Romanian often chooses a preposition as part of a verb's meaning. Learn the whole frame, not only the verb: Mă gândesc la examen. (I am thinking about the exam.) The reflexive form mă gândesc and the preposition la belong to this pattern.
How do you learn a verb–preposition frame?
Store three pieces together: the infinitive, the preposition, and the kind of phrase that normally completes the intended meaning. Then change the verb for person or tense while keeping the frame: a depinde de ceva → Depinde de vreme. (It depends on the weather.)
| Frame | Typical meaning | Neutral example |
|---|---|---|
| a se gândi la + topic/person | to think about | Mă gândesc la examen. (I am thinking about the exam.) |
| a vorbi despre + topic | to talk about | Vorbim despre proiect. (We are talking about the project.) |
| a vorbi cu + interlocutor | to talk with | Vorbesc cu Ana. (I am talking with Ana.) |
| a depinde de + condition/factor | to depend on | Rezultatul depinde de vreme. (The result depends on the weather.) |
| a avea grijă de + person/thing | to take care of | Are grijă de copil. (He or she takes care of the child.) |
| a participa la + event/activity | to take part in | Particip la conferință. (I am taking part in the conference.) |
| a conta pe + support/person | to count on, rely on | Poți conta pe mine. (You can count on me.) |
The English gloss is only a guide. For example, English talk to can correspond to a vorbi cu, while English talk about corresponds to a vorbi despre. The preposition is not chosen by translating the English word to or about one word at a time.
What forms come after the preposition?
A noun keeps the form appropriate to its phrase, while a personal pronoun normally appears in a full form after the preposition. These are the same full forms used with other accusative prepositions; see prepositions that take the accusative and stressed object pronouns.
| Person | After la | After cu | After de or despre | After pe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | la mine | cu mine | de mine, despre mine | pe mine |
| 2nd singular | la tine | cu tine | de tine, despre tine | pe tine |
| 3rd singular masculine | la el | cu el | de el, despre el | pe el |
| 3rd singular feminine | la ea | cu ea | de ea, despre ea | pe ea |
| 1st plural | la noi | cu noi | de noi, despre noi | pe noi |
| 2nd plural | la voi | cu voi | de voi, despre voi | pe voi |
| 3rd plural masculine or mixed | la ei | cu ei | de ei, despre ei | pe ei |
| 3rd plural feminine | la ele | cu ele | de ele, despre ele | pe ele |
The frame supplies the preposition. Choose the full pronoun by person and number, and by gender in the third person: Mă gândesc la ea. (I am thinking about her.) The preposition does not turn the pronoun into a subject.
Which part is selected, and which part is extra?
A selected complement is the phrase the verb frame uses to express its intended meaning. A free adjunct adds information such as time, place, manner, or cause and can usually be removed without leaving that lexical frame incomplete. Both may be prepositional phrases, so the preposition alone does not tell you which role a phrase has.
| Sentence | Selected complement | Free adjunct |
|---|---|---|
| Mă gândesc la examen în liniște. (I am thinking about the exam quietly.) | la examen completes the topic frame a se gândi la. | în liniște gives manner and can be removed. |
| Vorbim despre proiect la cafenea. (We are talking about the project at the café.) | despre proiect gives the topic of a vorbi despre. | la cafenea gives place. |
| Rezultatul depinde de vreme astăzi. (The result depends on the weather today.) | de vreme supplies the factor selected by a depinde de. | astăzi gives time. |
| Particip la conferință în București. (I am taking part in the conference in Bucharest.) | la conferință supplies the event selected by a participa la. | în București gives place. |
Speakers can omit the complement of some verbs when the context supplies it. Vorbim. (We are talking.) is complete, but when you mean “talk about a topic,” the frame is a vorbi despre. The intended meaning determines the frame; the verb can still stand alone in a different context.
Which additional frames are worth learning as units?
