Language/Romanian/Grammar/Reflexive-Verbs-and-Pronouns

Romanian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns

Welcome to this exciting lesson on reflexive verbs and pronouns in Romanian! As we dive into this topic, you'll discover how reflexive verbs can add depth and nuance to your conversations. Understanding reflexive verbs is essential for expressing actions that people do to themselves, and it will significantly enhance your ability to communicate effectively in Romanian.

In this lesson, we’ll explore:

• The definition and importance of reflexive verbs and pronouns

• How to identify and conjugate reflexive verbs

• Practical examples to illustrate their use

• Exercises to test your comprehension and application skills

So grab your notepad, and let’s embark on this learning journey together!

What are Reflexive Verbs?

Reflexive verbs are verbs where the subject performs an action on itself. In Romanian, these verbs are accompanied by reflexive pronouns, which indicate that the action is reflected back to the subject. For instance, in English, we say "I wash myself," where "myself" is the reflexive pronoun that indicates the action is performed by the subject on itself.

In Romanian, the structure often appears as follows:

• Romanian: Eu mă spăl.

• Translation: I wash myself.

The reflexive pronoun "mă" (myself) reflects the action back to the subject "eu" (I).

Importance of Reflexive Verbs

Understanding reflexive verbs is crucial for beginners in Romanian for several reasons:

• Self-Action Descriptions: They help describe personal routines and activities, making your speech more relatable.

• Cultural Relevance: Many reflexive verbs are used in everyday Romanian, and recognizing them will help you understand conversations better.

• Complex Sentences: They pave the way for constructing more complex sentences, enhancing your overall proficiency in Romanian.

Reflexive Pronouns in Romanian

In Romanian, reflexive pronouns change based on the subject. Here’s a quick overview:

Subject	Pronoun
eu (I)	mă
tu (you - singular)	te
el/ea (he/she)	se
noi (we)	ne
voi (you - plural)	vă
ei/ele (they)	se

Conjugating Reflexive Verbs

Conjugating reflexive verbs involves two components: the verb itself and the appropriate reflexive pronoun. The reflexive pronoun is placed before the verb in Romanian.

Here’s how you would conjugate the verb a spăla (to wash):

Pronoun	Conjugation
eu (I)	mă spăl
tu (you - singular)	te speli
el/ea (he/she)	se spală
noi (we)	ne spălăm
voi (you - plural)	vă spălați
ei/ele (they)	se spală

Now that you understand the basics, let’s look at more examples to illustrate reflexive verbs in different contexts!

Examples of Reflexive Verbs in Sentences

Here are 20 examples using various reflexive verbs:

Romanian	Pronunciation	English Translation
Eu mă trezesc.	/ju mɨ treˈzesk/	I wake up.
Tu te îmbraci.	/tu te ɨmˈbraʧ/	You get dressed.
El se uită în oglindă.	/el se ˈujtə ɨn oˈɡlində/	He looks in the mirror.
Noi ne întâlnim.	/noj ne ɨnˈtɨlnim/	We meet each other.
Voi vă spălați mâinile.	/voj və spəˈlaʧ mɨˈnilə/	You wash your hands.
Ei se joacă în parc.	/ej se ˈʒo̯akə ɨn park/	They play in the park.
Eu mă relaxez.	/ju mɨ reˈlaksez/	I relax.
Tu te pregătești.	/tu te preɡəˈteʃtʲ/	You prepare yourself.
El se îngrijorează.	/el se ɨŋɡriˈro̯reazə/	He worries.
Noi ne distrăm.	/noj ne disˈtrɨm/	We have fun.
Voi vă gândiți.	/voj və ɡɨnˈdit͡sʲ/	You think.
Ei se îmbrățișează.	/ej se ɨmbrəˈt͡ʃiʃeazə/	They hug each other.
Eu mă îngrijesc.	/ju mɨ ɨŋɡriˈesk/	I take care of myself.
Tu te odihnești.	/tu te o̯diˈneʃtʲ/	You rest.
El se bucură.	/el se ˈbukurə/	He rejoices.
Noi ne amuzăm.	/noj ne a.muˈzəm/	We amuse ourselves.
Voi vă rugați.	/voj və ruˈɡatsʲ/	You pray.
Ei se tem.	/ej se ˈtem/	They are afraid.
Eu mă duc.	/ju mɨ duk/	I go (to myself).
Tu te îmbraci frumos.	/tu te ɨmˈbraʧ fruˈmos/	You dress nicely.
El se îmbracă repede.	/el se ɨmˈbraʧə ˈrepede/	He dresses quickly.

Exercises to Practice Reflexive Verbs

Now it's time to put your understanding into practice! Here are 10 exercises that will help you reinforce what you've learned about reflexive verbs and pronouns:

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct reflexive pronoun.

1. Eu ___ trezesc.

2. Tu ___ speli mâinile.

3. Noi ___ întâlnim la cafenea.

4. Voi ___ gândiți la vacanță.

5. Ei ___ bucură de vremea frumoasă.

Exercise 2: Conjugate the Verb

Conjugate the following reflexive verbs in the present tense.

