Subject Pronouns in Romanian

In Brief

Romanian subject pronouns are eu, tu, el, ea, noi, voi, ei, ele: “I, you, he, she, we, you (plural), they.” They are often left out because the verb form usually identifies the subject: Sunt student can mean “I am a student.” State the pronoun when it adds contrast, emphasis, or clarity; use dumneavoastră with a second-person-plural verb for formal “you.”

Overview

A subject is the person or thing that performs an action or is described: in “Maria is here,” Maria is the subject. A subject pronoun replaces that person or thing with a short form such as “she.” Romanian has separate forms for the speaker, the listener, and other people, in both singular and plural.

This is an A1 topic because pronouns provide a useful framework for learning verbs: eu sunt “I am,” tu ești “you are,” and noi suntem “we are.” They also show distinctions that English does not always show. Romanian distinguishes singular tu from plural voi, and its third-person pronouns distinguish masculine and feminine in both the singular and the plural.

The most important difference from English is that Romanian does not normally need an explicit subject pronoun in every sentence. It is a pro-drop language (a language that can leave an understood subject unspoken). Verb endings frequently tell the listener who the subject is. English says “I work,” but Romanian can simply say Lucrez. Beginners may include the pronoun while learning, but natural Romanian uses it more selectively.

How It Works

The basic forms

Person	Singular	Plural
First person: speaker	eu — I	noi — we
Second person: listener	tu — you, informal singular	voi — you, plural
Third person: others	el — he; ea — she	ei — they, masculine or mixed; ele — they, feminine

The labels first, second, and third person simply indicate who is involved. First person includes the speaker, second person addresses the listener, and third person refers to someone or something else.

Romanian pronounces eu, el, ea, and ei with an initial sound similar to English “y” in standard speech: roughly yeu, yel, ya, and yay. These are pronunciation cues, not alternative spellings; always write eu, el, ea, ei.

Pronouns and verb forms

A Romanian verb changes according to its subject. This change is called conjugation—giving a verb the form that matches who performs the action. Compare the present tense of a fi “to be”:

Subject	Form of a fi	Meaning
eu	sunt	I am
tu	ești	you are
el / ea	este or e	he/she is
noi	suntem	we are
voi	sunteți	you are
ei / ele	sunt	they are

The verb generally keeps the same person and number whether the pronoun is present or absent:

• Eu sunt acasă. and Sunt acasă. can both mean “I am at home.”
• Voi sunteți gata? and Sunteți gata? can both mean “Are you ready?”
• Ei lucrează aici. and Lucrează aici. can both mean “They work here.”

Some forms are identical. For example, sunt can mean “I am” or “they are,” while lucrează can mean “he/she works” or “they work.” Context usually resolves the meaning, but a noun or pronoun can be included when it does not.

When the pronoun is omitted

Leave the pronoun unstated when the verb form and context make the subject obvious. This is especially common in ordinary statements, questions, and sequences where the same person remains the subject:

• Locuiesc în Brașov. — “I live in Brașov.”
• Vii mâine? — “Are you coming tomorrow?”
• Ana intră, salută și se așază. — “Ana comes in, says hello, and sits down.”

English learners often transfer the English rule that every complete sentence needs an expressed subject. Romanian does not follow that rule. The ending in vorbesc already points to “I,” and the ending in vorbești points to informal singular “you.”

When the pronoun is expressed

Use an explicit pronoun when it does useful work:

1. Contrast: Eu gătesc, iar tu speli vasele. — “I’ll cook, and you wash the dishes.”
2. Correction: Ea este medic, nu el. — “She is the doctor, not him.”
3. Emphasis or personal opinion: Eu cred că e bine. — “I think it’s good.” Here eu can stress “as for me.”
4. A change of subject: Eu plec, dar ei rămân. — “I’m leaving, but they’re staying.”
5. Possible ambiguity: Ea este la birou. makes “she” explicit where Este la birou could refer to any understood singular person.

Pronouns are therefore not merely optional filler. Saying one can shift the focus of the sentence. Repeating eu in every statement may sound self-emphatic, while a carefully placed eu creates a clear contrast.

