Cazurile

- 5 cases: Nominative
Accusative
Genitive
Dative
Vocative
- The noun forms are identical in form for the nominative and accusative cases, with few exceptions.
- Nominative: - usually case of Subject
- questions: cine? (for people); ce? (for objects)
- Accusative: - the case of the Direct Object and of Circumstantials or Attributes built
with prepositions such as: n (in), pe (on), la (at), cu (with), despre(about),
lng (near), fr (without); pentru (for).
- questions: pe cine?; ce?; unde ?; cum?; cnd ?
- Dative: - the case of Indirect Object
- it shows the destination (to whom you are giving something)
- question: cui?
- Genitive: - the case indicating possession, belonging.
- questions: al/a/ai/ale cui?
- Vocative: - indicates the person to whom the speaker addresses
- it bears no syntactic role

The Nominative
Ex: Biatul acela este colegul meu.
Fiica mea are 12 ani.
El este prietenul meu.
Am o casa la ar.
Notes: - the nouns above are all articulated with the definite article.
- the pronoun )along with other parts of speech) can replace very often the noun
and be the subject of the sentence.
- if the Subject of the sentence is the personal pronoun it can be many times
omitted, usually in dialogues.

The Accusative
This case is identical usually accompanied by prepositions, the most common one is pe.
The Direct Object with pe
Pe is used when the D.O. is:
- a common noun designating identified, definite or unique person:
Ex: l atept pe prietenul meu.
O caut pe doamna Matei.
- a proper noun (name of a person or animal)
Ex: l atept pe Mihai.
Question : pe cine ?
The Direct Object without pe
The preposition pe is not used when the direct object is:
- a common noun designating inanimate objects or animals,with or without definite/ indefinite article,
with or without modifiers:
Ex: Am citit o carte.
Am citit o carte bun.
Am citit cartea.

Ai vzut cinele la?

- a common noun designating unidentified persons, used as a generic term- category of people
(profession, nationality); sometimes these nouns are preceded by words such as: aa; atare; astfel
de:
Ex: Caut osptar.
Cautm un profesor de limba olandez.
- any common noun in a construction with the possessive dative near the verb.
Ex: mi cunoate prinii.
- proper nouns designating inanimate objects - countries, cities, mountains etc.
Ex: Am admirat Dunrea de pe terasa hotelului.
Ador Frana.
The Accusative with other prepositions :
This case can take a large number of prepositions, including pe, in order to fulfill circumstantial and
attributive functions: pe (on); la (at); din (from); cu (with); sub (under); despre (about); pentru (for).
Ex: Caietul este pe birou.
question: unde?
Mihai este n Danemarca.
question: unde?
Ea este din Germania.
question: de unde?
Cristi lucreaza la universitate.
question: unde?
Beau ceaiul cu/fr zahr.
question: cum?
El vorbete despre excursie.
question: despre ce?
El vine mereu la ora prnzului.
question: cnd?
Profesoara de englez e bun.
question: care?
Ciocolata cu alune e preferata mea. question: ce fel de/ care?

The Dative and Genitive :

The Genitive and the Dative are identical in form in Romanian, but the have different functions and
are requested by some prepositions; verbs and adverbs.

The Dative
- indicates the person or thing the action of the verb is directed to.
- question: cui?
The verbs requiring the usage of the Dative are usually all the verbs that are related to the general
idea of giving:
- a da (to give): I-am dat colegei mele un caiet.
-> I gave my colleague a notebook.
- a oferi (to offer): I-am oferit mamei nite flori.
-> I offered my mother flowers.
- a nmna (to hand in): Ei i-au nmnat actorului trofeul.
-> They handed the actor his trophy.
- a drui (to give a gift): Ii druiete iubitei sale numai lucruri scumpe.
-> He gives his girlfriend only expensive things.
- a spune (to say): I-am spus prietenei mele tot adevrul.
-> I told my girlfriend the whole truth.
- a explica (to explain): Le-am explicat elevilor ce au de fcut.
-> I explained to the pupils what they have to do.
- a promite (to promise): Le-am promis copiilor c-i duc in excursie.
-> I promised to the children that I would take them on a trip.
- a arta (to show): Le-am artat prinilor notele.
-> I showed my parents my marks.
- a trimite (to send): I-am trimis mamei un pachet.
-> I sent my mother a package.
- other verbs: a expedia (to send); a telefona (to phone) etc.
Prepositions with the general meaning of thanks to:

- datorit: Am obinut aceast burs datorit prinilor mei.

