Fixed verb–preposition combinations

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 complement 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.)

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.

Apply the frame to the pronoun: Mă gândesc la ea. (I am thinking about her.), Depinde de ei. (It depends on them.), Vorbim despre voi. (We are talking about you.), Particip la el. (I am taking part in it, referring to a masculine event or project.), and Contează pe noi. (He or she counts on us.) The preposition supplies the frame; it 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.

Do not make the rule too rigid: some verbs can be used without an expressed complement 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 distinction concerns the meaning being built, not a claim that the verb can never stand alone.

What useful contrasts should you memorize?

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.

Which additional frames are worth learning as units?

• a se baza pe ceva/pe cineva means to rely on something or someone: Ne bazăm pe voi. (We rely on you.)
• a se teme de ceva/de cineva means to be afraid of something or someone: Nu mă tem de el. (I am not afraid of him.)
• a se căsători cu cineva means to marry someone: S-a căsătorit cu Maria. (He or she married Maria.) English normally has no preposition after marry, so this is a useful contrast.
• a amenința pe cineva cu ceva means to threaten someone with something: L-a amenințat cu un cuțit. (He or she threatened him with a knife.) Here pe cineva is the person affected and cu ceva names the instrument or threat.
• a avea grijă să introduces an action to be carried out or avoided: Ai grijă să nu întârzii! (Be careful not to be late!) This is different from a avea grijă de plus a person or thing.

Essential variation and register

The lesson leads with neutral contemporary Standard Romanian. The frames themselves are lexical choices, not regional alternatives. In conversation, speakers may omit a recoverable complement or use a different but related verb, but that does not make the fixed frame optional when you are expressing its specific meaning. Dictionary entries can confirm current spelling and inflection without listing every possible complement pattern.

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.