Double Clitics

Level 3

In Romanian, when you use both an indirect object (to whom) and a direct object (what) as pronouns, they merge into a specific cluster. The order is always Dative + Accusative (e.g., 'to me' + 'it').

How It Works

When a recipient and a direct object are both clitics, the dative recipient comes before the accusative object.

Before a present verb:

  • To me: mi-l, mi-o, mi-i, mi le.
  • To you: ți-l, ți-o, ți-i, ți le.
  • To him/her: i-l, i-o, i-i, i le.
  • To us: ni-l, ne-o, ni-i, ni le.
  • To you all: vi-l, v-o, vi-i, vi le.
  • To them: li-l, le-o, li-i, li le.

Feminine singular o: The combinations are ne-o, v-o, le-o, not ni-o, vi-o, li-o. With the compound perfect, o follows the participle: Mi-a dat-o.

Verb construction: A future with voi puts the clitics before the auxiliary: Ți-l voi da. A future with o să follows subjunctive placement: O să ți-l dau.

Commands: An affirmative imperative puts clitics after the verb: Dă-mi-l! The exact spellings depend on the clitics and their neighbors.

Examples (6)

  1. Prietenul meu mi-l împrumută.

    My friend is lending it to me.

    Word by Word: Friend-the my to-me-it lends.

    Here, 'mi-' (to me) and '-l' (it) combine before the verb 'împrumută'.

  2. Ni le arăți și nouă?

    Are you showing them to us as well?

    Word by Word: To-us them show also to-us?

    Ni is the combining form of dative ne before accusative le. Le can refer to feminine or neuter plural objects; ni le is written as two words.

  3. Mi-i trimiți mâine?

    Are you sending them (masc.) to me tomorrow?

    Word by Word: To-me-them send tomorrow?

    When the direct object is masculine plural '-i', it fuses with the dative clitic using a hyphen (mi-i, ți-i, i-i, ni-i, vi-i, li-i).

  4. Nu mi-l da încă!

    Don't give it to me yet!

    Word by Word: Not to-me-it give yet!

    In the negative imperative, the clitic cluster moves before the verb, unlike the affirmative 'Dă-mi-l!'.

  5. Spune-mi-o, te rog!

    Tell it to me, please!

    Word by Word: Tell-to-me-it you please!

    In the affirmative imperative, the clitics move to the end of the verb and are connected by hyphens.

  6. Mama ți-a adus-o ieri.

    Mother brought it to you yesterday.

    Word by Word: Mother to-you-has brought-it yesterday.

    In the compound past with the feminine 'o', the Dative 'ți' stays with the auxiliary 'a', but 'o' attaches to the end of the participle 'adus'.

Common Mistakes

  • Reversing the order of clitics (Accusative before Dative).

    L-mi dă.
    Mi-l dă.

    Romanian requires the Dative (recipient) to come before the Accusative (object). Never put the object first.

  • Forgetting to change 'ne' and 'vă' to 'ni' and 'vi'.

    Ne-l trimite.
    Ni-l trimite.

    Before masculine singular -l, ne and vă use combining forms ni- and vi-: ni-l, vi-l. This does not apply before feminine singular o: ne-o, v-o.

  • Misplacing the feminine 'o' in the past tense.

    Mi-o a dat.
    Mi-a dat-o.

    The feminine singular clitic 'o' is unique; in the compound past, it always jumps to the end of the past participle.

How It Connects

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Double CliticsLevel 3

Learn This First

To learn double clitic combinations, you must first be comfortable with the individual forms of both direct and indirect object clitics. This pattern involves specific phonetic contractions and spelling changes (like 'mi-l' instead of 'îmi îl') that occur when these two systems interact.

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Words in This Pattern

ni