuri'' (of/to [some] places);
*Feminine:
**nominative/accusative: singular ''o masă'' (a table) – plural ''niște mese'' ([some] tables);
**genitive/dative: singular ''unei mese'' (of/to a table) – plural ''unor mese'' (of/to [some] tables);

===Article appended to adjectives===
When a [[noun]] is determined by an [[adjective]], the normal word order is ''noun + adjective'', and the article (definite or indefinite) is appended to the noun. However, the word order ''adjective + noun'' is also possible, mostly used for emphasis on the adjective. Then, the article and the case marker, if any, are applied to the adjective instead:

* Noun + adjective (normal order):
:''un student bun'' (a good student);
:''studentul bun'' (the good student);
:''unui student bun'' (to a good student);
:''studentului bun'' (to the good student).

* Adjective + noun (reversed order):
:''un bun student'' (a good student);
:''bunul student'' (the good student);
:''unui bun student'' (to a good student);
:''bunului student'' (to the good student).
:
:

===Demonstrative article===
The demonstrative article is used to put emphasis on the relative superlative of adjectives. The forms are ''cel'' and ''celui'' (m. sg.), ''cea'' and ''celei'' (f. sg.), ''cei'' and ''celor'' (m. pl.) and ''cele'' and ''celor'' (f. pl.).

===Genitival article===
There are situations in Romanian when the noun in the genitive requires the presence of the so-called genitival (or possessive) article (see for example the section [[Romanian nouns#Genitive|"Genitive"]] in "[[Romanian nouns]]"), somewhat similar to the English preposition ''of'', for example in ''a map of China''. In Romanian this becomes ''o hartă a Chinei'', where "a" is the genitival article. The table below shows how the genitival articles depend on gender and number.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|
! style="width: 6em" | Masculine
! style="width: 6em" | Neuter
! style="width: 6em" | Feminine
|-
! Singular
| style="text-align:center" colspan=2 | al
| style="text-align:center" | a
|-
! Plural
| style="text-align:center" | ai
| style="text-align:center" colspan=2 | ale
|}

The genitival article also has genitive/dative forms, which are used only with a possessive pronoun. They are: ''alui'' (m. sg.), ''alei'' (f. sg.), and ''alor'' (pl., both genders). These forms are rarely used—especially the singular ones—and the sentences are usually rephrased to avoid them.

==Adjectives==
Romanian adjectives determine the quality of things. They can only fulfill the syntactical functions of attribute and of adjectival complement, which in Romanian is called ''nume predicativ'' ([[Complement (linguistics)|nominal predicative]]).

===Adjective inflection===
Adjectives in Romanian inflect for number and gender (and for case in the feminine singular genitive/dative). There are adjectives that have distinct forms for all combinations, some that don't distinguish between gender only in the plural, others that don't distinguish gender, and a few that don't distinguish either gender or number.

The adjective ''frumos'' ("beautiful") has four distinct inflected forms:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!  | 
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Masculine
| ''frumos''
| ''frumoși''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Feminine
| ''frumoasă''
| ''frumoase''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Neuter
| ''frumos''
| ''frumoase''
|}

The adjective ''lung'' ("long") has three forms:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!  |
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Masculine
| ''lung'' 
| ''lungi'' 
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Feminine
| ''lungă'' 
| ''lungi'' 
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Neuter
| ''lung'' 
| ''lungi'' 
|}

The adjective ''verde'' ("green") has two inflected forms:

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Singular
! Plural
|-
| ''verde''
| ''verzi''
|}

The foreign borrowed adjective ''oranj'' ("orange") is called ''invariable'', having just one inflected form. 

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Adjective
|-
| ''oranj''
|}
Adjectives that have more than one inflected form are called ''variable.''<ref name="adjgram">[http://www.referatele.com/referate/romana/online2/Adjectivul---Clasificarea-adjectivelor--Flexiunea-adjectivului-referatele-com.php Information on the adjective in Romanian]</ref>

===Adjective syntax===
Syntactical functions of the adjective can be:<ref name="adjgram" />

* Attribute, in case it defines a noun, pronoun or numeral. (e.g.: The blond boy is here. ''Băiatul blond este aici.'')
* Adjectival complement, in case it defines a copulative verb. (e.g.: The boy is blond. ''Băiatul este blond.'')

