Causative Constructions with "a face"
To express "making" someone do something, Romanian uses a specific causative construction. You combine the verb a face (to make) with the subjunctive mood.
The structure is:
[Accusative Clitic] + a face + să + [Subjunctive Verb]
The person being influenced to do the action is the direct object. This is represented by an accusative clitic pronoun (mă, te, îl, o, ne, vă, îi, le) placed right before the conjugated form of a face. The action they are made to perform is introduced by să.
Psychological Triggers and Reflexive Verbs
This construction is often used to describe how people or situations influence our mental states, motivations, and emotions.
If the resulting action is a reflexive verb (like a se simți - to feel), remember to include the appropriate reflexive pronoun in the subjunctive clause so it matches the person affected.
Making Someone "Be" an Emotion
When a trigger makes someone be a certain way, use the subjunctive forms of a fi (to be) after să (e.g., să fiu, să fie), followed by an adjective. The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person who is affected.