Accusative Prepositions

Level 2

Accusative prepositions express location, direction, and other relations. Nouns share nominative case forms; article omission is common after în or la, while cu often retains the article.

How It Works

In Romanian, the Accusative case is the workhorse of the prepositional system. Unlike the Genitive, which requires complex endings, the Accusative is morphologically simple for nouns.

1. The 'Unarticulated' Rule
A unique feature of Romanian is that nouns following an Accusative preposition usually drop the definite article.
Example: Merg la școală (I go to school) — NOT la școala.
However, if the noun is modified by an adjective or possessive, the article returns: Merg la școala mea.

2. Pronoun Forms
While nouns don't change, pronouns do. You must use the 'strong' Accusative forms. Note that for the 1st and 2nd person plural, as well as all 3rd person forms, these are identical to the subject pronouns:

  • mine / tine (me / you - unique forms)
  • el / ea (him / her)
  • noi / voi (us / you pl.)
  • ei / ele (them m./f.)
  • sine (oneself - reflexive)

3. The 'Pe' Marker
The preposition pe has two roles. It can mean 'on' (locative), but it also acts as a marker for direct objects. Generally, this marker is used for people and animals. However, it is also required for the relative pronoun pe care (which/that), even when referring to inanimate objects. Pe marking and clitic doubling interact but have different conditions; common-noun objects permit variation with context.

4. Exceptions
The preposition cu (with) often keeps the definite article when referring to a means of transport or a specific instrument: Merg cu mașina (I go by car).

Examples (5)

  1. Merg la magazin cu prietenii mei.

    I am going to the store with my friends.

    Word by Word: I-go to store with friends-the my.

    'La' is followed by 'magazin' (unarticulated), while 'cu' is followed by 'prietenii' (articulated because of the possessive 'mei').

  2. Cartea este pentru tine, nu pentru el.

    The book is for you, not for him.

    Word by Word: Book-the is for you, not for him.

    This shows the use of strong Accusative pronouns 'tine' and 'el' after the preposition 'pentru'.

  3. Ea vorbește despre noul proiect.

    She is talking about the new project.

    Word by Word: She talks about new-the project.

    The definite article is attached to the preceding adjective noul; proiect itself has no attached article.

  4. Îl văd pe Andrei în parc.

    I see Andrei in the park.

    Word by Word: Him I-see [marker] Andrei in park.

    'Pe' marks the direct object (Andrei), and 'în' is a locative preposition followed by the unarticulated noun 'parc'.

  5. Mergem cu mașina la munte.

    We are going by car to the mountains.

    Word by Word: We-go with car-the to mountain.

    'Cu' is an exception that often retains the definite article (-a) when talking about transport.

Common Mistakes

  • Using subject pronouns instead of strong Accusative pronouns for 1st and 2nd person singular.

    Vino cu eu.
    Vino cu mine.

    After prepositions, you must use the strong forms 'mine' and 'tine'. However, for plural forms like 'noi' and 'voi', the subject and Accusative forms are identical.

  • Adding the definite article to a noun after a preposition when it's not modified.

    Sunt în casa.
    Sunt în casă.

    Most Accusative prepositions require the noun to be 'naked' (unarticulated) unless an adjective or possessive follows it.

  • Overusing 'pe' for inanimate objects as direct objects.

    Citesc pe ziarul.
    Citesc ziarul.

    The preposition 'pe' as a direct object marker is generally reserved for people and animals. A major exception is the relative pronoun pe care, which is used for both people and objects.

How It Connects

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Accusative PrepositionsLevel 2

Learn This First

Learn which prepositions govern the accusative. Nouns normally share their nominative form, while personal pronouns may have distinct strong object forms. Article use follows the complete prepositional noun phrase.

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Words in This Pattern

laîncupentruspresubpesteprindespre