These three prepositions cover three closely related jobs: pentru names the beneficiary or the goal ("for"), despre names the topic ("about"), and contra (along with its synonym împotriva) names the opposition ("against"). They are workhorses of everyday Romanian, and each carries one structural detail English speakers regularly miss — pentru splits into two purpose constructions, despre loses out to la with certain verbs, and contra/împotriva drags the noun into the genitive.
Pentru: the beneficiary
The simplest pentru marks who or what something is for. The noun follows normally, with the article tracking definiteness as usual.
Am cumpărat un cadou pentru tine.
I bought a gift for you.
E un curs pentru începători.
It's a course for beginners.
Mulțumesc pentru ajutor.
Thanks for the help.
With pronouns, pentru takes the strong pronoun, like all prepositions: pentru mine, pentru tine, pentru el, pentru noi, pentru voi, pentru ei. Never pentru eu.
Pentru for purpose: two constructions
When pentru means "in order to," Romanian gives you two structures, and choosing between them depends on whether the subject stays the same.
- Same subject → pentru a
- infinitive: Învăț pentru a reuși ("I study in order to succeed"). The person who studies is the person who succeeds, so the infinitive — which carries no subject of its own — is enough.
- Different subject → pentru ca ... să
- subjunctive: Explic din nou pentru ca toți să înțeleagă ("I explain again so that everyone understands"). Now the explainer and the understanders differ, so you need a clause with its own subject, introduced by ca and built on the subjunctive.
Muncesc mult pentru a-mi cumpăra o casă.
I work hard in order to buy myself a house. (same subject → pentru a + infinitive)
Vorbește mai tare pentru ca toți să te audă.
Speak louder so that everyone can hear you. (different subject → pentru ca...să)
Am venit mai devreme pentru a prinde un loc bun.
I came earlier in order to get a good seat.
The crucial detail learners drop is the ca in the second pattern. You cannot say pentru să toți înțeleagă; the subordinate-subject purpose clause requires pentru ca ... să. For the wider system of purpose and result clauses, see result and purpose conjunctions and subjunctive purpose clauses.
| Subject relation | Construction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Same subject | pentru a + infinitive | Învăț pentru a reuși. |
| Different subject | pentru ca ... să + subjunctive | Explic pentru ca ei să reușească. |
Despre: the topic
Despre means "about" in the sense of subject matter — what a book, a conversation, or a film is concerned with. The noun follows normally.
Am citit o carte despre istoria României.
I read a book about the history of Romania.
Despre ce vorbeați?
What were you talking about?
E un film despre război.
It's a film about war.
Here lies a classic transfer trap. English uses "about" with verbs of thinking and worrying — "think about," "worry about" — but Romanian does not use despre for these. The verb a se gândi ("to think") takes la, not despre: mă gândesc la tine ("I'm thinking about you"), not mă gândesc despre tine. Despre is for stating what a topic is; la is for directing your mental attention toward something.
Mă gândesc la vacanță tot timpul.
I think about the holiday all the time. (a se gândi LA, never despre)
Nu-ți face griji pentru examen.
Don't worry about the exam. (a-și face griji takes pentru, not despre)
So three different English "about" verbs land on three different Romanian prepositions: a vorbi despre ("talk about"), a se gândi la ("think about"), a-și face griji pentru ("worry about"). There is no single rule — these are verb-specific and must be learned with the verb. See verb–preposition government for the systematic list.
Contra and împotriva: opposition
"Against" is contra or its fuller synonym împotriva. Both express opposition, and both govern the genitive — meaning the noun that follows goes into its genitive form, and the article fuses in: împotriva regulilor ("against the rules"), contra deciziei ("against the decision"). Împotriva is the more common, slightly more emphatic choice; contra is shorter and frequent in fixed phrases (contra cronometru, "against the clock"; a vote contra).
Toți au votat împotriva propunerii.
Everyone voted against the proposal.
Sunt împotriva acestei idei.
I'm against this idea.
Echipa a luptat contra cronometru.
The team raced against the clock.
With pronouns, împotriva uses a possessive form, not a plain object pronoun, because of its hidden internal noun: împotriva mea ("against me"), împotriva lui ("against him"), împotriva lor ("against them"). This genitive government and the possessive-with-pronouns behavior are explained fully in prepositions governing the genitive; the key point here is simply that contra/împotriva are not plain-accusative prepositions like pentru and despre.
De ce ești mereu împotriva mea?
Why are you always against me?
Common Mistakes
❌ Mă gândesc despre tine.
Incorrect — 'think about' is a se gândi LA, not despre: mă gândesc la tine.
✅ Mă gândesc la tine.
I'm thinking about you.
❌ Vorbește tare pentru să toți te audă.
Incorrect — a different-subject purpose clause needs pentru ca ... să.
✅ Vorbește tare pentru ca toți să te audă.
Speak loudly so that everyone can hear you.
❌ E un cadou pentru eu.
Incorrect — prepositions take the strong pronoun: pentru mine.
✅ E un cadou pentru mine.
It's a gift for me.
❌ Au votat împotriva propunerea.
Incorrect — împotriva governs the genitive: împotriva propunerii.
✅ Au votat împotriva propunerii.
They voted against the proposal.
❌ E o carte despre eu.
Incorrect — strong pronoun after despre: despre mine.
✅ E o carte despre mine.
It's a book about me.
Key Takeaways
- Pentru = "for" (beneficiary or goal); despre = "about" (topic); contra/împotriva = "against" (opposition).
- Purpose splits by subject: same subject → pentru a + infinitive, different subject → pentru ca ... să + subjunctive (don't drop the ca).
- English "about" does not always map to despre: a se gândi takes la, a-și face griji takes pentru — these are verb-specific.
- Pentru and despre take a plain noun and the strong pronoun; contra/împotriva take the genitive and a possessive pronoun (împotriva mea).
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Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- Romanian Prepositions: OverviewA1 — The lay of the land: most everyday Romanian prepositions (la, în, pe, cu, de, din, până, spre, fără, pentru, despre) govern the accusative — which for nouns looks identical to the nominative — while a class of relational prepositions demands the genitive (deasupra) or dative (datorită), and all of them take the strong form of a pronoun (cu mine, never *cu eu).
- Accompaniment and Instrument: cu, fărăA1 — How Romanian expresses 'with' and 'without' — cu for company, instruments, means of transport and manner, fără for absence — including why transport idioms take the definite article (cu mașina) and how fără să renders the English '-ing'.
- Verbs and Their PrepositionsB1 — Romanian verbs lock onto a specific preposition that rarely matches the English one: a se gândi LA (think about), a depinde DE (depend on), a se uita LA (look at), a renunța LA (give up), a se teme DE (be afraid of). Learn each verb together with its preposition as a single unit.
- Result and Purpose (ca să, încât, astfel încât)B1 — The mood-driven split between purpose (ca să / pentru ca…să + subjunctive — the intended goal) and result (așa că / încât / astfel încât + indicative — the achieved consequence), a distinction English collapses into a single 'so (that)'.
- Conjunctiv in Purpose Clauses (ca să, pentru ca să)B1 — How Romanian expresses purpose ('in order to'): ca să + conjunctiv, the bare să after motion verbs, pentru ca…să with an intervening element, and the formal pentru a + infinitive alternative.
- Prepositions Governing the GenitiveB2 — A class of spatial and relational prepositions — deasupra, în fața, în jurul, împotriva, de-a lungul — require the genitive, while datorită/grație/mulțumită take the dative; how to recognize and use them.