Language/Romanian/Grammar/Relative-Pronouns-and-Clauses
Relative pronouns and clauses are essential components of complex sentences in Romanian. They serve to connect clauses and provide additional information about the nouns they refer to. In this lesson, we will explore various types of relative pronouns and clauses in Romanian and learn how to use them correctly.
Relative Pronouns in Romanian
Relative pronouns are words that link or relate a subordinate clause, describing a noun or pronoun in the main clause. In Romanian, the most common relative pronouns are "care" (which, who, that), "cine" (who, whom), and "ce" (what, which). Their usage depends on gender, case, number, and position within the sentence.
- "Care" is used for both people and things in the nominative, accusative, and genitive case. Example: "Am cumpărat cartea care îmi plăcea cel mai mult." (I bought the book that I liked the most.)
- "Cine" is used only for people, in the nominative and accusative case. Example: "Am întâlnit fata cu care m-am împrietenit în Varșovia." (I met the girl whom I befriended in Warsaw.)
- "Ce" is used mainly for things or concepts, in the nominative or accusative case. Example: "Nu știu ce vorbești." (I don't know what you're talking about.)
Relative Clauses in Romanian
Relative clauses are dependent clauses that modify or give additional information about a noun or pronoun in the main clause. In Romanian, they are introduced by relative pronouns and follow a specific word order.
- The usual word order in Romanian is subject-verb-object, however, in relative clauses, the verb precedes the subject. Example: "Am văzut și casa pe care o căutați." (I also saw the house that you were looking for.)
- Relative clauses can be restrictive or non-restrictive. Restrictive clauses provide essential information about the noun or pronoun, and if removed, the meaning of the sentence changes. Non-restrictive clauses provide additional information that is not essential to the meaning of the sentence, and if removed, the sentence retains its original meaning. Example: "Băiatul care a câștigat premiul este fiul meu." (The boy who won the prize is my son.) vs "Fiul meu, care a câștigat premiul, este băiatul." (My son, who won the prize, is the boy.)
Relative Pronouns in Different Cases
Relative pronouns and clauses change their form according to the case they are in.
- Nominative Case: "care", "cine", "ce"
- Accusative Case: "care", "pe care", "cine", "ce"
- Genitive Case: "cărora", "a căror", "al cărui", "a cărui", "cărui", "ale căror", "ai căror", "ale cărei", "ai cărei", "cui"
Here are some examples of relative pronouns in different cases:
| Romanian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Care casă e a noastră? | karɛ kasa e a no̯as̪trə | Which house is ours? |
| Pe care carte ați citit-o? | pe karɛ kart̪e at͡si t͡ʃit̪it̪o | Which book did you read? |
| Întotdeauna mă gândesc la oamenii cu care am copilărit. | ɨntot͡swana mə ɡɨndesk la o̯amenij ku karɛ am kopilərit | I always think about people I grew up with. |
| Mi-am găsit poșeta pe care o pierdusem ieri. | mi-am ɡəstit poʃeta pe karɛ o pjerduzem jerj | I found my bag that I had lost yesterday. |
| Mi-am cumpărat o rochie a cărei culoare îmi place mult. | mi-am kumpərat o roki͡e a kəreji kulo̯are ɨmi plat͡ʃe mult | I bought a dress whose color I really like. |
Tips and Tricks
- Determine whether the relative pronoun is referring to a person or thing, and choose the appropriate pronoun accordingly.
- Pay attention to the case and gender of the noun that the relative pronoun is describing.
- Be mindful of the word order in relative clauses, as they differ from the standard subject-verb-object order.
Practice using relative pronouns and clauses in your own sentences to get more comfortable with this essential component of Romanian grammar.
Sources
Related Lessons
- Dative Case in Romanian
- Greetings in Romanian
- Possessive Case in Romanian
- How to use the Modal Verb “Must” in Romanian
- Advanced Verb Tenses
- Future Tense
- Definite Articles in Romanian
- Conditional Mood
- Cases