Romanian personal names usually appear without a separate article in the basic subject or object phrase: Maria citește. (Maria is reading.) In the genitive-dative, however, a name can change form: Cartea Mariei este pe masă. (Maria's book is on the table.) Place names have individual bare forms and forms with an article: în București (in Bucharest), but centrul Bucureștiului (the center of Bucharest).
How do Romanian personal names show the cases?
Keep a personal name in its base form for the subject and most accusative phrases. In the genitive-dative, use the name's standard form or the preposed article lui, depending on the name.
| Role | Name form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Base name | Ion a venit. (Ion came.) |
| Direct object referring to a person | pe + base name | Am văzut-o pe Maria. (I saw Maria.) |
| Possession or recipient | The name's genitive-dative form; the pattern depends on the name | Compare cartea Mariei (Maria's book) with cartea lui Ion (Ion's book). |
| Name pattern | Genitive-dative form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feminine first name ending in -a | Name changes to -ei | cartea Mariei | Maria's book |
| Feminine first name ending in -ca | Name changes to -căi | I-am dat Ancăi cartea. | I gave Anca the book. |
| Masculine first name | lui + name | cartea lui Ion | Ion's book |
| Feminine first name not ending in -a | lui + name | cartea lui Carmen | Carmen's book |
| Surname | Usually lui + name | discursul lui Popescu | Popescu's speech |
The first two rows show the standard inflected pattern for feminine first names that can take a feminine genitive-dative ending. The other rows use lui before the unchanged name. The same visible form can express possession or a recipient: Cartea lui Ion (Ion's book), but I-am dat lui Ion cartea. (I gave Ion the book.) For the broader case pattern, see genitive and dative noun forms.
In sora lui Ion (Ion's sister), lui belongs to the genitive-dative name pattern. In sora lui (his sister), lui is instead a possessive pronoun.
When do place names carry an article?
Place names follow individual patterns. Some are normally used as bare names. Others have an articulated form — a form with an article — in particular noun phrases or genitive-dative forms.
- Use a bare place name in ordinary location phrases: în București (in Bucharest) and din România (from Romania).
- Use the recorded forms Bucureștiul in Bucureștiul de azi (today's Bucharest) and Bucureștiului in centrul Bucureștiului (the center of Bucharest).
- Some names already contain a common noun with its own article: Marea Neagră (the Black Sea). Learn the complete name rather than adding an article mechanically.
- Country names can have their own established forms: România is the normal name, and României is its genitive-dative form. Do not replace România with a separate word meaning “the”.
The definite article is usually attached to common nouns, but proper names have individual patterns. DOOM3 records selected individual names. Check an available entry for a city, country, institution, or title when its pattern is uncertain instead of applying one ending to every proper noun.
How does direct address change a personal name?
Direct address commonly keeps the base name: Ion, vino! (Ion, come!). Some names also have a special vocative form; DOOM3 records Ioane, vino! for Ion. The Ioane form marks direct address, not the genitive-dative. See the Romanian vocative for the wider system.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not add un or o before an ordinary personal name: say Maria a venit, not o Maria a venit.
- Do not use lui with every name: cartea Mariei and cartea lui Ion follow different standard patterns.
- Do not confuse genitive-dative with direct address: Cartea lui Ion means Ion's book, while Ioane, vino! addresses Ion.
Which phrase means “Maria's book”?
- cartea lui Maria
- cartea Mariei
- cartea Maria
- cartea la Maria
The standard genitive-dative form of the feminine first name Maria is Mariei, so cartea Mariei means Maria's book.
Choose the standard genitive-dative form of Anca in I-am dat ___ cartea. (I gave Anca the book.)
- Anca
- Ancei
- Ancăi
- lui Anca
Feminine first names ending in -ca use -căi in this pattern: Ancăi.
Complete the sentence: Cartea ___ este nouă. (Ion's book is new.)
- Ion
- lui Ion
- Ionului
- lui Ionuț
A masculine personal name normally forms the genitive-dative with the preposed article lui: cartea lui Ion.
Which sentence means “The center of Bucharest is crowded”?
- Centrul București este aglomerat.
- Centrul lui București este aglomerat.
- Centrul Bucureștiului este aglomerat.
- Centrul Bucureștiul este aglomerat.
The recorded articulated genitive-dative form is Bucureștiului, so Centrul Bucureștiului este aglomerat means the center of Bucharest is crowded.
Which sentence uses the special vocative form listed for Ion?
- Ionului, vino!
- lui Ion, vino!
- Ioane, vino!
- a lui Ion, vino!
Ioane is the special vocative form listed for Ion. The vocative is for direct address, not possession or the genitive-dative.