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When using reflexive verbs in the past tense (*Perfect Compus*), the reflexive pronouns (*mă, te, se, ne, vă, se*) combine directly with the auxiliary verbs (*am, ai, a, am, ați, au*). Because Romanian likes to flow smoothly, these bump into each other and contract with a hyphen.

Structure: **Reflexive Pronoun + Auxiliary** + **Past Participle**

| Person | Contraction | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eu | **m-am** | m-am spălat | I washed myself |
| Tu | **te-ai** | te-ai spălat | You washed yourself |
| El / Ea | **s-a** | s-a spălat | He/She washed himself/herself |
| Noi | **ne-am** | ne-am spălat | We washed ourselves |
| Voi | **v-ați** | v-ați spălat | You (pl.) washed yourselves |
| Ei / Ele | **s-au** | s-au spălat | They washed themselves |

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### Questions and Plurals

The structure remains exactly the same whether you are asking a question, talking about multiple people, or mentioning the subject by name.

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### The Negative Reflexive Past

To make these sentences negative, simply place **nu** right before the hyphenated contraction. The contraction itself does not change.

Structure: **nu** + contraction + past participle

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### Washing Specific Body Parts

When talking about washing your hair or brushing your teeth, Romanian uses the reflexive verb **a se spăla** (to wash oneself) followed by the preposition **pe** and the specific body part.

- a se spăla pe păr = to wash one's hair
- a se spăla pe dinți = to brush one's teeth

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Past tense with reflexive verbs (m-am, s-a)

adjective

adverb

adverbial phrase

auxiliary

auxiliary verb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

The verb to be and definite articles (a fi, -ul, -le)

Feminine definite articles (-a, -ua)

Indefinite articles (un, o)

Negative sentences (nu)

Question words (ce, unde, cine)

The verb to have (a avea)

Masculine plural nouns (-i, -ii)

Feminine plural nouns (-e, -i, -le)

Neuter plural nouns (-uri, -e, -le)

Adjectives and agreement

Present tense of regular -a verbs

Present tense of -a verbs with suffix (-ez)

Present tense of regular -i and -î verbs

Present tense of -i and -î verbs with suffix (-esc / -ăsc)

Present tense of -ea and -e verbs

Reflexive pronouns (mă, te, se, ne, vă)

Accusative prepositions (în, la, pe, din, cu)

Likes and dislikes (îmi place)

Possessive adjectives (meu, tău, său)

Third-person possessives (lui, ei, lor)

Possessive articles (al, a, ai, ale)

Formal politeness (dumneavoastră)

Demonstrative adjectives (acest, acel)

Numbers 1 to 10

The number two (doi, două)

Numbers 11 to 20

Counting by tens to 100

Quantifying large numbers (de)

The subjunctive (să)

Third-person subjunctive (să)

Direct object pronouns (îl, o, îi, le)

Personal direct objects (pe)

Days of the week

Telling time (e ora...)

Months of the Year (January to June)

Months of the Year (July to December)

The Four Seasons

Weather Conditions

Rooms in a House

Basic Body Parts: Upper Body

Basic Body Parts: Limbs

Everyday Clothing

Basic Foods: Groceries

Fruits and Vegetables

Around Town

Getting Around

Setting the Table

A Colorful World

Common Animals

In the Wild

Jobs and Careers

Everyday Tech

Describing people (tânăr, bătrân, înalt)

Asking when and why (când, de ce, care)

Hello and goodbye (bună ziua, la revedere)

Coming and going (intra, sta, trece)

Where is it? (sub, lângă, între)

Knowing and thinking (știu că, cred că)

Sorry, welcome, congratulations (îmi pare rău, la mulți ani)

Introducing yourself (mă numesc, sunt din România)

How much and how many (puțin, prea, doar)

Can and may (pot merge, pot să merg)

If and whether (dacă)

At school and university

Irregular verbs in the present (vrea, lua, da, bea, sta)

Free time and sport

How much is it? (cât costă, câți, câte)

Before and after (înainte, după, până)

At the doctor (mă doare)

Meals of the day (micul dejun, prânzul, cina)

At the restaurant

Ability and permission (a putea să)

Obligation and necessity (trebuie să)

Desires and intentions (a vrea să)

Impersonal statements (se)

Adverbs of frequency (adesea, uneori)

Conjunctions for reasons and links (pentru că, deci)

Stressed accusative pronouns (pe mine, pe tine)

Indefinite pronouns (cineva, ceva)

Negative pronouns and double negation (nimeni, nimic)

The past tense auxiliary (am, ai, a)

The past tense (am, ai, a)

Regular past participles (-at, -it)

Regular past participles (-ut, -s, -t)

Negative past tense (nu am)

Question	Answer
(he/she) has … himself/herself (reflexive past)	s-a
I woke up early and I washed myself.	M-am trezit devreme și m-am spălat.
to comb oneself	se pieptăna
the mirror	oglinda
He combed himself in the mirror.	El s-a pieptănat în oglindă.
I looked in the mirror and I combed myself.	M-am uitat în oglindă și m-am pieptănat.
to shave oneself	se bărbieri
Did you shave yourself this morning?	Te-ai bărbierit în această dimineață?
The father shaved himself quickly.	Tatăl s-a bărbierit repede.
to put makeup on	se machia
She put on makeup with the new mirror.	Ea s-a machiat cu oglinda nouă.
The girls put on makeup in the room.	Fetele s-au machiat în cameră.
to dry oneself	se usca
the towel	prosopul
We dried ourselves with the towel.	Ne-am uscat cu prosopul.
He did not dry himself with this towel.	El nu s-a uscat cu acest prosop.
the shampoo	șamponul
I washed my hair with the shampoo.	M-am spălat pe păr cu șamponul.
Did you wash yourselves with the shampoo?	V-ați spălat cu șamponul?
the toothbrush	periuța
The boy brushed his teeth with the toothbrush.	Băiatul s-a spălat pe dinți cu periuța.
the paste	pasta
We brushed our teeth with the new paste.	Ne-am spălat pe dinți cu pasta nouă.
I did not brush my teeth because I forgot the toothbrush.	Nu m-am spălat pe dinți pentru că am uitat periuța.
Did you bring some paste?	Ai adus niște pastă?
to be born	se naște
I was born in Romania.	M-am născut în România.
Where were you born?	Unde te-ai născut?
The child was born yesterday.	Copilul s-a născut ieri.
to come back, to return	se întoarce
I came back home late.	M-am întors acasă târziu.
When did you come back?	Când te-ai întors?
We are coming back tomorrow.	Ne întoarcem mâine.
the toothpaste	pasta de dinți
Where is the toothpaste?	Unde este pasta de dinți?
The toothpaste is in the bathroom.	Pasta de dinți este în baie.
to take a shower	face duș
I take a shower every evening.	Fac duș în fiecare seară.
I took a shower and got dressed.	Am făcut duș și m-am îmbrăcat.
to put on one's shoes	se încălța
I put on my shoes and left.	M-am încălțat și am plecat.
The child puts his shoes on by himself.	Copilul se încalță singur.
to take off one's shoes	se descălța
We take off our shoes at the door.	Ne descălțăm la ușă.
Did you take off your shoes?	V-ați descălțat?

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