-> I obtained this bourse thanks to my parents.
- graie: Am ajuns acas devreme graie bunvoinei dumneavoastre.
-> I arrived home early thanks to your goodwill.
- mulumit: Mulumit eforturilor depuse am ajuns pe locul nti.
-> Thanks to the efforts I made I arrived on first place.
Adjectives and adverbs that require Dative:
- folositor (useful to): Caietul acesta i este folositor fratelui tu?
-> Is this notebook useful to your brother?
- util (useful to): Dicionarele acestea sunt foarte utile studenilor.
-> These dictionaries are very useful to the students.
- asemenea (like): Comportamentul tu este asemenea unui copil mic.
-> Your behavior is like thatof a small child.
- conform (according to): Conform codului rutier nu trebuie sa parcai pe carosabil.
-> According to the Highway Code you shouldnt park on the road.

The Genitive
- This case is identical in form with the Dative, but unlike the Dative (who is the case of offering), the
genitive corresponds to the English: s or of usually.
- questions : al/a/ai/ale cui ? (depending on the gender and number)
Prepositions requiring the usage of Genitive:
-asupra (regarding, about): Discuia asupra problemelor fabricii a durat cteva ore.
-> The discussions regarding the problems of the fabric lasted a few hours
- contra (against): Argumentele contra opiniei mele nu au fost suficiente.
-> The arguments against my opinion werent sufficient.
- (pe) deasupra (above) : Zborul deasupra rii mele m-a umplut de bucurie.
-> The flight above my country filled me with joy.
- naintea/ (de) dinaintea (before) : Mihai a plecat naintea mamei.
-> Michael left before mum.
- napoia/ (de) dinapoia (behind) : Curtea dinapoia casei este mare.
-> The backyard behind the house is big.
- n faa (in front of): Te atept n faa Teatrului Naional.
-> Im waiting for you in front of the National Theater.
- din faa (in front of): Fata din faa doamnei Barbu este colega mea.
-> The girl in front of Mrs. Barbu is my colleague.
- n spatele (behind): La coal stteam mereu n spatele Mariei.
-> I always used to sit behind Mary at school.
- din spatele (behind): Tipul din spatele Mariei este iubitul verioarei mele.
-> The guy behind Marys back is my cousins boyfriend.
- de-a lungul (along): Am mers de-a lungul lacului.
-> We walked along the lake.
- de-a latul (across): E s-a aezat de-a latul patului i aa a adormit.
-> He sat across the bed and he fell asleep like this.
- pe dinuntrul (inside): Simt o durere pe dinuntrul sufletului meu cnd m gndesc la el.
-> I feel a pain inside my soul when I think of him.
- pe dinafara (out of): El a rmas pe dinafara casei pentru c i-a uitat cheile.
-> He remained outside of the house because he forgot his keys.
- mprejurul (around): mprejurul casei mele sunt multe flori.
-> Around my house there are many flowers.
- n jurul (around): Am fcut vreo dou ture de jogging n jurul parcului.
-> I did about 2 laps of jogging around the park,
- din jurul (around): Gardul din jurul casei mele este cam nalt.
-> The fence around my house is a bit too tall.

- n timpul (during): Colega mea a adormit n timpul cursului.

