în / la / cu / pentru / fără

Basic Prepositions

Level 1

Romanian uses în (in), la (at/to), cu (with), pentru (for), and fără (without) to connect ideas. They all use the Accusative case, whose noun forms coincide with nominative forms; number and article choice still depend on the phrase.

How It Works

To become proficient in basic Romanian, you must understand how these five prepositions behave:

  • în (in/into): Used for location inside enclosed spaces or countries. It is also the correct preposition for destination when traveling to a country (Merg în România). Before indefinite articles, it contracts to într-un or într-o. The preposition din (from/out of) follows this same pattern: dintr-un and dintr-o.
  • la (at/to): Used for specific points, destinations, or institutions. Crucially, use la for both destination (Merg la școală) and location (Sunt la școală) when referring to institutions or activities.
  • cu (with): Used for accompaniment or tools. Note: Unlike others, cu usually keeps the definite article for transport (cu mașina) and concrete tools (cu cuțitul).
  • pentru (for): Indicates a beneficiary or purpose.
  • fără (without): Negates the presence of something.

The Bare Noun Rule: In Romanian, after în or la, an unmodified common noun is often unarticulated; cu follows different patterns, as shown above. You say în oraș (in town), not în orașul. The article returns if the noun is followed by a modifier, such as an adjective (în orașul mare) or a possessive (în orașul meu).

Examples (6)

  1. Merg la școală cu autobuzul.

    I am going to school by bus.

    Word by Word: I-go to school with bus-the.

    Note that 'la' uses a bare noun (școală), but 'cu' requires the definite article for transport (autobuzul).

  2. Cafeaua este pentru mine, fără zahăr.

    The coffee is for me, without sugar.

    Word by Word: Coffee-the is for me, without sugar.

    This shows 'pentru' followed by a strong pronoun (mine) and 'fără' followed by a bare noun.

  3. Locuiesc într-o casă în București.

    I live in a house in Bucharest.

    Word by Word: I-live in-a house in Bucharest.

    Notice the contraction 'într-o' before the indefinite article and 'în' before the city name.

  4. Ea vorbește cu un prieten la telefon.

    She is talking with a friend on the phone.

    Word by Word: She talks with a friend at phone.

    Romanian uses 'la' (at) for 'on the phone'.

  5. Merg în România și stau la hotel.

    I am going to Romania and staying at a hotel.

    Word by Word: I-go in Romania and I-stay at hotel.

    Use 'în' for destination when traveling to a country, and 'la' for location at an institution like a hotel.

  6. Tai pâinea cu cuțitul.

    I cut the bread with the knife.

    Word by Word: I-cut bread-the with knife-the.

    Like transport, 'cu' usually keeps the definite article when referring to specific tools.

Common Mistakes

  • Using subject pronouns instead of strong object pronouns after prepositions.

    Florile sunt pentru eu.
    Florile sunt pentru mine.

    After prepositions, you must use strong personal pronouns (mine, tine, el, ea, etc.) rather than subject pronouns (eu, tu).

  • Adding the definite article to general locations.

    Sunt în orașul.
    Sunt în oraș.

    Romanian prepositions typically 'strip' the definite article from the noun unless the noun is followed by a modifier like an adjective or a possessive.

  • Confusing 'la' (preposition) with 'l-a' (pronoun + verb).

    Merg l-a magazin.
    Merg la magazin.

    'La' is the preposition for 'to/at'. 'L-a' is a contraction used in the compound perfect meaning 'him/it [has]' (e.g., l-a văzut - he saw him).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

în / la / cu / pentru / fărăLevel 1Basic Prepositions

Learn This First

To use basic prepositions like 'în', 'la', or 'cu', you need to understand how to form simple sentences and be familiar with Romanian nouns, as these prepositions typically precede noun phrases.

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Words in This Pattern

înlacupentrufără