Romanian unstressed object pronouns, or clitics, stay close to the verb, but their exact position depends on the verb form: Îl văd. (I see him or it.) and L-am văzut. (I saw him or it.)
Where does an object clitic go?
In affirmative clauses, most clitics come before a simple finite verb or auxiliary. The present subjunctive places the clitic between să and the verb. Two forms place it after the verb or participle: the affirmative imperative and feminine singular o in the compound perfect.
| Verb form | Position | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple finite form | before the verb | Îl citesc. | I read it. |
| Future with voi | before the auxiliary | Îl voi citi. | I will read it. |
| Compound perfect | before the auxiliary | L-am citit. | I read it. |
| Present subjunctive | after să | Vreau să-l citesc. | I want to read it. |
| Affirmative imperative | after the verb, with a hyphen | Citește-l! | Read it! |
The same basic pre-verbal placement applies to the imperfect, simple perfect, and pluperfect, because these are simple finite forms.
How does the verb form change the spelling?
Some clitics appear as separate words. Shorter forms attach to an auxiliary or verb in particular vowel combinations. For example, îl becomes l- in l-am văzut, while feminine singular o has its own position after the participle in the compound perfect.
| Pattern | Example | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| Present as a separate clitic | Îl aștept. (I am waiting for him or it.) | îl is written as a separate word. |
| Perfect with masculine singular îl | L-am așteptat. (I waited for him or it.) | The clitic joins the auxiliary with a hyphen. |
| Perfect with feminine singular o | Am așteptat-o. (I waited for her or it.) | o follows the participle and joins it with a hyphen. |
| Future | O voi aștepta. (I will wait for her or it.) | The clitic comes before voi, not before the infinitive. |
What happens after negation?
Put nu before the clitic and the verb in a negative finite clause: Nu-l cunosc. (I do not know him or it.) With feminine singular o, the common contracted form is N-o cunosc, while Nu o cunosc is also a standard full spelling.
| Verb form | Negative example | Clitic position |
|---|---|---|
| Present or another simple finite form | Nu mă vede. (He or she does not see me.) | after nu and before the verb |
| Future | Nu-l voi invita. (I will not invite him or it.) | after nu and before the auxiliary |
| Compound perfect, most clitics | Nu l-am invitat. (I did not invite him.) | after nu and before the auxiliary |
| Compound perfect, feminine singular o | Nu am invitat-o. (I did not invite her.) | after the participle |
| Present subjunctive | Vreau să nu-l chem. (I want to not call him.) | after să nu and before the verb |
| Negative imperative | Nu-l chema! (Do not call him!) | between nu and the verb |
How do two object clitics combine?
When a sentence has both an indirect-object clitic and a direct-object clitic, the dative clitic comes first. The pair stays before the finite verb or auxiliary in ordinary affirmative clauses, and its spelling changes with the surrounding verb form.
| Verb form | Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | dative + accusative + verb | Mi-l trimite. | He or she sends it to me. |
| Compound perfect | dative + accusative + auxiliary + participle | Mi l-a trimis. | He or she sent it to me. |
| Future | dative + accusative + auxiliary + infinitive | Mi-l va trimite. | He or she will send it to me. |
| Present subjunctive | să + dative + accusative + verb | Vreau să mi-l trimită. | I want him or her to send it to me. |
| Affirmative imperative | verb + dative + accusative | Trimite-mi-l! | Send it to me! |
Some dative and accusative clitics shorten when they combine. Îi plus îl becomes i-l in I-l voi trimite. (I will send it to him or her.) Before a compound-perfect auxiliary, write the two clitics separately: I l-a trimis. (He or she sent it to him or her.) Detailed combinations belong to the order of Romanian clitic pronouns.
How do full object pronouns differ in position?
Unstressed object pronouns include mă, îl, o, îmi, and le. Full forms such as pe mine or ție are separate words and can move for contrast. When a full form accompanies the verb as an emphasized object, the matching clitic remains in its usual position: Mă vede pe mine, nu pe tine. (He or she sees me, not you.) See unstressed direct object pronouns and unstressed indirect object pronouns for the forms themselves.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not place a direct-object clitic after an ordinary present-tense verb: use Îl văd, not Văd-l. The postverbal position belongs to forms such as the affirmative imperative: Vezi-l! (Look at him or it!)
- Do not put the clitic before the infinitive in the future: use Îl voi vedea, not Voi îl vedea or Voi vedea-l.
- For an affirmative command, put the clitic after the verb: Ajută-mă! (Help me!) The form Mă ajută! does not express that command.
- Do not treat o in the compound perfect as if it behaved like every other clitic: use Am văzut-o, not O am văzut.
- Do not reverse two clitics: the indirect-object clitic comes first in Mi-l trimite (He or she sends it to me).
Which sentence means "I see him or it"?
- Văd îl.
- Îl văd.
- Îl am văzut.
- Văd-l.
In a present-tense affirmative clause, the direct-object clitic comes before the finite verb: Îl văd.
Choose the standard compound-perfect sentence meaning "I saw her".
- Am văzut-o.
- O am văzut.
- Am o văzut.
- Văzut-o am.
Feminine singular o follows the participle in the compound perfect and joins it with a hyphen: Am văzut-o.
Complete the sentence: Vreau ___. (I want to see him or it.)
- să văd-l
- să-l văd
- să îl văd-l
- l-să văd
In the present subjunctive, the clitic goes between să and the verb: să-l văd.
Which sentence is the affirmative command “Read it!” with the masculine direct-object clitic?
- Îl citește!
- Nu-l citi!
- Citește îl!
- Citește-l!
An affirmative imperative puts the clitic after the verb and uses a hyphen: Citește-l!
Choose the sentence meaning "I will send it to him or her".
- Îi-l voi trimite.
- I-l voi trimite.
- Îl voi trimite-i.
- Îi voi trimite-l.
The dative clitic comes before the accusative clitic, and îi is reduced to i- before l: I-l voi trimite.