1. a spăla (to wash) - eu

2. a îmbrăca (to dress) - tu

3. a pregăti (to prepare) - el

4. a relaxa (to relax) - noi

5. a distra (to amuse) - voi

Exercise 3: Translate the Sentences

Translate the following sentences into Romanian.

1. I wash myself.

2. You dress up.

3. He looks in the mirror.

4. We meet at the park.

5. They are afraid.

Exercise 4: Identify the Reflexive Pronoun

Read the sentences and identify the reflexive pronoun.

1. Eu mă îngrijesc.

2. Tu te odihnești.

3. El se tem de întuneric.

4. Noi ne distrăm.

5. Voi vă rugați.

Exercise 5: Match the Sentence

Match the Romanian sentences with their English translations.

1. Eu mă pregătesc.

2. Tu te îmbraci.

3. El se uită.

4. Noi ne jucăm.

5. Voi vă simțiți bine.

| Romanian Sentence | English Translation |

|---|---|

| A. You dress. | 1. I get ready. |

| B. We play. | 2. You feel well. |

| C. He looks. | 3. He looks. |

Exercise 6: Rewrite the Sentence

Rewrite the following sentences by replacing the subject with the appropriate reflexive pronoun.

1. Maria se îmbracă.

2. Andrei se relaxează.

3. Ana se pregătește.

4. Mihai se uită la televizor.

5. Paul se distrează.

Exercise 7: Sentence Creation

Create your own sentences using the following verbs.

1. a spăla

2. a îmbrăca

3. a distra

4. a pregăti

5. a tem

Exercise 8: True or False

Determine whether the statements are true or false.

1. Reflexive pronouns are the same for all subjects.

2. Reflexive verbs are only used in the present tense.

3. I can say "Eu mă tem" to express fear.

4. Reflexive verbs are not common in Romanian.

5. The reflexive pronoun comes after the verb in Romanian.

Exercise 9: Fill in the Correct Verb

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the reflexive verb.

1. Eu ___ (a îmbrăca) repede.

2. Tu ___ (a spăla) mâinile.

3. El ___ (a relaxa) după muncă.

4. Noi ___ (a distra) la petrecere.

5. Voi ___ (a ruga) pentru ajutor.

Exercise 10: Create Dialogues

Create a short dialogue between two people using at least five reflexive verbs.

Solutions and Explanations

Exercise 1:

1. mă

2. te

3. ne

4. vă

5. se

Exercise 2:

1. eu mă spăl

2. tu te îmbraci

3. el se pregătește

4. noi ne relaxăm

5. voi vă distrați

Exercise 3:

1. Eu mă spăl.

2. Tu te îmbraci.

3. El se uită în oglindă.

4. Noi ne întâlnim la parc.

5. Ei se tem.

Exercise 4:

1. mă

2. te

3. se

4. ne

5. vă

Exercise 5:

1 - 1, 2 - 5, 3 - 3, 4 - 2, 5 - 4

Exercise 6:

1. Maria se îmbracă. → Se îmbracă.

2. Andrei se relaxează. → Se relaxează.

3. Ana se pregătește. → Se pregătește.

4. Mihai se uită la televizor. → Se uită la televizor.

5. Paul se distrează. → Se distrează.

Exercise 7: (Answers will vary)

Exercise 8:

1. False

2. False

3. True

4. False

5. False

Exercise 9:

1. mă îmbrac

2. te speli

3. se relaxează

4. ne distrăm

5. vă rugați

Exercise 10: (Answers will vary)

With this lesson, you should now have a better understanding of reflexive verbs and pronouns in Romanian. Practice these concepts regularly to reinforce your learning, and don't hesitate to revisit this material as you advance in your Romanian studies!

Table of Contents - Romanian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Pronouns and Verbs

• Personal Pronouns
• Present Tense of Verbs

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-10
• Telling Time

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Basic Adjectives
• Basic Adverbs

  ---

Family and Friends

• Family Members
• Describing Relationships

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Basic Prepositions
• Basic Conjunctions

  ---

Food and Drinks

• Common Foods
• Common Drinks

  ---

Questions and Negations

• Forming Questions
• Negation

  ---

Locations and Directions

• Common Locations
• Giving Directions

  ---

Plurals and Articles

• Plural Nouns
• Definite and Indefinite Articles

  ---

Hobbies and Activities

• Common Hobbies
• Describing Activities

  ---

Romanian Culture and Traditions

• Romanian Holidays
• Romanian Cuisine

  ---

Imperatives and Requests

• Imperative Form
• Polite Requests

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Vocabulary

  ---

Romanian Geography and History

• Geography of Romania
• Romanian History

Sources

• Romanian language lesson: Reflexive verbs (Verbele reflexive ...
• ROMANIAN VERBS

Other Lessons

• Cases
• Prepositions and Postpositions
• The Accusative Case in Romanian
• Plural in Romanian
• How to Use Be
• Indefinite Articles in Romanian
• How to use ¨can¨ in Romanian
• Possessive Case in Romanian
• How to use ¨to speak¨ in Romanian
• Cardinal Numbers in Romanian