Basic Word Order

The basic Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order is the default way to build neutral sentences in Romanian.

1. The Baseline SVO
When you want to state a simple fact without emphasizing any particular word, use SVO:
• Maria citește o carte. (Maria reads a book.)

2. Dropping the Subject
Unlike English, Romanian verbs change their endings to match the subject. Because of this, you don't need to use subject pronouns unless you want to emphasize them. Both Mănânc mere and Eu mănânc mere can mean 'I eat apples'. Omission is common when context identifies the subject; including eu can clarify or contrast it.

3. Asking Questions
To ask a yes/no question, you can keep the exact same SVO structure and just raise your voice at the end of the sentence using question intonation. However, subject-verb inversion is also perfectly grammatical and frequently used (e.g., A venit Maria?). For content questions, question words normally go toward the front of the sentence; the verb and its clitics follow (e.g., Ce citește Maria?).

4. When SVO Changes
If the object is a pronoun (like 'him' or 'it') instead of a noun, it usually attaches before the verb, disrupting the SVO order (e.g., Îl văd - I see him). Exceptions where it attaches to the end include affirmative commands, gerunds, and the feminine singular pronoun o in the compound perfect or conditional forms (e.g., am văzut-o, aș vedea-o, aș fi văzut-o).

5. Negation
To make a sentence negative, simply place the word nu directly before the verb (e.g., Maria nu citește.) or before the object pronoun. Note that nu and îl almost always contract (e.g., Nu-l văd.). Romanian also uses obligatory negative concord (double negation). If a sentence contains a negative word like nimic (nothing) or nimeni (nobody), the verb must still take nu (e.g., Nu văd nimic. - I see nothing).

6. Flexibility
While SVO is a great baseline, dropping the subject to form a Verb-Object (VO) sentence is extremely common and natural. Another neutral departure from SVO is placing the subject after the verb (VS) for verbs of arrival, occurrence, or existence (e.g., A venit un pachet. - A package arrived). Otherwise, Romanian word order flexibly changes based on emphasis, typically by moving the focused word to the front of the sentence. When moving an object to the front (Object-Subject-Verb), you generally need to add a resuming clitic pronoun before the verb (e.g., Cartea o citește Maria. - The book, Maria reads it). Additionally, if you start a sentence with a time or place word, the subject naturally slides after the verb (e.g., Aici locuiesc părinții mei. - Here live my parents).

7. Adjective Placement
Within the noun phrase, remember that unlike English, the default adjective position is typically after the noun (e.g., o carte bună - a good book).