Learn Romanian: Dacă ai dicționarul, de ce nu mi-l returnezi? - If you have the dictionary, why don't you return it to me?

Dacă ai dicționarul, de ce nu mi-l returnezi?

If you have the dictionary, why don't you return it to me?

Breakdown of Dacă ai dicționarul, de ce nu mi-l returnezi?

Questions & Answers about Dacă ai dicționarul, de ce nu mi-l returnezi?

What exactly is mi-l made of in this sentence?

It is a combination of two short pronouns: the dative îmi (to me) and the accusative îl (it). When they sit next to each other before the verb, they contract into mi-l to make pronunciation faster and smoother. Together they mean "it to me".

Why do we use -l for "it" here instead of -o?

The pronoun refers back to dicționarul (the dictionary). In Romanian, dicționar is a neuter noun. In the singular, neuter nouns act like masculine nouns, so we must use the masculine/neuter pronoun îl (shortened to -l) instead of the feminine o.

Where does the negative word nu go when using a double pronoun like mi-l?

The negative word nu goes right before the pronoun block. The standard order is always: negative (nu) + double pronoun (mi-l) + verb (returnezi). You cannot split the pronouns apart or put nu between them.

Why is the noun written as dicționarul and not just dicționar?

Because the sentence says "the dictionary", specifying a particular one. As a quick refresher: Romanian attaches the definite article (the word for "the") to the end of the noun. For a neuter noun ending in a consonant like dicționar, that suffix is -ul.