===Degrees of comparison===

An adjective also can have degrees of comparison.<ref name="adjgram" />

* Positive Degree (''frumos'', beautiful)
* Comparative Degree:
** Of equality (''la fel de frumos'', as beautiful as)
** Of inequality (note that the following degrees are written as "comparative of superiority/inferiority", not as "comparative of inequality of superiority/inferiority") 
*** Of superiority (''mai frumos'', more beautiful) 
*** Of inferiority (''mai puțin frumos'', less beautiful)
* Superlative Degree:
** Relative Superlative
*** Of superiority (''cel mai frumos'', the most beautiful)
*** Of inferiority (''cel mai puțin frumos'', the least beautiful)
** Absolute Superlative (''foarte frumos'', very beautiful)
*** Of superiority (''foarte frumos'', translated as "very beautiful")
*** Of inferiority (''foarte puțin frumos'', roughly translated as "very little beautiful"). This form is not used very much, though, as antonyms can be used (''foarte puțin frumos'' becomes ''foarte urât'', "very little beautiful" becomes "very ugly")

==Pronouns==

===Personal pronouns===

Personal pronouns come in four different [[Grammatical case|cases]], depending on their usage in the phrase.

====Nominative case====

There are eight personal pronouns (''pronume personale'') in Romanian:<ref name="morfsynpron" >[http://www.didactic.ro/files/1/0morfosintaxa_pronumelui.pps PPT file illustrating the Morphosyntax of the Pronoun]</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="2" | 
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | First person
| ''eu''
| ''noi''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Second person
| ''tu''
| ''voi''
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Third person
! Masc.
| ''el''
| ''ei''
|-
! Fem.
| ''ea''
| ''ele''
|}

The pronouns above are those in the [[nominative case]]. They are usually omitted in Romanian unless it is necessary to disambiguate the meaning of a sentence. Usually, the verb ending provides information about the subject. The feminine forms of plural pronouns are used only for groups of persons or items of exclusively female gender. If the group contains elements of both genders, the masculine form is used. Pronouns in the [[vocative case]] in Romanian, which is used for exclamations, or summoning, also take the forms of the nominative case.

====Accusative case====
The [[accusative case|accusative]] forms of the pronouns come in two forms: a stressed and an unstressed form:<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="2" | 
! colspan="2" | Singular
! colspan="2" | Plural
|-
! colspan="2" | 
! Stressed
! Unstressed
! Stressed
! Unstressed
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | First person
| ''(pe) mine''
| ''mă''
| ''(pe) noi''
| ''ne''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Second person
| ''(pe) tine''
| ''te''
| ''(pe) voi''
| ''vă''
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Third person
! style="text-align: left;" | Masc.
| ''(pe) el''
| ''îl''
| ''(pe) ei''
| ''îi''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Fem.
| ''(pe) ea''
| ''o''
| ''(pe) ele''
| ''le''
|}

The stressed form of the pronoun is used (in phrases that are not [[Inversion (linguistics)|inverted]]) after the verb while the unstressed form is employed before the verb. Romanian requires both forms of a pronoun to be present in a sentence if a [[relative clause]] is employed, which also reverses the order of the forms (stressed before unstressed). Otherwise, the stressed form is usually left out, the only exception being its usage for adding emphasis to the pronoun.