The selected preposition and complement type stay with each frame. Compare the final column for reflexive forms and contrasts with English or nearby Romanian frames.
| Frame | Typical meaning | Neutral example | Frame note |
|---|---|---|---|
| a se baza pe ceva or a se baza pe cineva | to rely on something or someone | Ne bazăm pe voi. (We rely on you.) | Reflexive se is part of the lexical frame. |
| a se teme de ceva or a se teme de cineva | to be afraid of something or someone | Nu mă tem de el. (I am not afraid of him.) | Reflexive se is part of the lexical frame. |
| a se căsători cu cineva | to marry someone | S-a căsătorit cu Maria. (He or she married Maria.) | English normally uses marry without a preposition. |
| a amenința pe cineva cu ceva | to threaten someone with something | L-a amenințat cu un cuțit. (He or she threatened him with a knife.) | The phrase pe cineva names the person affected; cu ceva names the instrument or threat. |
| a avea grijă să + action | to be careful to do or avoid something | Ai grijă să nu întârzii! (Be careful not to be late!) | This differs from a avea grijă de plus a person or thing. |
The reflexive forms in a se gândi la, a se baza pe, and a se teme de are part of the lexical pattern. They are not a free instruction to add se to an English verb. See Romanian reflexive verbs for the broader uses of reflexive pronouns.
What useful contrasts should you memorize?
Read each row as a contrast between two complete frames. The English meanings follow the same left-to-right order as the Romanian examples.
| Contrast | Romanian | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| topic vs interlocutor | Vorbesc despre Ana. / Vorbesc cu Ana. | I am talking about Ana. / I am talking with Ana. |
| thinking about vs talking with | Mă gândesc la tine. / Vorbesc cu tine. | I am thinking about you. / I am talking with you. |
| care of vs caution | Are grijă de copil. / Ai grijă să nu cazi! | He or she takes care of the child. / Be careful not to fall! |
| rely on vs fear | Mă bazez pe tine. / Mă tem de tine. | I rely on you. / I am afraid of you. |
| event vs support | Particip la proiect. / Poți conta pe mine. | I take part in the project. / You can count on me. |
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not translate English prepositions mechanically: learn a vorbi cu cineva for talk with someone and a vorbi despre ceva for talk about something.
- Do not remove the reflexive pronoun from a lexical frame: use mă gândesc la, te bazezi pe, and se teme de with the appropriate person form.
- Do not replace a selected preposition with a free location phrase: Particip la conferință în București uses la conferință for the event and în București for place.
- Do not confuse a avea grijă de copil (take care of the child) with a avea grijă să nu cazi (be careful not to fall). The complement type changes the construction.
- Do not treat pe in a conta pe or a se baza pe as automatically the direct-object marker. It is the preposition selected by the lexical frame; see the direct-object marker pe for the separate construction.
Which sentence means “I am talking about the project”?
- Vorbesc cu proiectul.
- Vorbesc la proiectul.
- Vorbesc despre proiect.
- Vorbesc de proiectul.
For the topic meaning, the frame is a vorbi despre: Vorbesc despre proiect. Cu introduces an interlocutor, while la proiectul and de proiectul are not the neutral frame taught here.
Complete the sentence: Rezultatul depinde ___ vreme. (The result depends on the weather.)
- de
- la
- cu
- despre
The lexical frame is a depinde de ceva, so the correct sentence is Rezultatul depinde de vreme. The other prepositions express different relations and do not complete this frame.
Which sentence means “I am thinking about her”?
- Mă gândesc cu ea.
- Mă gândesc de ea.
- Mă gândesc pe ea.
- Mă gândesc la ea.
The reflexive frame is a se gândi la, and the full feminine pronoun after la is ea: Mă gândesc la ea. The reflexive clitic mă is also part of the frame.
Which sentence distinguishes a selected event from a free place adjunct?
- Particip de conferință la București.
- Particip la conferință în București.
- Particip cu conferință despre București.
- Particip pe conferință de București.
A participa la selects the event: la conferință. În București is an additional place phrase. The sentence therefore contains the frame and a removable location adjunct.
Which sentence means “He or she takes care of the child”?
- Are grijă la copil.
- Are grijă cu copil.
- Are grijă despre copil.
- Are grijă de copil.
The neutral lexical unit is a avea grijă de cineva/ceva: Are grijă de copil. The pattern a avea grijă să is different because it introduces an action or clause, not a person noun phrase.