îmi / îți / îi / ne / vă / le

Indirect-Object Clitics

Level 2

Indirect-object clitics (îmi, îți, îi, ne, vă, le) represent the person receiving something or experiencing a feeling. They are essential for natural Romanian and often appear even when the person is already named (clitic doubling).

How It Works

Indirect-object clitics are unstressed pronouns that function as the dative case. They are used in three primary ways:1. The Recipient: Marking who receives an action (e.g., 'I tell him').
2. The Experiencer: Used with verbs like îmi place (it pleases me) or îmi pare rău (I'm sorry).
3. The Possessive Dative: Used for body parts or family members (e.g., Mi-am spălat mâinile - I washed my hands).

Forms:

  • îmi / mi-: to me
  • îți / ți-: to you (singular)
  • îi / i-: to him/her
  • ne / ne-: to us
  • vă / v-: to you (plural/polite)
  • le / le-: to them

Note: The forms ni-, vi-, and li- are only used in clitic clusters when followed by another pronoun.

Placement and Spelling:
Clitics usually come before the verb. When followed by a word starting with a vowel (like the auxiliary a in the compound perfect), singular clitics lose the initial 'î' and attach with a hyphen: îmi + a = mi-a. Plural clitics follow different rules: vă loses its final 'ă' (v-a dat), while ne and le remain intact but use a hyphen (ne-a spus, le-a scris). In the negative imperative, they stay before the verb (Nu-mi spune!), but in the affirmative imperative, they attach to the end (Spune-mi!).

Examples (5)

  1. Îi spun Mariei adevărul.

    I am telling Maria the truth.

    Word by Word: To-her I-tell to-Maria truth-the.

    The dative clitic îi doubles Mariei. This is the usual conversational pattern; a postverbal nominal recipient can also occur without doubling in appropriate contexts.

  2. Îmi place muzica clasică.

    I like classical music.

    Word by Word: To-me pleases music-the classical.

    In Romanian, you don't 'like' things; things 'please to you.' 'Îmi' is the indirect object.

  3. Mi-a căzut telefonul.

    My phone fell.

    Word by Word: To-me has fallen phone-the.

    This is the 'possessive dative.' Instead of saying 'my phone,' Romanians often say 'the phone fell to me.'

  4. Vă dau cheile imediat.

    I'll give you the keys immediately.

    Word by Word: To-you(pl) I-give keys-the immediately.

    'Vă' is used here for 'to you' (plural or formal singular).

  5. Nu-ți face griji!

    Don't worry!

    Word by Word: Not-to-you make worries!

    In negative commands, the clitic 'îți' shortens to 'ți-' and stays before the verb.

Common Mistakes

  • Incorrect placement in negative commands.

    Nu spune-mi!
    Nu-mi spune!

    While clitics follow the verb in affirmative commands (Spune-mi!), they must precede the verb in negative commands (Nu-mi spune!).

  • Confusing 'îi' (to him/her) with 'le' (to them).

    Îi dau lor banii.
    Le dau lor banii.

    'Îi' is singular (to him/her). For plural 'to them,' you must use 'le'.

How It Connects

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

îmi / îți / îi / ne / vă / leLevel 2Indirect-Object Clitics

Learn This First

To understand indirect object clitics, you must first be familiar with the person/number system of Romanian pronouns. It is also helpful to have encountered clitics before through direct objects or fixed expressions like 'îmi place' to understand how these short forms function differently from subject pronouns.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.