* '''''Îl''' văd'' – I see him/it (a statement of fact)
* '''''Îl''' văd '''pe el''''' – I see him (It is him that I see, and no other)
* ''Fata '''pe care o''' văd'' – The girl whom I see

====Dative case====
The [[dative case|dative]] forms of the pronouns:<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="2" | 
! colspan="2" | Singular
! colspan="2" | Plural
|-
! colspan="2" | 
! Stressed
! Unstressed
! Stressed
! Unstressed
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | First person
| ''mie''
| ''îmi''
| ''nouă''
| ''ne''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Second person
| ''ție''
| ''îți''
| ''vouă''
| ''vă''
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Third person
! style="text-align: left;" | Masc.
| ''lui''
| rowspan="2" | ''îi''
| rowspan="2" | ''lor''
| rowspan="2" | ''le''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Fem.
| ''ei''
|}

====Genitive case====
The [[genitive case|genitive]] forms of the pronouns (also called possessive pronouns, ''pronume posesive''):<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="4" rowspan="3" | 
! colspan="6" | ''Possessed''
|-
! colspan="3" | ''Singular''
! colspan="3" | ''Plural''
|-
! ''Masculine''
! ''Neuter''
! ''Feminine''
! ''Masculine''
! ''Neuter''
! ''Feminine''
|-
! rowspan="7" style="text-align: left;" | Possessor
! rowspan="4" style="text-align: left;" | Singular
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | First person
| colspan="2" | ''al meu''
| ''a mea''
| ''ai mei''
| colspan="2" | ''ale mele''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Second person
| colspan="2" | ''al tău''
| ''a ta''
| ''ai tăi''
| colspan="2" | ''ale tale''
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Third person
! style="text-align: left;" | Masc.
| colspan="2" | ''al lui''
| ''a lui''
| ''ai lui''
| colspan="2" | ''ale lui''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Fem.
| colspan="2" | ''al ei''
| ''a ei''
| ''ai ei''
| colspan="2" | ''ale ei''
|-
! rowspan="4" style="text-align: left;" | Plural
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | First person
| colspan="2" | ''al nostru''
| ''a noastră''
| ''ai noștri''
| colspan="2" | ''ale noastre''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Second person
| colspan="2" | ''al vostru''
| ''a voastră''
| ''ai voștri''
| colspan="2" | ''ale voastre''
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Third person
| colspan="2" | ''al lor''
| ''a lor''
| ''ai lor''
| colspan="2" | ''ale lor''
|}
The retention of the genitive, in the third person, is to be noted; the pronoun, like Latin ''eius'', ''eorum'', inflects according to the possessor, not according to the possessed.

===Reflexive pronouns===
These are the forms of the reflexive pronouns (''pronume reflexive''):<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! rowspan="2" | 
! colspan="2" | Accusative
! colspan="2" | Dative
|-
! Singular
! Plural
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | First person
| ''pe mine / mă''
| ''pe noi / ne''
| ''mie / îmi''
| ''nouă / ne''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Second person
| ''pe tine / te''
| ''pe voi / vă''
| ''ție / îți''
| ''vouă / vă''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Third person
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | ''pe sine / se''
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center;" | ''sieși / își''
|}

The above reflexive pronouns are in the accusative and dative cases, and in both stressed / unstressed forms. As is made clear, the reflexive pronouns are identical to the personal pronouns, with the exception of the 3<sup>rd</sup> person, which has entirely new forms. The genitival forms of the reflexive pronouns are the same for the 1<sup>st</sup> and 2<sup>nd</sup> persons, but also differ in the 3<sup>rd</sup> person singular, which is ''al său''. This is a direct continuation of Latin usage; Latin ''suus'' was used ''only'' when the possessor was the subject of the sentence.

===Polite pronouns===
The polite pronouns (''pronumele de politețe'') are a way of addressing someone formally. They are normally used for interaction with strangers, or by children talking to adults whom they don't know well, or to teachers as a sign of respect. When used in the plural, the second person pronoun is a polite one, for use in formal occasions, or among unacquainted adults, whereas its singular forms are less polite.

The polite pronouns were derived from old Romanian phrases used for addressing the [[Domnitor|sovereign]], such as {{lang|ro|Domnia Ta}}, {{lang|ro|Domnia Voastră}}, {{lang|ro|Domnia Lui}} ("Your Majesty", "Your Majesty (plural)", "His Majesty", literally "Your Reign", etc.). By means of vowel elision, {{lang|ro|domnia}} became shortened to {{lang|ro|dumnea}}.<ref>Alexandru Ciorănescu, ''Dicționarul etimologic român'', Universidad de la Laguna, Tenerife, 1958–1966, [http://dexonline.ro/definitie/domn/444692 ''domn'']</ref> It should also be noted that ''mata'', ''mătăluță'' and similar pronouns were considered polite pronouns in the past, but nowadays only rural communities use them (for example, between neighbours).

