Log inSign up

Dânsul se plimbă cu bastonul, deci îl ajut.

Dânsul se plimbă cu bastonul, deci îl ajut.
He (polite) is walking with the cane, so I am helping him.
From Lesson 283:Polite 3rd-person pronouns (dânsul, dânsa)·Romanian

Questions & Answers about Dânsul se plimbă cu bastonul, deci îl ajut.

How polite is dânsul compared to other words for "he", like el or dumnealui?
Dânsul is a mid-level polite pronoun. It's more respectful than the standard el (he), but slightly less formal than dumnealui. It's very common in everyday polite conversation, such as when talking respectfully about an older neighbor, a customer, or a teacher.
Why does "is walking" use the reflexive se in se plimbă?
The verb a se plimba specifically means "to stroll" or "to take a walk" for leisure. The reflexive pronoun se shows the subject is performing the action for themselves. If you used the non-reflexive a plimba, it would mean walking someone or something else, like a dog (plimb câinele).
Since we used the polite dânsul, shouldn't the "him" in îl ajut also be a special polite form?
No, because Romanian doesn't have polite versions of these short direct object pronouns. Even when referring to someone using the polite dânsul or the highly formal dumneavoastră, you still use the standard pronouns like îl (him) to say "I help him".
Why use the definite article in cu bastonul (with the cane) instead of just saying cu un baston (with a cane)?
Using the definite article -ul implies this is a specific, known cane—most likely his own cane that he uses regularly. While cu un baston is grammatically fine, cu bastonul sounds much more natural when referring to someone's personal walking aid.

Learn Dânsul se plimbă cu bastonul, deci îl ajut and more in Romanian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Romanian →