Romanian uses three written forms for different grammatical jobs: 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 hyphenated s-a in S-a întors devreme. (He or she returned early.). The spelling follows the grammatical job.
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 the unstressed short form s- of se joins the auxiliary a in a compound past.
| Form | Grammatical job | Decision test | 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. Compare fratele său (his or her brother) with sora sa (his or her 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.
The same spelling also appears in the common future frame o să: O să vin mâine. (I will come tomorrow.) Here să has a different function, but it still keeps the diacritic. See the Romanian present subjunctive and the future with o să for the wider patterns.
When is s-a the hyphenated form?
Write s-a when the unstressed short form s- of 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 short form'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.
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.
- Preserve the diacritic and hyphen: sa, să, and s-a are different written forms. 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 uses the possessive form after sora?
- El vorbește cu sora să.
- El vorbește cu sora s-a.
- El vorbește cu sora său.
- El vorbește cu sora sa.
The feminine singular noun sora takes the possessive form sa: El vorbește cu sora sa. The forms să and s-a have verb-related jobs, while său agrees with a masculine or neuter singular noun.
Why does Romanian use fratele său but sora sa for the same owner?
- The form changes with the owner's gender.
- The possessive agrees with the gender and number of the noun that names the thing possessed.
- Sa is used only at the end of a sentence.
- Său is the past-tense form of sa.
The possessive agrees with the thing possessed, not with the owner. Fratele is masculine singular, so it takes său; sora is feminine singular, so it takes sa.