The polite pronouns all have the same forms in all cases (the only exception being {{lang|ro|dumneata}}, with the genitive/dative form of ''dumitale''), and they exist only in the second and third person, due to their not being used to refer to oneself:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="2" | 
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align: left;" | Second person
| {{lang|ro|dumneata}}, ''domnia ta''
|{{lang|ro|dumneavoastră}}, {{lang|ro|domniile voastre}}
|-
! rowspan="4" style="text-align: left;" | Third person
! style="text-align: left;" | Masc.
| {{lang|ro|dumnealui}}, {{lang|ro|domnia lui}}
| rowspan="2" | {{lang|ro|dumnealor}}, {{lang|ro|domniile lor}}
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Fem.
| {{lang|ro|dumneaei}}, {{lang|ro|domnia ei}}
|}

A peculiarity of Romanian among Romance languages is the development of an intermediary level of politeness created with the aid of [[Old Romanian]] {{lang|ro|dânsul/dânsa}}, a variant of the personal pronoun {{lang|ro|el/ea}}, formed from the preposition {{lang|ro|de}} and the focal particle {{lang|ro|îns}}, itself from the Latin pronoun {{sc|ipse}}. Together with the singular second person polite pronoun it expresses a minimum of politeness, but higher than personal pronouns:<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vasilescu |first=Andra |date=2017-01-01 |title=The descendants of Lat. ipse in Romanian |url=https://www.academia.edu/95034193/The_descendants_of_Lat_ipse_in_Romanian |journal=Diacronia}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! colspan="1" |
! Personal
! Intermediary
! Polite
|-
! Second person singular
| {{lang|ro|tu}}
| {{lang|ro|dumneata}}
| {{lang|ro|dumneavoastră}}
|-
! Third person singular
| {{lang|ro|el}} / {{lang|ro|ea}}
| {{lang|ro|dânsul}} / {{lang|ro|dânsa}}
| {{lang|ro|dumnealui}} / {{lang|ro|dumneaei}}
|-
! Third person plural
| {{lang|ro|ei}} / {{lang|ro|ele}}
| {{lang|ro|dânșii}} / {{lang|ro|dânsele}}
| {{lang|ro|dumnealor}}
|}

===Demonstrative pronouns===
There are many demonstrative pronouns (''pronume demonstrative'') in Romanian. They are classified as ''pronume de apropiere, pronume de depărtare, pronume de diferențiere, pronume de identitate,'' which mean, respectively, pronouns of proximity, pronouns of remoteness, pronouns of differentiation, and pronouns of identity.

====Pronouns of proximity and remoteness====
These pronouns describe objects which are either close to the speaker, or farther away from the speaker (formal register/informal register):<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! rowspan="2" | 
! colspan="2" | Pronoun of Proximity
! colspan="2" | Pronoun of Remoteness
|-
! Singular
! Plural
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Masculine
| rowspan="2" | ''acesta/ăsta''
| ''aceștia/ăștia''
| rowspan="2" | ''acela/ăla''
| ''aceia/ăia''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Neuter
| rowspan="2" | ''acestea/ăstea''
| rowspan="2" | ''acelea/alea''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Feminine
| ''aceasta/asta''
| ''aceea/aia''
|}

====Pronouns of differentiation and identity====
These pronouns describe objects either different from an aforementioned object or the same:<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! rowspan="2" | 
! colspan="2" | Pronoun of Differentiation
! colspan="2" | Pronoun of Identity
|-
! Singular
! Plural
! Singular
! Plural
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Masculine
| rowspan="2" | ''celălalt''
| ''ceilalți''
| rowspan="2" | ''același''
| ''aceiași''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Neuter
| rowspan="2" | ''celelalte''
| rowspan="2" | ''aceleași''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Feminine
| ''cealaltă''
| ''aceeași''
|}

