Questions & Answers about Arată-mi biroul tău.
What does the suffix -mi indicate in Arată-mi?
The suffix -mi is the enclitic form of the first person singular indirect-object pronoun (mier). It means “to me” and attaches to the verb in positive imperatives.
How is the second-person singular imperative of a arăta formed?
You take the present tense tu arăți, drop the final -i, and get arată. That gives you Arată for the command “show.”
Why is the object pronoun placed after the verb in Arată-mi, but before it in other sentences like Îmi arăți biroul tău?
In Romanian positive imperatives, clitic pronouns follow the verb (enclisis). In indicative, subjunctive and in questions, pronouns precede the verb (proclisis).
Why does birou become biroul in this sentence?
Romanian marks the definite article by adding a suffix to the noun. Masculine singular nouns take -l, so birou + -l → biroul (“the desk”).
What role does tău play in biroul tău, and why is it placed after the noun?
tău is the second-person singular possessive pronoun (“your”). Romanian places possessives after the noun they modify, and tău agrees in gender and number with birou (masculine singular).
Could we say Îmi arăți biroul tău instead of Arată-mi biroul tău, and what’s the difference in tone?
Yes. Îmi arăți biroul tău is a neutral indicative or polite question (“Will you show me your desk?”). Arată-mi biroul tău is a direct imperative (“Show me your desk”).
How can you soften the command Arată-mi biroul tău to make it more polite?
Simply add te rog (“please”) at the beginning or end:
Te rog, arată-mi biroul tău.
or
Arată-mi biroul tău, te rog.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Romanian grammar?”
Romanian grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning RomanianMaster Romanian — from Arată-mi biroul tău to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions