The Vocative Case
When you speak directly to someone—to call their name, use their title, or use a term of endearment—Romanian uses a special noun form called the vocative case.
Masculine Vocative (-ule)
For most masculine nouns, form the vocative by replacing the definite -ul ending with -ule.
| Waiter, can you bring the menu, please? | Ospătarule, puteți aduce meniul, vă rog? |
| Champion, whose is this ball? | Campionule, a cui este această minge? |
| My love, do you want to drink tea? | Iubitule, vrei să bei ceai? |
Feminine Vocative (-o and -ă)
Feminine nouns have two main vocative patterns. Casual nouns and terms of endearment replace their final vowel with -o.
| Little girl, what are you looking for here? | Fetițo, ce cauți aici? |
| My love, I know that you are tired. | Iubito, știu că ești obosită. |
Polite or formal feminine titles do not use -o. Instead, they keep their standard indefinite ending -ă.
| Excuse me, miss, can you help me? | Scuzați-mă, domnișoară, mă puteți ajuta? |
Formal Titles for Men
To address a man respectfully using his profession or rank, use domnule (the vocative of domn, meaning "sir" or "Mr.") followed by his title.
The title itself stays in its standard, indefinite form—do not add -ule to the profession when domnule is already there doing the work.
| Captain, we cannot see anything! | Domnule căpitan, nu putem vedea nimic! |
| Mr. Inspector, the patient is not here. | Domnule inspector, pacientul nu este aici. |
| Doctor, the patient is upstairs. | Domnule doctor, pacientul este sus. |
The Plural Vocative
When addressing a group, the plural vocative for both masculine and feminine nouns simply uses the ending -lor.
| Girls, where is the little boy? | Fetelor, unde este băiețelul? |
