In Romanian, the direct object pronoun for feminine singular nouns ("it" or "her") is o.
When using the past tense (Perfect Compus), this feminine pronoun behaves uniquely. Instead of attaching to the front of the auxiliary verb like the masculine and plural pronouns you've learned, o attaches to the very end of the past participle with a hyphen.
Attaching "-o" in the Past Tense
Structure: Auxiliary + Past Participle-o
| Person | Structure | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | am + văzut-o | am văzut-o | I saw it/her |
| Tu | ai + văzut-o | ai văzut-o | You saw it/her |
| El / Ea | a + văzut-o | a văzut-o | He/She saw it/her |
| Noi | am + văzut-o | am văzut-o | We saw it/her |
| Voi | ați + văzut-o | ați văzut-o | You (pl.) saw it/her |
| Ei / Ele | au + văzut-o | au văzut-o | They saw it/her |
Whenever you refer back to a feminine noun, you will use this pattern.
| Did you see the car? I bought it yesterday. | Ai văzut mașina? Am cumpărat-o ieri. |
| Where is the magazine? I read it today. | Unde este revista? Am citit-o azi. |
More Feminine Objects
Feminine nouns in their definite form often end in -a or -ea (like revista, melodia, or părerea). Once a feminine noun is introduced, you can drop it in the next clause and replace it with -o anchored to the end of the action verb.
| Do you know the song? I heard it yesterday. | Cunoști melodia? Am auzit-o ieri. |
| The boss read the offer and he approved it. | Șeful a citit oferta și a aprobat-o. |
The Negative Form
To make the sentence negative, simply place nu before the auxiliary verb, exactly where you normally would. The pronoun -o remains securely attached to the end of the past participle.
| He read the opinion, but he did not approve it. | El a citit părerea, dar nu a aprobat-o. |