-> My colleague fell asleep during the course.
- din timpul (from): M-am ntlnit cu colegii din timpul facultii.
-> I met my colleagues from my college days.
- n cursul (in, during): n cursul discuiei, ei i-au spus vorbe grele.
-> During the discussion they have said to each other harsh words.
- din cursul (during): Dup cearta din cursul serii nu am mai vorbit o sptmna.
-> After the fight during the evening we havent spoken for a week.
- n decursul (along, during, in): n decursul zilei de mine, v expediez coletul.
-> During tomorrow, Ill deliver your package
- la nceputul (at the beginning): La nceputul recitalului soprana nu a cntat bine.
-> At the beginning of the recital the soprano didnt perform/ sing well.
- de la nceputul (from/ in the beginning): Cntecul de la nceputul recitalului nu mi-a plcut.
-> I didnt like the song from/ at the beginning of the recital.
- la sfrsitul (at the end): La sfritul filmului, am plns.
-> I cried at the end of the movie.
- de la sfritul (in the end): Concluzia de la sfritul filmului a fost intrigant.
-> The conclusion at the end of the movie was intriguing.
- la mijlocul (at the middle): Partea cea mai interesant este la mijlocul crii.
-> The best part is at the middle of the book.
- n mijlocul (in the middle): Nu sta n/ pe mijlocul strzii, e periculos.
-> Dont stand in the middle of the street, its dangerous.
- de la mijlocul (in the middle): Actul de la mijlocul piesei a fost prost jucat.
-> The act at the middle of the piece was poorly played
- din mijlocul (in the middle): Statuia din mijlocul parcului este foarte veche.
-> The statue from/in the middle of the park is very old.
- din cauza (because of): Din cauza problemelor sunt mereu nervoas.
->Because of my problems Im always nervous.
- n vederea (for, to): n vederea plecrii din ar mi-am pus bani deoparte.
-> In order to leave the country I saved up some money.
- n privinta (regarding): Stai linitit n privina banilor!
-> Dont worry about money.
- cu ocazia (on + event): Cu ocazia srbtorilor de iarn v dorim mult sntate i fericire!
-> We wish you a lot of health and happiness on the occasion of Christmas.
- n fruntea (as the leader): Pe cine au ales n fruntea partidului?.
-> Whom did they choose as the leader of the party.
- din fruntea (who is the leader of): l cunosc pe omul din fruntea partidului.
-> I know the person who leads the party.
- n urma (after +consequence): n urma cerii de asear, m-a desprit de prietenul meu.
-> After the fight we had last night, I broke up with my boyfriend.
- n locul (instead): A venit o alt profesoar n locul fostei profesoare.
-> A new teacher came instead of the former teacher.
- n numele (on behalf of; in the name of): El a luat cuvntul n numele colegilor sai.
-> He took the floor on behalf of his colleagues.
Proper names is the genitive-dative:
- feminine names ending in a
N-A : Maria are un frate (N)
D-G:Fratele Mariei este simpatic.
- feminine names ending in ca -> ci : Anca -> Anci.
- all masculine names and feminine names ending in consonant and -i, -u, plus last names take
the definite article lui placed before the name: lui Mihai, lui Carmen, lui Popescu.

The Vocative

- it can be identical in form with the Nominative and Accusative or it can be slightly different taking a
special ending.
- in the spoken language the tendency is not to use the special endings so much.
- intonation is very important for this case as well as for asking questions.
The endings of the Vocative:
singular
masculine
feminine
- cons + -e
biat biete!
- , -a o
sor soro!
prieten prietene!
fat fato!
- u + -le
fiu fiule!
iubit iubito!
- cons., -i + ule
domn domnule!
-e + -o
vrjitoare vrjitoareo!
unchi unchiule!
plural
masculine/ feminine
-lor
doamne doamnelor
fete fetelor

domni domnilor
frai frailor
Usage:
- addressing directly, in letters, in public speaking
- its often used with adjectives:
Ex: drag prietene; drag prieten; dragi prieteni; dragi prietene; iubite prietene; iubita prietena; iubii
prieteni; iubite prietene.
- its often used with interjections such as: mi, bi, bre, hai