Gender in the third person

Use el for a male person and ea for a female person. In the plural, use ei for a group of men or a mixed group, and ele for a group consisting entirely of women:

• Andrei este aici. El așteaptă. — “Andrei is here. He is waiting.”
• Ioana este aici. Ea așteaptă. — “Ioana is here. She is waiting.”
• Andrei și Ioana sunt aici. Ei așteaptă. — “Andrei and Ioana are here. They are waiting.”
• Ioana și Maria sunt aici. Ele așteaptă. — “Ioana and Maria are here. They are waiting.”

Romanian nouns have grammatical gender (a noun class that affects associated words), so el/ea and ei/ele can also refer to non-human nouns. The pronoun agrees with the noun’s Romanian gender, not with any gender suggested by the English translation: telefonul “the phone” may be resumed by el, while cartea “the book” may be resumed by ea. Romanian often repeats the noun or omits the understood subject instead, so do not force a pronoun into every English-style reference.

Informal and formal “you”

Romanian makes two separate choices: one about number and another about formality.

Form	Use	Verb agreement	Example
tu	one person, informal	second-person singular	Tu ești gata? — Are you ready?
voi	two or more people, normally informal or neutral	second-person plural	Voi sunteți gata? — Are you all ready?
dumneavoastră	one or more people, formal/polite	second-person plural	Dumneavoastră sunteți gata? — Are you ready?

Dumneavoastră is grammatically paired with plural verb forms even when it politely addresses one person: Dumneavoastră aveți timp? “Do you have time?” It is commonly abbreviated dvs. in writing. Unlike English “you,” Romanian voi does not serve as the usual polite singular; it primarily addresses more than one person.

Examples in Context

Romanian	English	Note
Eu sunt student.	I am a student.	Eu is explicit, perhaps in an introduction or contrast.
Tu ești aici.	You are here.	Informal singular tu.
El este înalt.	He is tall.	Masculine singular subject.
Ea lucrează la spital.	She works at the hospital.	Feminine singular subject.
Noi suntem din România.	We are from Romania.	First-person plural.
Voi aveți rezervare?	Do you all have a reservation?	More than one addressee.
Ei locuiesc în Cluj.	They live in Cluj.	Men or a mixed group.
Ele învață româna.	They are learning Romanian.	An all-female group.
Vorbesc puțin românește.	I speak a little Romanian.	The subject eu is naturally omitted.
Mergi cu noi?	Are you coming with us?	The ending identifies informal singular “you.”
Eu comand cafeaua, iar tu alegi desertul.	I’ll order the coffee, and you choose the dessert.	Pronouns mark a contrast of roles.
Mara pleacă azi, dar el pleacă mâine.	Mara leaves today, but he leaves tomorrow.	El marks a different subject.
Dumneavoastră aveți o programare?	Do you have an appointment?	Formal address with a plural verb form.
Sunt acasă.	I am at home. / They are at home.	Context decides because sunt has two possible persons.

Common Mistakes

Copying English by stating every pronoun

• Awkward: Eu mă trezesc la șapte. Eu beau cafea. Eu plec la opt.
• More natural: Mă trezesc la șapte. Beau cafea. Plec la opt.
• Why: The verb forms and continuing context already identify “I.” Repeated eu creates unnecessary emphasis.

Omitting a pronoun when contrast is the point

• Unclear: Plec, dar rămâi.
• Clearer: Eu plec, dar tu rămâi.
• Why: The endings identify both people, but the pronouns make the “I versus you” contrast explicit and natural.

Using voi for one polite addressee

• Wrong in ordinary modern formal address: Voi aveți o programare, doamnă Popescu?
• Right: Dumneavoastră aveți o programare, doamnă Popescu?
• Why: Voi normally means plural “you.” Dumneavoastră is the standard polite form and takes the same second-person-plural verb form.

Giving dumneavoastră a singular verb

• Wrong: Dumneavoastră ești gata?
• Right: Dumneavoastră sunteți gata?
• Why: Whether it refers to one person or several, dumneavoastră requires second-person-plural agreement.

Using ele for a mixed group

• Wrong: Maria și Andrei sunt aici. Ele așteaptă.
• Right: Maria și Andrei sunt aici. Ei așteaptă.
• Why: Ele is for an all-female group. The conventional pronoun for a mixed group is ei.

Confusing subject and object forms

• Wrong: Mă sunt obosit.
• Right: Eu sunt obosit. or simply Sunt obosit.
• Why: Mă means “me/myself” in object or reflexive uses; it is not the subject form “I.” Romanian has separate object pronouns, studied as clitic pronouns.