===Intensive pronouns===
The intensive pronouns and adjectives are used for emphasis.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! rowspan="3" | 
! colspan="6" | Intensive pronoun
|-
! colspan="3" | Singular
! colspan="3" | Plural
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Masculine
! style="text-align: left;" | Neuter
! style="text-align: left;" | Feminine
! style="text-align: left;" | Masculine
! style="text-align: left;" | Neuter
! style="text-align: left;" | Feminine
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | First Person
| colspan="2" | ''însumi (myself)''
| ''însămi (myself)''
| ''înșine (ourselves)''
| colspan="2" | ''însene (ourselves)''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Second Person
| colspan="2" | ''însuți (yourself)''
| ''însăți (yourself)''
| ''înșivă (yourself)''
| colspan="2" | ''însevă (yourself)''
|-
! style="text-align: left;" | Third Person
| colspan="2" | ''însuși (himself)''
| ''însăși (herself)''
| ''înșiși (themselves)''
| colspan="2" | ''înseși (themselves)''
|}

===Relative and interrogative pronouns===
''Pronumele relative și interogative,'' the two types of pronouns are identical in form but differ in usage. The relative pronouns are used to connect [[relative clause]]s to their main clause, but interrogative pronouns are used to form questions. The interrogative pronouns are usually written out with a [[question mark]] after them to differentiate them from their relative counterparts.

These are the most common relative/interrogative pronouns:<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable"
! | Relative Pronoun
|''cine'' || ''(a/al/ai/ale) cui'' || ''care'' || ''pe care'' || ''ce'' || ''(a/al/ai/ale) cărui(a)/cărei(a)/căror(a)''
|-
! English translation
| who || (whose), to whom || which || which/whom || which/whom || (whose), to whom
|}

===Negative and indefinite pronouns===
''Pronumele negative și nehotărâte,'' these two types of pronouns are used to express negation, as well as indefinite concepts. There are many indefinite pronouns, but only a limited number of negative pronouns.

The most common indefinite pronouns are:<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable"
! | Indefinite Pronoun
| ''mult'' || ''tot'' || ''unul/una'' || ''altul/alta'' || ''atât'' || ''puțin/nițel'' || ''destul''
|-
! English translation
| much || all || one || other || so much/as much || a little || enough
|}

The most common negative pronouns are:<ref name="morfsynpron" />

{| class="wikitable"
! | Negative Pronoun
| ''nimeni/nimenea'' || ''nimic/nimica'' || ''niciunul/niciuna'' || ''niciunui(a)/niciunei(a)''
|-
! English translation
| nobody || nothing || none || to none (of none)
|}

==Numbers==
{{main|Romanian numbers}}
In Romanian grammar, unlike English, the words representing [[number]]s are considered to form a distinct [[part of speech]], called ''numeral'' (plural: ''numerale''). Examples:

* Cardinal
** Proper: ''doi'' (''two'');
** Multiplicative: ''îndoit'' (''double'');
** Collective: ''amândoi'' (''both'');
** Distributive: ''câte doi'' (''in twos'');
** Fractional: ''doime'' (''half'') (pronounced {{IPA|ro|do.ime|}});
** Adverbial: ''de două ori'' (''twice'');
* Ordinal: ''al doilea'' (''the second'').

==Verbs==
{{main|Romanian verbs}}
As in all [[Romance languages]], Romanian [[verb]]s are inflected according to: person, number, tense, mood and voice. The usual word order in sentences is SVO (Subject – Verb – Object). Romanian verbs are traditionally categorized into four large conjugation groups depending on the ending in the infinitive mood. The actual conjugation patterns for each group are multiple.

