Pe Andrei îl văd la cântar cu un kilogram de carne.

In Romanian, pe often marks a direct object when it refers to a person or a specific/definite being.

So in Pe Andrei îl văd..., Andrei is the person being seen, so Romanian uses pe.

Compare:

• Văd o casă. = I see a house.
• Îl văd pe Andrei. = I see Andrei.

English does not do this, so it can feel unusual at first.

This is a very common Romanian pattern called clitic doubling.

Even though Andrei is already named, Romanian often also uses a short object pronoun:

• Pe Andrei îl văd.

Here:

• Pe Andrei = the full direct object
• îl = a short pronoun referring back to Andrei

This is especially common when the object is a person and is introduced with pe. In many contexts, it sounds more natural with the clitic than without it.

Îl is the masculine singular direct-object pronoun, meaning him.

It refers to Andrei, because Andrei is:

• masculine
• singular
• the direct object of a vedea (to see)

So:

• îl văd = I see him

In the full sentence, îl and Pe Andrei point to the same person.

Both are possible, but they give slightly different emphasis.

• Îl văd pe Andrei... = more neutral
• Pe Andrei îl văd... = puts more focus on Andrei

Fronting the object like this is common when the speaker wants to highlight it, contrast it, or make it the topic of the sentence.

So Pe Andrei îl văd... can feel a bit like:

• As for Andrei, I see him...
• It’s Andrei that I see...

Romanian usually drops subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb ending.

Here, văd means I see, so eu is not necessary.

• văd = I see
• vezi = you see
• vede = he/she sees

You can say Eu văd, but that adds emphasis, something like I see.

La cântar literally means at the scale / at the weighing scale.

In contexts like markets, butcher shops, or grocery stores, la cântar refers to the place where something is weighed.

Romanian uses la because the idea is at a place or station:

• la casă = at the checkout
• la tejghea = at the counter
• la cântar = at the scale

Using pe cântar would usually suggest something physically on the scale, not simply at the weighing station.

After expressions of quantity in Romanian, you often get de + noun.

So:

• un kilogram de carne = a kilogram of meat
• doi litri de lapte = two liters of milk
• o bucată de pâine = a piece of bread

Here, de carne works just like English of meat after a measure word.

And cu means with, so the phrase means with a kilogram of meat.

It most naturally describes Andrei: you see Andrei there, and he has a kilogram of meat with him.

So the likely structure is:

• Pe Andrei îl văd
• la cântar
• cu un kilogram de carne

However, Romanian word order can sometimes allow slight ambiguity, especially in isolated sentences. In real context, intonation and situation would usually make it clear.

After many prepositions, Romanian often uses the noun without the definite article when speaking in a general or locational way.

So:

• la școală = at school
• la piață = at the market
• la cântar = at the scale / at the weighing station

If you said la cântarul..., that would usually point to a specific identified scale, such as la cântarul din colț = at the scale in the corner.

Yes. If the person is already known from context, you could simply say:

• Îl văd la cântar cu un kilogram de carne.

That means I see him at the scale with a kilogram of meat.

Adding Pe Andrei makes the reference explicit, and fronting it gives it extra focus.

Yes. Văd is the 1st person singular present tense of a vedea (to see).

So:

• văd = I see
• îl văd = I see him

The whole sentence is describing a present-time action or situation.

Only pe shows the object role here. The name Andrei itself does not change form.

That is normal for many Romanian nouns and proper names: case is often shown by:

• prepositions like pe
• articles
• pronouns
• word order and context

So in this sentence, Andrei stays Andrei, while pe and îl make it clear that he is the direct object.