pe care

Level 3

In Romanian, when you want to say 'the book that I read' or 'the person whom I saw', you must use pe care. It is the accusative (direct object) form of the relative pronoun care.

How It Works

The relative pronoun pe care is a fundamental part of Romanian syntax. To become proficient in its use, you must understand two core rules:

1. Subject vs. Direct Object: Use care when the noun is the subject of the relative clause (e.g., Omul care vorbește - The man who is speaking). Use pe care when the noun is the direct object (e.g., Omul pe care îl vezi - The man whom you see). Unlike the standard personal pe, pe care is used for all nouns (people, objects, and animals) when they function as direct objects.

2. Clitic Doubling: You must include a direct-object clitic that matches the noun.

  • Filmul (masc. sg.) pe care îl văd...
  • Cărțile (fem. pl.) pe care le citesc...

3. The "O" Exception: In the compound perfect, most clitics come before the auxiliary verb (e.g., pe care l-am văzut). However, the feminine singular clitic o always attaches to the end of the participle: Cartea pe care am văzut-o.

4. Formal vs. Informal: Dropping the 'pe' (e.g., saying 'cartea care am citit-o') is a common mistake in casual speech but is considered grammatically incorrect. Always use pe care for objects to maintain a correct standard.

Examples (4)

  1. Fata pe care o cauți este acolo.

    The girl whom you are looking for is there.

    Word by Word: Girl-the on which (her) you-search is there.

    Here, 'fata' is the object of 'cauți'. We use 'pe care' and the feminine clitic 'o' to refer back to 'fata'.

  2. Filmul pe care l-am văzut a fost lung.

    The movie that I saw was long.

    Word by Word: Movie-the on which (it) I-have seen has been long.

    Filmul is neuter singular. Relative pe care is required for this inanimate direct object, and masculine-shaped îl contracts before am: l-am.

  3. Merele pe care le-ai cumpărat sunt acre.

    The apples that you bought are sour.

    Word by Word: Apples-the on which (them) you-have bought are sour.

    Merele is neuter plural and uses the same clitic form as feminine plural nouns: le.

  4. Oamenii pe care îi cunoaștem sunt amabili.

    The people whom we know are kind.

    Word by Word: People-the on which (them) we-know are kind.

    For masculine plural 'oamenii', we use the clitic 'îi'.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the preposition 'pe' for inanimate objects.

    Cartea care am citit-o este bună.
    Cartea pe care am citit-o este bună.

    Learners often think 'pe' is only for people. However, in relative clauses, 'pe care' is mandatory for all direct objects, including books, cars, or ideas.

  • Forgetting the resumptive clitic pronoun.

    Fata pe care am văzut ieri...
    Fata pe care am văzut-o ieri...

    In Romanian, you must 'double' the object with a clitic (o, îl, le, îi). Without the clitic '-o', the sentence is grammatically incomplete.

How It Connects

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

pe careLevel 3

Learn This First

Distinguish subject care from direct-object pe care. In ordinary finite relative clauses, direct-object care requires pe and a matching object clitic for people, animals and things. Compare this construction with personal pe, whose distribution follows different rules.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern