Romanian has three easily confused forms: possessive sa in Cartea sa este pe masă. (His or her book is on the table.), subjunctive marker să in Vreau să citesc. (I want to read.), and clitic-plus-auxiliary s-a in S-a întors devreme. (He or she returned early.). The spelling follows the grammatical job, not just the sound.
How do you choose between sa, să, and s-a?
Use sa for possession with a feminine singular noun, să before a present-subjunctive verb, and s-a when a short reflexive or impersonal clitic joins the auxiliary a in a compound past.
| Form | Grammatical job | Fast check | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| sa | Possessive adjective | It describes whose thing it is and agrees with a feminine singular noun. | sora sa (his or her sister) |
| să | Present-subjunctive marker | A finite verb follows it in a desire, need, possibility, or similar clause. | Vreau să plec. (I want to leave.) |
| s-a | Clitic + auxiliary a | It normally begins a compound-past verb group before a past participle. | S-a deschis ușa. (The door opened.) |
When is sa the possessive form?
Sa is the feminine singular form of the third-person possessive adjective. It means his, her, or its, and the noun it describes is feminine singular: cartea sa (his or her book), fiica sa (his or her daughter), and ideea sa (his or her idea). The possessor can be masculine or feminine; the form changes with the thing possessed.
| Noun described | Possessive form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine or neuter singular | său | fratele său (his or her brother) |
| Feminine singular | sa | sora sa (his or her sister) |
| Masculine plural | săi | frații săi (his or her brothers) |
| Feminine or neuter plural | sale | surorile sale (his or her sisters); planurile sale (his or her plans) |
The possessive set său, sa, săi, sale is standard, but neutral Romanian often uses the genitive forms lui, ei, or lor: cartea lui (his book), cartea ei (her book), or cartea lor (their book). The possessive set is especially useful when the owner is the subject: El vorbește cu sora sa. (He is talking with his own sister.) See possessive adjectives and pronouns for the wider system.
When is să the subjunctive marker?
Use să before a present-subjunctive verb after expressions of desire, necessity, possibility, permission, advice, or evaluation: Vreau să învăț. (I want to learn.), Trebuie să pleci. (You have to leave.), and Este posibil să plouă. (It is possible that it will rain.). The verb after să carries the person and number.
- With the same subject, use the simple pattern: Sper să ajung la timp. (I hope to arrive on time.)
- A different subject can be understood from the verb: Vreau să pleci. (I want you to leave.)
- When you state or emphasize the subject, use ca ... să: Vreau ca Ana să plece. (I want Ana to leave.)
- The form să also appears in the common future frame o să: O să vin mâine. (I will come tomorrow.) This is still written with the diacritic. See the Romanian present subjunctive and the future with o să.
When is s-a the hyphenated form?
Write s-a when the short clitic se comes before the third-person singular auxiliary a in perfectul compus. The next verb is normally a past participle: S-a întors. (He or she returned.), S-a oprit autobuzul. (The bus stopped.), and S-a spus adevărul. (The truth was told.) The clitic's precise meaning depends on the verb and context, but the hyphenated spelling stays the same. See the Romanian compound past, Romanian reflexive pronouns, and the Romanian hyphen.
| Question to ask | Choose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Does it describe an owned feminine singular noun? | sa | Aceasta este geanta sa. (This is his or her bag.) |
| Does it introduce an action after wanting, needing, or hoping? | să | Vreau să citesc. (I want to read.) |
| Does it stand before a past participle in a completed-past verb group? | s-a | S-a schimbat planul. (The plan changed.) |
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Do not choose sa just because it sounds like să in a sentence. Compare Cartea sa (his or her book) with Vreau să citesc (I want to read).
- Do not use să before a noun when you mean possession: write sora sa, not sora să.
- Do not replace s-a with a space or with să: write S-a întors, with the clitic and auxiliary joined by a hyphen.
- Do not assume that the gender of the owner controls sa. The noun owned controls the possessive: fratele său, but sora sa.
- Keep the Romanian letters in all three contrasts. sa, să, and s-a are different written forms, even when casual speech makes them hard to separate. See Romanian diacritics.
Which sentence uses sa as a possessive adjective?
- Cartea sa este pe masă.
- S-a întors acasă.
- Vreau să citesc.
- Trebuie să pleci.
In Cartea sa, sa tells whose book it is and agrees with the feminine singular noun cartea. The other sentences use either s-a in a past verb group or să as the subjunctive marker.
Complete the sentence: Vreau ___ citesc acum.
- s-a
- să
- sa
- său
After Vreau, the action is expressed with the present subjunctive: Vreau să citesc. The form să needs its diacritic; sa is the possessive form, while s-a belongs to a different verb construction.
Which sentence correctly means “She returned early”?
- Ea se-a întors devreme.
- Ea s-a întoarsă devreme.
- Ea s-a întors devreme.
- Ea să întors devreme.
The compound past uses s-a before the participle întors: Ea s-a întors devreme. The other options have an extra clitic, an incorrect participle form for this tense, or the subjunctive marker in the wrong construction.
Which sentence correctly says “I want Ana to leave”?
- Vreau să Ana pleacă.
- Vreau s-a Ana să plece.
- Vreau ca Ana pleacă.
- Vreau ca Ana să plece.
With an explicit subject inside this subjunctive complement, use ca ... să and the subjunctive form plece: Vreau ca Ana să plece.
Maria owns the bag. Which sentence restates Aceasta este geanta sa with a genitive possessor?
- Aceasta este geanta lui.
- Aceasta este geanta ei.
- Aceasta s-a geanta ei.
- Aceasta este geanta să.
Because Maria is the possessor, the genitive form is ei: geanta ei. The possessive adjective sa and the genitive ei can express the same possessor in this context.