*First conjugation: verbs ending in ''–a'' (long infinitive in ''–are''), such as ''a da, dare'' "to give", ''a cânta, cântare'' "to sing", including those ending in [[Hiatus (linguistics)|hiatus]] ''ea'', such as ''a crea, creare'' "to create". Verbs ending orthographically in {{lang|ro|–chea}} and {{lang|ro|–ghea}} are also included here as their conjugation pattern matches this group, although the long infinitive ends in ''–ere'': ''a veghea, veghere'' "to ward".
*Second conjugation: verbs ending in ''–ea'' (long infinitive in stressed ''-ere''), only when ''ea'' is a [[diphthong]], such as ''a putea, putere'' "can", ''a cădea, cădere'' "to fall".
*Third conjugation: verbs ending in ''–e'' (long infinitive in unstressed ''–ere''), such as ''a vinde, vindere'' "to sell", ''a crede, credere'' "to believe".
*Fourth conjugation: verbs ending in ''–i'' (long infinitive in ''–ire''), such as ''a veni, venire'' "to come",.
*Fifth conjugation:verbs ending in -î (long infinitive in -âre), such as ''a hotărî'', ''hotărâre'', "to decide".

==Adverbs==
In Romanian, [[adverb]]s usually determine verbs (but, could also modify a clause or an entire sentence) by adding a qualitative description to the action. Romanian adverbs are invariant and identical to the corresponding adjective in its masculine singular form. An exception is the adjective-adverb pair ''bun''-''bine'' ("good" <small>(masculine singular)</small> – "well").

Some examples are

* ''Băieții sunt jucători '''buni'''.'' – ''The boys are '''good''' players.'' (''adjective'')
* ''Băieții joacă '''bine'''.'' – ''The boys play '''well'''.'' (''adverb'')
* ''Cântecul acesta este '''frumos'''.'' – ''This song is '''beautiful'''.'' (''adjective'')
* ''Cântăreața cântă '''frumos'''.'' – ''The singer sings '''beautifully'''.'' (''adverb'')

==Prepositions==
The preposition before a noun determines which case the noun must take.

No prepositions take nouns in the nominative case.

===Prepositions with accusative===
* '''pe''' is used to introduce a direct object when it is represented by a proper name, in which case it does not have a lexical meaning. ''Pe'' is also used with the accusative to introduce a circumstantial object of location (English ''on'').
* '''cu''' (''with'') introduces the instrument of the action. It is used to indicate (among others) one's conversation partner, an association with an object, or a means of transport.
* '''la''' (''at'') indicates the location or time of the action or its direction. More specific forms are ''în'' (in), ''spre'' (towards), ''pe la'' (around)
* '''pentru''' (''for'') indicates the scope of an action, or the beneficiary thereof.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rapido.org.uk/prepconj1.html |title=Romanian Prepositions and Conjunctions |access-date=2008-11-27 |archive-date=2009-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215152548/http://www.rapido.org.uk/prepconj1.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Prepositions with dative===
The only prepositions that demand the Dative Case, are: ''grație'' (thanks to), ''datorită'' (through, with), ''mulțumită'' (thanks to), ''conform'' (as per), ''contrar'' (against), ''potrivit'' (according to), ''aidoma'' — archaic — (like, similar to), ''asemenea'' (such).

===Prepositions with genitive===
Other prepositions require the genitive case of nouns. Note that some prepositions of this sort have evolved from phrases with feminine nouns and, as a consequence, require a feminine possessive form when the object is a pronoun; e.g., ''împotriva mea'' (against me).
<!--==Conjunctions==-->

==Interjections==
In Romanian there are many interjections, and they are commonly used. Those that denote sounds made by animals or objects are called ''onomatopee,'' a form similar to the English language [[onomatopoeia]]. Below, some interjections and their approximative equivalent in English are shown.

===Common interjections===
* ''Vai!'' – Oh, my! / Oh, dear!
* ''Ah!'' – ''same as in English''
* ''Oau!'' – Wow! (often spelled "''uau"''  to mirror english spelling)
* ''Of!'' – equivalent to a sigh
* ''Hmmm...'' – said when thinking
* ''Mamă-mamă'' – said when expressing something cool or extraordinary
* ''Iată'' – somewhat like ''behold!''