Usage Notes

Pronouns, focus, and word order

The neutral place for an expressed subject is usually before the verb: Ea citește. Romanian word order is flexible, however, and putting the subject after the verb can give it focus or introduce it as new information: A venit el can mean “He came” with attention on he, depending on context and intonation. At A1, using subject–verb order is a reliable default.

In answers, a pronoun can stand alone when the meaning is obvious:

• Cine vine? — Eu. — “Who’s coming? — Me.”
• Cine știe răspunsul? — Ea. — “Who knows the answer? — She does.”

English uses object-shaped “me” in the first short answer, but Romanian uses the subject form eu because the understood meaning is Eu vin “I’m coming.”

Choosing between tu and dumneavoastră

Tu is normal with friends, relatives, children, and people who have agreed on informal address. Dumneavoastră is useful with strangers, customers, officials, older people, or in professional situations where distance and respect are expected. Social practice varies by age, workplace, relationship, and setting. If uncertain, beginning with dumneavoastră is the safer choice; a Romanian speaker may invite you to use tu.

The formal pronoun is often omitted too when the verb form and situation make the addressee clear: Doriți o cafea? can politely mean “Would you like a coffee?” The second-person-plural form doriți may address one person formally or several people. Saying Dumneavoastră doriți o cafea? can identify or contrast the addressee: “Would you like a coffee?”

Capital letters

The basic pronouns eu, tu, el, ea, noi, voi, ei, ele are written in lowercase except at the beginning of a sentence. Dumneavoastră is also normally lowercase in running text. Capitalized polite forms such as Dumneavoastră or Dvs. may appear in correspondence as a sign of respect, but capitalization does not change the grammar.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points at A1, but they explain forms you will encounter later.

Romanian has additional polite or socially marked third-person pronouns, including dumnealui “he/him, that gentleman,” dumneaei “she/her, that lady,” and plural dumnealor. They take third-person verb forms: Dumneaei lucrează aici. These forms refer respectfully to people rather than addressing them directly. Dânsul, dânsa, dânșii, dânsele also occur, but their degree of politeness and their everyday frequency vary by region and context. For a beginner, el, ea, ei, ele for reference and dumneavoastră for formal address are the dependable core system.

Subject pronouns may be stated even when the ending is perfectly clear because Romanian speakers use them to organize information. In Eu, sincer, nu sunt de acord (“Personally, I honestly don’t agree”), eu frames the statement as the speaker’s position. In Tu ce crezi? (“What do you think?”), tu shifts attention to the listener. This is a matter of discourse focus—what the speaker presents as the point of attention—not a failure of the verb ending.

Coordinated subjects also affect agreement. Eu și Maria normally behave like noi: Eu și Maria mergem “Maria and I are going.” A group addressed as tu și Andrei normally takes a plural verb: Tu și Andrei mergeți “You and Andrei are going.” Once that group is established, noi or voi may refer back to it.

Finally, a missing third-person subject can remain deliberately unspecified. Spune că vine mâine may mean “He says he is coming tomorrow” or “She says she is coming tomorrow”; only context identifies the person. Romanian does not have one everyday singular subject pronoun exactly equivalent to gender-neutral singular English “they.” Writers and speakers often avoid an unnecessary pronoun, repeat a role or name, or rephrase according to the context.

Practice Tips

1. Learn pronouns together with one full verb pattern. Recite eu sunt, tu ești, el/ea este, noi suntem, voi sunteți, ei/ele sunt. Then cover the pronouns and see whether the verb forms still tell you the person.
2. Turn English sentences into natural Romanian twice. First make the full learning version, such as Eu locuiesc aici; then remove the pronoun: Locuiesc aici. Keep it only if you can explain the contrast or emphasis it adds.
3. Listen for switches of focus. In a short Romanian dialogue, mark every stated eu, tu, el, ea, noi, voi, ei, ele. Ask why the speaker said it: a new subject, a contrast, correction, or emphasis? This trains usage better than simply counting omissions.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Verb “A Fi” (To Be) — practise the most essential verb forms with all subject persons.
• Next step: Verb “A Avea” (To Have) — connect each pronoun with another common irregular verb.
• Next step: Verb Conjugation Groups — learn how Romanian verb forms signal person and number.
• Vocabulary practice: Family Members — use el, ea, ei, ele to refer to people in a family.
• Later contrast: Clitic Pronouns — distinguish subject forms such as eu from short object forms such as mă and îl.