Reciprocal Verbs (each other) | Romanian Grammar

When two or more people do something to each other, Romanian does not add a separate phrase the way English does with each other or one another. Instead, it reuses the plural reflexive clitics you already know — ne, vă, se — and lets context carry the reciprocal meaning. This is the most economical way Romanian has of saying "we meet up", "they love each other", or "do you two know each other?", and it is something English speakers consistently overbuild.

The core idea: plural reflexive = reciprocal

A reflexive clitic in the plural can mean two things:

Reflexive: each subject acts on itself ("they wash themselves").
Reciprocal: the subjects act on one another ("they wash each other").

Romanian uses the same forms for both. The only reciprocal-capable clitics are the plural ones, because reciprocity logically needs at least two participants.

Person	Clitic	Reciprocal meaning
noi	ne	each other (us)
voi	vă	each other (you all)
ei / ele	se	each other (them)

Ne întâlnim mâine la cafenea.

We're meeting (each other) tomorrow at the café.

Se iubesc de zece ani.

They have loved each other for ten years.

Vă cunoașteți deja?

Do you two already know each other?

Notice that in every English translation a separate phrase ("each other") or a special verb sense ("meet up") appears, while Romanian folds the whole idea into a single clitic.

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English forces you to choose words like "each other" or "one another". Romanian does not — the plural reflexive clitic already carries the reciprocity. Don't try to translate "each other" word-for-word; in most cases the clitic alone is enough.

Common reciprocal verbs

Many everyday Romanian verbs are used reciprocally far more often than reflexively. With these, the reciprocal reading is the natural default.

Verb	Reciprocal sense
a se întâlni	to meet (each other), meet up
a se cunoaște	to know each other, to have met
a se iubi	to love each other
a se săruta	to kiss (each other)
a se certa	to argue / quarrel (with each other)
a se înțelege	to get along, understand each other
a se ajuta	to help each other
a se vedea	to see each other

Ne ajutăm mereu când avem nevoie.

We always help each other when we need it.

S-au certat din nou aseară.

They argued (with each other) again last night.

Ne-am cunoscut la o nuntă.

We met (each other) at a wedding.

Some of these, like a se certa and a se înțelege, are so strongly reciprocal that a reflexive "self" reading barely arises in practice — you cannot really argue with yourself in the ordinary sense.

When reflexive and reciprocal collide: unul pe altul

The economy of the plural clitic comes at a price: ambiguity. A sentence like Se laudă can mean either:

They praise themselves (each one boasts about himself), or
They praise each other (mutual praise).

When the context does not settle it and the difference matters, Romanian disambiguates with the construction unul pe altul ("one... the other"), which spells out reciprocity explicitly. It agrees in gender and number with the people involved.

Form	Use
unul pe altul	two males / mixed (default)
una pe alta	two females
unii pe alții	several, masculine / mixed
unele pe altele	several, feminine

Se laudă unul pe altul.

They praise each other.

Se laudă pe ei înșiși.

They praise themselves.

So unul pe altul forces the reciprocal reading, while pe ei înșiși ("themselves", with the emphatic pronoun) forces the genuine reflexive reading. Both are explicit reinforcements layered on top of the same clitic se.

Copiii se imită unii pe alții.

The children imitate one another.

Surorile se sprijină una pe alta.

The two sisters support each other.

For datives — verbs that take își rather than se — the parallel construction is unul altuia (without pe):

Își scriu unul altuia în fiecare săptămână.

They write to each other every week.

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Use unul pe altul only when the ambiguity is real and matters. With verbs like a se întâlni or a se iubi, the reciprocal reading is already obvious, and adding unul pe altul sounds heavy or pedantic. Reserve it for verbs that genuinely swing both ways, like a se lăuda, a se critica, a se ajuta, a se vedea.

Reinforcing with reciproc, între ei, împreună

Besides unul pe altul, you will hear softer reinforcements:

Se respectă reciproc.

They respect each other (mutually).

Vorbesc între ei în maghiară.

They speak to each other in Hungarian.

Reciproc ("mutually") is an adverb borrowed straight into this slot, and între ei / între ele ("among them") stresses that the action stays within the group. These are common in formal and journalistic register.

Common mistakes

❌ Noi întâlnim fiecare alt mâine.

Incorrect — calquing English 'each other' word for word.

✅ Ne întâlnim mâine.

We're meeting (each other) tomorrow.

❌ Ei iubesc unul altul.

Incorrect — missing the reflexive clitic; the clitic, not the phrase, carries reciprocity.

✅ Se iubesc (unul pe altul).

They love each other.

❌ Vă cunoașteți unul pe altul deja?

Overloaded — 'unul pe altul' is needless here; the verb is unambiguously reciprocal.

✅ Vă cunoașteți deja?

Do you two already know each other?

❌ Se ajută unul pe alt.

Incorrect — 'alt' must take the gender/number form 'altul'.

✅ Se ajută unul pe altul.

They help each other.

Key takeaways

Plural reflexive clitics ne / vă / se can express each other with no extra words.
The same clitic can be reflexive (themselves) or reciprocal (each other); only context tells them apart.
When the two readings genuinely clash, disambiguate: unul pe altul forces reciprocal, pe ei înșiși forces reflexive.
For dative verbs, use unul altuia; for formal mutual sense, reciproc or între ei.
Do not calque English "each other" — let the clitic do the work.

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