===Onomatopoeia===
* ''lip-lip'' – the sound made when slurping liquids (usually by dogs)
* ''țuști'' – a sound designating a quick move
* ''mor-mor'' – the sound a bear makes
* ''cucurigu'' – the sound a rooster makes, ''cock-a-doodle-doo!''
* ''ham-ham'' – the sound a dog makes, ''bark!''
* ''miau'' – the sound a cat makes, ''meow!''
* ''cip-cirip'' – the sound birds make, ''chirp!''
* ''mu'' – the sound a cow makes, ''moo!''
* mac-mac – the sound ducks make, ''quack!''

===Use within sentences===
Within a sentence, interjections can function as attributes, verbal equivalents, or they can be used as filler, which has no syntactical function at all.

* '''Attribute:''' Mi-am luat o fustă ''mamă-mamă''. ''I bought a cool skirt.''
* '''Verbal Equivalent:''' ''Iată''-l pe Ion. ''Look, there is Ion''
* '''Filler:''' ''Hmmm...'' Mă gândesc ce să fac. ''Hmmm... I am thinking about what to do.''

==Phrase syntax==
Romanian has terminology and rules for phrase syntax, which describes the way simple sentences relate to one another within a single complex sentence. There are many functions a simple sentence may take, their number usually being determined by the number of [[Predicate (grammar)|predicate]]s. It is also noteworthy that Romanian terminology for the terms ''[[simple sentence]], [[complex sentence]], and [[phrase]]'' is somewhat counterintuitive. The Romanian term ''propoziție'' means as much as ''simple sentence'' (or ''clause''). To describe a complex sentence (or [[compound sentence (linguistics)|compound sentence]]), Romanian uses the word ''frază,'' which can cause confusion with the English word ''phrase,'' which describes not a complex sentence, but a grouping of words. In consequence, Romanian doesn't have terms for the English ''[[noun phrase]],'' or ''[[verb phrase]],'' preferring the more commonly understood term ''predicate'' for the latter. The former has no formal equivalent in Romanian.

Simple sentences can be of two types: ''main clause''s and ''subordinate clause''s

===Main clause===
The main clause, within a complex sentence, does not rely on another sentence to be fully understood. In other words, it has stand-alone meaning. The following example has the ''verb phrase'' underlined.

Example:
:''<u>Am văzut</u> copiii din curtea școlii.''
:I <u>have seen</u> the children in the school courtyard.

Even though this sentence is long, it is still composed of a single simple sentence, which is a main clause.

===Subordinate clause===
A subordinate clause cannot have a stand-alone meaning. It relies on a main clause to give it meaning. It usually determines or defines an element of another clause, be it a main clause, or a subordinate one. The following example has the ''verb phrase'' underlined, and the ''element of relation,'' which is to say, the relative pronoun used to link the two sentences, in bold. The sentences are also separated and numbered.

Example:
:''<u>Am văzut</u> copiii <sup>1</sup>/ '''care''' <u>sunt</u> în curtea școlii. <sup>2</sup>/''
:I <u>have seen</u> the children <sup>1</sup>/ '''who''' <u>are</u> in the school courtyard. <sup>2</sup>/

There are also subordinate clauses other than the ''relative clause,'' which is an attributive clause, since it determines a noun, pronoun or numeral, and not a verb phrase. Here is a list of examples illustrating some of the remaining cases:

'''[[Direct object|Direct Object]] Clause''' (''propoziție subordonată completivă directă''):
:''<u>Înțeleg</u> <sup>1</sup>/ '''ce''' <u>zice</u> profesoara. <sup>2</sup>/''
:I <u>understand</u> <sup>1</sup>/ '''what''' the teacher <u>is saying</u>. <sup>2</sup>/

'''[[Indirect object|Indirect Object]] Clause''' (''propoziție subordonată completivă indirectă''):
:''<u>Mă gândesc</u> <sup>1</sup>/ '''la ce''' <u>spune</u> profesoara. <sup>2</sup>/''
:I <u>am thinking </u> <sup>1</sup>/ '''about what''' the teacher <u>is saying</u>. <sup>2</sup>/

