Just like in English, Romanian can use the gerund to explain the reason an event occurred. "Living in poverty, the artist endured the cold" means he endured the cold because he lived in poverty.
The Affirmative Causal Gerund
Placing a gerund (ending in -ând or -ind) at the beginning of a sentence often acts as a causal explanation.
| Living in poverty, the artist endured the cold. | Trăind în sărăcie, artistul a îndurat frigul. |
You can also use the gerund of the verb a fi (to be), which is fiind, to express a state of being or a passive construction.
| Being misunderstood by society, he had written in the isolation of the house. | Fiind neînțeles de către societate, scrisese în izolarea casei. |
The Negative Causal Gerund
To express that a result happened because someone didn't do or have something, attach the prefix ne- to the affirmative gerund.
- având (having) → neavând (not having)
- cunoscând (knowing) → necunoscând (not knowing)
| Not having the recognition of the public, she worked in complete anonymity. | Neavând recunoașterea publicului, a muncit în anonimat complet. |
| Not knowing glory, the poor woman endured despair. | Necunoscând gloria, săraca a îndurat disperarea. |
Shared Subjects
In these structures, the subject of the gerund is the same as the subject of the main clause.
| Feeling the lack of food, the artist sold the masterpiece. | Simțind lipsa mâncării, artistul a vândut capodopera. |
| Not receiving recognition, the misunderstood composer cried out of despair. | Neprimind recunoaștere, compozitorul neînțeles a plâns din disperare. |
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