Attaching Pronouns to Commands
In Romanian, when you give an affirmative command, short-form object pronouns attach directly to the end of the verb using a hyphen.
Whether you are asking someone to help "me" (direct object) or give a password "to me" (indirect object), the attachment rules are the same. Here are three of the most common pronouns used in tech support and daily life:
| Pronoun | Object Type | Meaning | Attached Form |
|---|---|---|---|
| -mă | Direct | me | ajută-mă |
| -l | Direct | it (masc/neuter) | repornește-l |
| -mi | Indirect | to me | dă-mi |
Notice how the pronouns append to the standard command form:
| The system has a problem, help me! | Sistemul are o problemă, ajută-mă! |
| The system has a problem, restart it! | Sistemul are o problemă, repornește-l! |
| Give me the microphone, please! | Dă-mi microfonul, te rog! |
Feminine Objects
When telling someone to interact with an object, you must match the pronoun to the noun's gender. If the noun replacing "it" is feminine, such as tastatura (the keyboard), use the feminine pronoun -o.
| The keyboard is dirty, clean it! | Tastatura este murdară, curăță-o! |
Formal and Plural Commands
The hyphen rule works exactly the same way when addressing someone formally or speaking to multiple people. Simply attach the pronoun to the end of the formal/plural command (which generally ends in -ți).
| Sir, give me the link and open the folder! | Domnule, dați-mi linkul și deschideți folderul! |
