Clitics With Gerunds

Level 3

In Romanian, when you use a gerund (the '-ing' form) with a pronoun like 'him', 'it', or 'myself', the pronoun must be attached to the end of the verb (enclitic), not placed before it.

How It Works

Unlike finite verbs where direct object clitics or reflexive pronouns usually come before the verb, the gerund requires them to be attached at the end.

1. The Linking Vowel '-u-'
Because Romanian gerunds end in a consonant (-ând or -ind), a linking vowel -u- is inserted before attaching almost any clitic. This applies to both consonant-based clitics (like -l) and vowel-based clitics (like -i).
Example: văzând + l → văzându-l (seeing him); văzând + i → văzându-i (seeing them).

2. Stress
The linking vowel does not attract the stress: vă-ZÂN-du-l and gân-DIN-du-se keep the stress on the gerund's stressed vowel. The added clitics are unstressed.

3. The Exception: '-o'
The feminine accusative clitic -o (her/it) is the only clitic that attaches directly with a hyphen without the linking '-u-'.
Example: văzând + o → văzând-o (seeing her).

4. Double Clitics
When using double clitics, the order is always Dative + Accusative. The linking '-u-' appears only once, before the first clitic.
Example: dându-mi-l (giving it to me).

5. Negation
Even when the gerund is negated using the prefix ne-, the clitic remains at the end.
Example: nevăzându-l (not seeing him).

Examples (5)

  1. Văzându-l pe stradă, l-am salutat.

    Seeing him on the street, I greeted him.

    Word by Word: Seeing-him on street, him-I-have greeted.

    The clitic '-l' (him) is attached to 'văzând' with the linking vowel '-u-'.

  2. Gândindu-se la examen, a devenit nervos.

    Thinking (to himself) about the exam, he became nervous.

    Word by Word: Thinking-himself at exam, he-has become nervous.

    The reflexive pronoun 'se' is attached to the gerund 'gândind' using the linking '-u-'.

  3. Ascultând-o cu atenție, am înțeles mesajul.

    Listening to it carefully, I understood the message.

    Word by Word: Listening-it with attention, I-have understood message-the.

    The feminine clitic '-o' attaches directly with a hyphen, without the linking '-u-'.

  4. Dându-mi-l mie, a zâmbit.

    Giving it to me, he smiled.

    Word by Word: Giving-to-me-it to-me, he-has smiled.

    This shows a double clitic combination (mi + l) attached to the gerund.

  5. Nevăzându-ne, a plecat mai departe.

    Not seeing us, he went further.

    Word by Word: Not-seeing-us, he-has gone more further.

    Even with the negative prefix 'ne-', the clitic '-ne' stays at the end of the gerund.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the clitic before the gerund (Proclisis).

    Îl văzând pe stradă...
    Văzându-l pe stradă...

    In modern Romanian, clitics must always follow the gerund. Placing them before is a common error for learners familiar with other Romance languages.

  • Omitting the linking vowel '-u-'.

    văzând-l
    văzându-l

    Except for the clitic '-o', you must include the '-u-' to bridge the consonant of the gerund and the clitic.

  • Using 'nu' instead of 'ne-' for negative gerunds.

    Nu îl văzând...
    Nevăzându-l...

    Gerunds are negated with the prefix 'ne-', and the clitic remains enclitic (at the end).

How It Connects

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

Clitics With GerundsLevel 3

Learn This First

To understand how clitics attach to gerunds, you first need to be able to form the gerund itself. You also need to be familiar with the forms of direct object and reflexive clitics, as these are the pronouns that will be joined to the gerund using a hyphen.