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Romanian grammar · A1

Direct Object Marker 'pe'

Alexander StebnerCreator of Lingora · Updated 18 October 20262 min readComments

Romanian does something English never does: it puts a small marker, , in front of certain direct objects. It is not translated - it is a grammatical signal that the object is a specific person (or, more rarely, a definite, personified thing).

01

When 'pe' Is Used

Mainly before people: proper names, and personal or demonstrative pronouns used as objects:

  • Îl văd pe Ion.

    I see Ion.

  • O cunosc pe Maria.

    I know Maria.

  • Pe cine cauți?

    Whom are you looking for?

02

The Doubling Clitic

A striking feature: the marked object is usually doubled by a matching short pronoun before the verb. So "I see Ion" carries both (him) and :

  • Îl cunosc pe profesor.

    I know the professor. (literally: him I-know PE professor)

  • Pe el îl știu.

    Him, I know.

This looks redundant to an English speaker, but it is the normal, correct pattern.

03

Not for Most Things

Ordinary inanimate objects take no :

  • Văd casa.

    I see the house. (no pe)

  • Citesc cartea.

    I'm reading the book.

04

The Other 'pe'

Do not confuse this grammatical marker with the everyday preposition meaning "on":

  • Cartea e pe masă.

    The book is on the table.

All 32 Romanian grammar topics

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