Romanian prepositions connect a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence: Cartea este pe masă. (The book is on the table.) A single Romanian preposition can express more than one relation, so learn each form with several useful meanings and examples rather than one fixed English translation.
Which preposition expresses the basic relation?
Start with the relation in the situation, then choose the Romanian preposition. The English gloss is only a guide: one Romanian preposition can cover several English choices, and one English preposition can have several Romanian equivalents.
| Preposition | Core meanings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| la | place or institution: at or to; time: at | Place: Sunt la bibliotecă. (I am at the library.) Time: Ne vedem la ora șase. (We will see each other at six.) |
| în | interior: in or inside; period: in | Interior: Cheile sunt în geantă. (The keys are in the bag.) Period: În iunie plecăm. (In June we are leaving.) |
| din | origin: from a place; movement: out of an interior | Origin: Sunt din Cluj. (I am from Cluj.) Movement: Ies din casă. (I am going out of the house.) |
| de | a link for type, contents, or another relation | Type: un curs de română (a Romanian course). Contents: o cană de ceai (a cup of tea). |
| cu | means: with or by; association or combination: with | Means: Merg cu trenul. (I am going by train.) Combination: Ceai cu lămâie. (Tea with lemon.) |
| fără | without; in the absence of | Cafea fără zahăr, vă rog. (Coffee without sugar, please.) |
| pentru | person or recipient: for; purpose or occasion: for | Recipient: Cadoul este pentru Ana. (The gift is for Ana.) Purpose: Învăț pentru examen. (I am studying for the exam.) |
| pe | surface: on, onto, or along; direct-object marker in some sentences | Surface: Telefonul este pe masă. (The phone is on the table.) Marker: O văd pe Maria. (I see Maria.) |
| până | time limit: until; spatial endpoint: as far as | Time limit: Lucrez până la ora cinci. (I work until five.) Endpoint: Mergem până la gară. (We are going as far as the station.) |
How do core Romanian prepositions behave?
Each preposition is invariable. In the core patterns here, the following noun phrase is normally accusative — the case also used for many direct objects. Nominative and accusative noun forms are usually identical, but the article still matters.
| Pattern | What to notice | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The preposition does not agree | cu stays the same with every subject or noun | Compare Vorbesc cu Ana. (I speak with Ana.) with Vorbim cu Ana. (We speak with Ana.) |
| The noun phrase is normally accusative | For this core set, do not add a genitive-dative form just because English uses “to” or “of” | pentru o studentă (for a female student), not pentru unei studente |
| în + un/o | The two parts are written together as într-un and într-o | Locuiesc într-un oraș mare. (I live in a big city.) |
| din + un/o | The two parts are written together as dintr-un and dintr-o | Vin dintr-o țară mică. (I come from a small country.) |
| Article choice depends on the phrase | Some nouns keep a suffixed article, while conventional locative phrases can use a bare noun | cu profesorul (with the teacher), but pe masă (on the table) |
The accusative pattern is a practical starting point for this core set. It does not apply to every Romanian preposition. Compound prepositions and prepositions that select the genitive or dative need separate treatment in the Romanian case system and prepositions with the accusative.
When does pe mark a direct object instead of a surface relation?
Lexical pe means a relation such as on or onto, while marker pe can identify a direct object, especially a person. In O văd pe Maria, pe does not mean on. The direct-object marker article gives the fuller animacy and definiteness contrasts.
Why can both la and în refer to a place?
The forms above are neutral contemporary Standard Romanian. Do not turn la and în into a universal English-style rule such as “la means city” or “în means country.” Context, the kind of place, and sometimes the intended geographic reference control the choice. DOOM3 gives one contextual example: la Cluj can refer to the city, while în Cluj can refer to the county. The dedicated la versus în location contrast goes further.
Which phrase means “coffee without sugar”?
- cafea cu zahăr
- cafea fără zahăr
- cafea pentru zahăr
- cafea din zahăr
Fără means without, so cafea fără zahăr is coffee without sugar. Cu means with, while pentru and din express different relations.
Complete the sentence: Locuiesc ___ oraș mare. (I live in a big city.)
- în un
- dintr-un
- într-o
- într-un
Before masculine or neuter un, în is written as într-un: Locuiesc într-un oraș mare. Într-o is the feminine form, and dintr-un means from a city.
Which sentence means “The gift is for Ana”?
- Cadoul este pentru Ana.
- Cadoul este cu Ana.
- Cadoul este de Ana.
- Cadoul este pe Ana.
Use pentru for an intended recipient: Cadoul este pentru Ana. Cu means with, de has other linking meanings here, and pe does not mean for.
Which sentence uses pe as a direct-object marker rather than as a surface preposition?
- Cartea este pe masă.
- Stau pe scaun.
- O văd pe Maria.
- Telefonul este pe masă.
In O văd pe Maria, pe marks the identifiable person who is the direct object. In the other sentences, pe expresses a surface relation.
Which sentence means “I work until five”?
- Lucrez pentru ora cinci.
- Lucrez până la ora cinci.
- Lucrez la ora cinci.
- Lucrez în ora cinci.
Use până for a time limit: Lucrez până la ora cinci. La ora cinci means at five, not until five.