Learn Hardcore Romanian: Poezia pe care o scriu despre munte este a mea, nu a lui Andrei. - The poem that I write about the mountain is mine, not Andrei's.

In Romanian the definite article is not a separate word before the noun as in English. Instead it’s attached to the end of the noun. So poezie means “a poem,” and poezia means “the poem.”

Why do we say pe care to introduce the relative clause?

When you turn a definite direct object into a relative pronoun in Romanian, you combine the preposition pe (which marks definite direct objects) with care. Thus pe care = “that” (as an object). Here poezia is the direct object of scriu, so you need pe care.

Why is the clitic pronoun o placed before scriu (i.e. pe care o scriu) instead of after it (scriu-o)?

Romanian normally attaches object clitics after the verb (enclisis), like scriu-o. However, certain elements—such as the relative pronoun pe care—trigger proclisis, so the clitic o comes before the verb: pe care o scriu.

Why is it despre munte and not pe munte?

The verb a scrie (to write) requires the preposition despre (“about”) when specifying the topic. So scriu despre munte means “I write about the mountain.” Pe munte would mean “on the mountain” (a location), which isn’t the intended meaning.

Why do we say este a mea and not simply este mea?

Possession in Romanian uses the structure al/a + possessor. The form of this possessive (here a mea) agrees in gender and number with the possessed noun (poezia is feminine singular). You must include the article a, so a mea (not just mea).

Why is the second clause nu a lui Andrei and why is este omitted there?

To express “not Andrei’s,” Romanian again uses al/a + possessor. For a feminine noun like poezia, you use a + “lui Andrei.” The verb este is simply omitted by ellipsis in the second clause because it’s obvious from the first clause (…este a mea).