Genitive Prepositions with Possessive Adjectives
In English, we describe physical positions and directions using a preposition followed by an object pronoun (like "in front of me" or "against you"). Romanian does things differently: prepositions that take the Genitive case treat these phrases more literally, like "in my front."
For the 1st and 2nd person ("me", "you", "us", "you all"), you do not use a personal pronoun after these prepositions. Instead, you use a possessive adjective that matches the gender of the noun hidden inside the preposition.
Feminine Prepositions: în fața, împotriva, asupra
Many positional prepositions function as feminine nouns. These include în fața (in front of), împotriva (against), and asupra (upon / on). To say "me" or "you" with these words, you must use the feminine possessive adjectives mea (my) and ta (your).
| The fighter with whom I practice keeps his guard up in front of me. | Luptătorul cu care exersez ține garda sus în fața mea. |
| I am about to start the attack against you. | Sunt pe cale să încep atacul împotriva ta. |
Neuter Prepositions: în spatele
When a preposition is built from a neuter noun, such as în spatele (behind / in the back of), it pairs with the masculine/neuter possessive adjectives: meu (my) and tău (your).
| She parried the strike and stepped behind me. | Ea a parat lovitura și a pășit în spatele meu. |
Using Plural Possessives
This pattern works exactly the same when referring to multiple people ("us" or "you all"). Just choose the possessive adjective that matches the preposition's gender: feminine (noastră, voastră) or masculine/neuter (nostru, vostru).
| That agile fighter uses this technique against us. | Acel luptător agil folosește această tehnică împotriva noastră. |
| The coach stopped the attack on you. | Antrenorul a oprit atacul asupra voastră. |
