Romanian has five noun cases: nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, and vocative. A case shows what a noun is doing in a sentence: Băiatul este aici. (The boy is here.)
What does each Romanian case do?
Use the nominative for the subject, the accusative for a direct object or many prepositional complements, the genitive for possession, the dative for an indirect object, and the vocative for direct address.
| Case | Main job | Useful question | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative | subject | cine? ce? (who? what?) | Băiatul citește. (The boy is reading.) |
| Accusative | direct object or complement after many prepositions | pe cine? ce? (whom? what?) | Citesc cartea. (I am reading the book.) |
| Genitive | possession or belonging | al cui? (whose?) | Cartea băiatului este nouă. (The boy’s book is new.) |
| Dative | indirect object, often a recipient | cui? (to whom?) | Îi dau băiatului cartea. (I give the boy the book.) |
| Vocative | direct address | no sentence question | Băiete, vino! (Boy, come!) |
How do the forms show case?
For most Romanian nouns, you identify case from the noun’s role rather than from a unique ending: nominative and accusative usually share one form, and genitive and dative usually share another. The definite article and indefinite article often make the difference visible.
| Noun pattern | Nominative–accusative | Genitive–dative | What to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | un băiat / băiatul | unui băiat / băiatului | The noun stays băiat; the article changes. |
| Feminine singular | o casă / casa | unei case / casei | The noun form changes from casă to case; the article also changes. |
| Plural, masculine model | niște băieți / băieții | unor băieți / băieților | The noun stays băieți; the plural article changes. |
The first form in each pair is indefinite and the second is definite. In the genitive–dative, the indefinite articles are unui for masculine and neuter singular, unei for feminine singular, and unor for the plural. The definite article is attached to the noun: compare băiatul with băiatului, and băieții with băieților.
How do you identify a case in a sentence?
First find the noun’s relationship to the verb or to another noun; then check its article and form.
- Find the subject: the person or thing that the sentence is about is usually nominative, as in Băiatul citește. (The boy is reading.)
- Find the direct object: the thing directly affected by the verb is accusative, as in Citesc cartea. (I am reading the book.)
- Find the recipient or beneficiary: the person receiving something is dative, as in Îi dau băiatului cartea. (I give the boy the book.)
- Find possession or belonging: the possessor is genitive, as in cartea băiatului (the boy’s book).
- If the speaker is calling to someone, use the vocative, as in Băiete, vino! (Boy, come!).
What role do prepositions and pe play?
Many ordinary prepositions introduce an accusative-shaped noun phrase: cu prietenul (with the friend) and la școală (at school). A direct object can also use pe in contexts such as Îl văd pe băiat. (I see the boy.); pe is a marker, not a fifth noun case. The exact choice of pe depends on factors such as definiteness and whether the object is a person, so see the direct-object marker pe for that separate decision.
Essential variation
The examples here are neutral contemporary Standard Romanian. Case names describe function even when two cases have the same spelling: băiatului is genitive in cartea băiatului but dative in Îi dau băiatului cartea.
- Nominative–accusative and genitive–dative are form pairings, not five completely separate noun endings. The sentence role decides which case you are using.
- Vocative forms depend on the noun. Băiete is the standard neutral vocative of băiat, but other nouns can have a different ending or the same visible form as nominative–accusative. Detailed patterns belong to the Romanian vocative.
- Regional, popular, archaic, and highly conversational variants are outside this A2 overview; do not treat them as the neutral model. Pronoun case forms are also a separate topic.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not assume that băiatului always means “to the boy” or always means “the boy’s.” Its role is dative after dau but genitive after cartea.
- Do not search for a different noun ending for every case. Romanian commonly groups nominative with accusative and genitive with dative.
- Do not use a genitive or dative form when calling to someone: direct address needs the vocative, as in Băiete, vino!, normally set off by a comma.
Which case marks direct address in Băiete, vino!?
- Nominative
- Accusative
- Genitive
- Vocative
The vocative is used when the speaker calls directly to someone. Băiete is the vocative form here, not the subject of the command.
Complete the sentence: Îi dau ___ cartea. (I give the boy the book.)
- băiatul
- băiatului
- băiete
- băieți
The recipient answers cui? (to whom?), so it is dative: băiatului.
Which sentence uses băiatul as the nominative subject?
- Băiatul citește cartea. (The boy is reading the book.)
- Cartea băiatului este nouă. (The boy’s book is new.)
- Îi dau băiatului cartea. (I give the boy the book.)
- Băiete, citește cartea! (Boy, read the book!)
In Băiatul citește cartea., băiatul is the subject, so it is nominative. The other sentences use a possessor, a recipient, or direct address.
Which sentence uses băiatului for possession, not for a recipient?
- Cartea băiatului este nouă. (The boy’s book is new.)
- Îi dau băiatului cartea. (I give the boy the book.)
- Băiatul citește cartea. (The boy is reading the book.)
- Băiete, vino! (Boy, come!)
In cartea băiatului, băiatului answers al cui? (whose?), so it is genitive. The same visible form is dative in Îi dau băiatului cartea.
Which statement about Romanian noun cases is correct?
- Nominative and accusative always have different noun endings.
- Genitive and dative always have different noun endings.
- The same form băiatului can be genitive or dative; the sentence role identifies it.
- The vocative always marks the subject.
Romanian commonly has the same form for genitive and dative. The construction determines the function: possession gives genitive, while a recipient gives dative.