Double accusative verbs

Double Accusative Verbs

Most verbs that transfer an action to two different entities take one direct object (the thing) and one indirect object (the recipient). However, a special group of Romanian verbs takes two direct objects instead.

The three most common double accusative verbs (verbe cu dublă tranzitivitate) are:

• a întreba (to ask)
• a ruga (to request/to ask a favor)
• a învăța (to teach)

With these verbs, both the person and the thing are expressed in the Accusative case. For the person, we use the standard direct object pronouns (such as mă, te, îl, o, ne, vă, îi, le).

Specifying the Person with "Pe"

Because the person receiving the action is a direct object, you must follow the standard direct object rules. If the person is a specific noun (like "the boy") or a stressed pronoun (like "me"), it must be preceded by the preposition pe and doubled by an unstressed accusative pronoun right before the verb.

Direct Objects on Stage

To practice these constructions, we will use vocabulary about telling jokes and entertaining an audience. Notice how other performance verbs like a improviza (to improvise), a captiva (to captivate), and a amuza (to amuse) also seamlessly take direct objects.