'''[[Subject (grammar)|Subject]] Clause''' (''propoziție subordonată subiectivă''):
:'''''Ceea ce''' <u>zice</u> profesoara, <sup>1</sup>/ <u>e corect</u>. <sup>2</sup>/''
:'''What''' the teacher <u>is saying</u>, <sup>1</sup>/ <u>is true</u>. <sup>2</sup>/

'''Local Circumstantial Object Clause''' (''propoziție subordonată completivă circumstanțială de loc''):
:''<u>Mă văd</u> cu Ionuț <sup>1</sup>/ '''unde''' (mi-)<u>a propus</u> el. <sup>2</sup>/''
:I <u>am meeting</u> Johnny <sup>1</sup>/ '''where''' he <u>proposed</u> (to me). <sup>2</sup>/

===Clauses introduced by coordinating conjunctions===
Some [[conjunction (grammar)|conjunction]]s are called coordinating because they do not define the type of clause introduced. Rather, they ''coordinate'' an existing clause with another, making the new clause of the same type as the other one. The coordinating conjunctions are of four types (note that the list is not exhaustive):

* The ''copulative conjunctions'' are: ''și'' (and), ''nici'' (neither), and ''precum și'' (as well as).
* The ''adversative conjunctions'' are: ''dar/însă/ci'' (but) and ''iar'' (on the other hand).
* The ''disjunctive conjunctions'' are: ''sau/ori/fie'' (or/either).
* The ''conclusive conjunctions'' are: ''deci/așadar'' (thus), ''în concluzie'' (in conclusion), and ''prin urmare'' (therefore).

An example of two main clauses (<sup>1, 2</sup>) linked together by a coordinative conjunction (bold) is:
:''Ana <u>este o fată</u> <sup>1</sup>/ '''și''' Ion <u>este un băiat</u>. <sup>2</sup>/''
:Ana <u>is a girl</u>, <sup>1</sup>/ '''and''' Ion <u>is a boy</u>. <sup>2</sup>/

Two subordinate clauses (<sup>2, 3</sup>) can also be joined to the same end:
:''V-<u>am spus</u> despre băiatul <sup>1</sup>/ '''care''' <u>este</u> la mine în clasă, <sup>2</sup>/ '''și care''' <u>este foarte bun</u> la matematică. <sup>3</sup>/''
:I <u>have told</u> you about the boy <sup>1</sup>/ '''who''' <u>is</u> in my class, <sup>2</sup>/ '''and who''' <u>is very good</u> in mathematics. <sup>3</sup>/

The same effect of two main clauses (<sup>1, 2</sup>) being tied together can also be achieved via juxtaposition of the sentences using a comma:
:''<u>Am păzit</u> palatul<big>''','''</big> <sup>1</sup>/ palatul <u>era</u> și <u>foarte greu</u> de păzit. <sup>2</sup>/''
:I <u>guarded</u> the palace<big>''','''</big> <sup>1</sup>/ the palace <u>was very hard</u> to guard, too. <sup>2</sup>/

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* [[Gabriela Pană Dindelegan]], ed. ''The Grammar of Romanian''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
* Carmen Dobrovie-Sorin & Ion Giurgea, eds. ''A Reference Grammar of Romanian'', vol. 1: ''The Noun Phrase''. John Benjamins, 2013.

==External links==
* [http://www.seelrc.org:8080/grammar/pdf/stand_alone_romanian.pdf Very detailed Romanian grammar (PDF; 183 pages; 4.6 MB)]
* [http://www.livelingua.com/peace-corps/Romanian/Peace%20Corps%20Romanian%20Grammar%20Workbook.pdf Romanian Grammar Workbook (1996) for Peace Corps Volunteers], Peace Corps (Moldova)
* [http://www.verbix.com/languages/romanian.shtml Verbix: Romanian verbs conjugation] (Attention: Generally good output, but a few verbs are not conjugated correctly.)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060115033205/http://www.castingsnet.com/dictionaries/ Romanian <-> English online dictionary and Romanian verb conjugator (few mistakes)]
* [http://www.archeus.ro Romanian online dictionary and lemmatizer]

{{Romanian language}}
{{Romance grammars}}
{{Language grammars}}

[[Category:Romanian grammar| ]]