Relative care

Level 2

Care is the most common relative pronoun in Romanian. It connects a noun (the antecedent) to a relative clause that describes it. It can refer to either people or objects; English also permits that with both.

How It Works

In Romanian, care is the universal tool for building relative clauses. Here is how it functions across different grammatical roles:

  • Subject: When care is the subject of the relative clause, it remains care regardless of the gender or number of the noun it refers to.
    Example: Băiatul care vorbește... (The boy who is speaking...)
  • Direct Object: When care is the direct object, it must be preceded by the preposition pe. You must also use a resumptive clitic pronoun to 'double' the object.
    Example: Cartea pe care o citesc... (The book [that] I am reading...)
  • Indirect Object (Dative): When care functions as an indirect object (to/for whom), it uses the forms căruia (masc./neut. sg.), căreia (fem. sg.), and cărora (plural). Just like the direct object, these forms require clitic doubling with a matching dative pronoun.
    Example: Omul căruia îi dau banii... (The man to whom I give the money...)
  • Possession (Genitive): To say 'whose', you use the short forms cărui (masc./neut. sg.), cărei (fem. sg.), or căror (plural). These are preceded by a possessive article that agrees with the thing possessed.
    Example: Femeia a cărei mașină... (The woman whose car [fem. sg.]...)

Unlike English, Romanian never omits the relative pronoun. You cannot say 'The book I read'; you must say 'The book that I read'.

Examples (5)

  1. Femeia care lucrează aici este amabilă.

    The woman who works here is kind.

    Word by Word: Woman-the who works here is kind.

    Here, 'care' acts as the subject of the relative clause. It refers back to 'femeia'.

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

    The movie that I saw was long.

    Word by Word: Movie-the PE which it-I-have seen has been long.

    When 'care' is a direct object, we use 'pe care' and the clitic 'l-' (short for 'îl') to double the object 'filmul'.

  3. Mașina care este în garaj e nouă.

    The car that is in the garage is new.

    Word by Word: Car-the which is in garage is new.

    In Romanian, 'care' is used for objects just as easily as for people.

  4. Oamenii pe care îi cunoști sunt prietenii mei.

    The people whom you know are my friends.

    Word by Word: People-the PE whom them you-know are friends-the my.

    For plural masculine objects, we use 'pe care' followed by the plural clitic 'îi'.

  5. Elevul căruia îi dau cartea este silitor.

    The student to whom I give the book is hardworking.

    Word by Word: Student-the to-whom him I-give book-the is hardworking.

    This shows the Dative form 'căruia' (to whom) for a masculine singular noun.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the relative pronoun (English influence).

    Cartea citesc este bună.
    Cartea pe care o citesc este bună.

    In English, you can say 'The book I read'. In Romanian, the relative pronoun 'pe care' is mandatory.

  • Forgetting the clitic pronoun when using 'pe care'.

    Fata pe care am văzut este sora mea.
    Fata pe care am văzut-o este sora mea.

    When 'care' is a direct object, you must include a resumptive clitic pronoun (like -o, îl, îi, le) to refer back to the noun.

  • Using 'cine' (who) instead of 'care' to modify a noun.

    Omul cine vine este tata.
    Omul care vine este tata.

    'Cine' is used for questions or 'whoever'. When describing a specific noun like 'omul', you must use 'care'.

How It Connects

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

Relative careLevel 2

Learn This First

Identify the antecedent noun phrase, whether definite or indefinite, and its role in the sentence before linking it to a relative clause with care.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern