Îi aștept la ușă.

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Breakdown of Îi aștept la ușă.

• ușa: the door
• a aștepta: to wait
• îi: them

Questions & Answers about Îi aștept la ușă.

Why isn’t there a separate word for for here, like in English wait for them?

Because Romanian a aștepta normally takes a direct object.

So English I wait for them becomes Romanian Îi aștept, literally more like I await them.

• I wait for them → Îi aștept
• not aștept pentru ei in this meaning

This is one of the most common differences English speakers notice with this verb.

What does îi mean in this sentence?

Here, îi means them as a direct object pronoun placed before the verb.

So:

• îi = them
• aștept = I wait / I am waiting

Together: Îi aștept = I’m waiting for them

In this sentence, îi usually refers to a masculine plural or mixed-gender plural group.

I thought îi could mean to him or to her. Why does it mean them here?