Romanian personal pronouns
Eight little words for I, you, he, she, we, and they — plus the one habit that instantly makes you sound natural: knowing when to leave them out.
eu
I
“yeu”
tu
you
“too”
el
he / it
“yel”
ea
she / it
“ya”
noi
we
“noy”
voi
you (all)
“voy”
ei
they
“yei”
ele
they
“YEH-leh”
The one habit
Romanian usually drops the subject
The verb ending already tells you who is speaking, so eu, tu, el and the rest are normally left out. Say them and you sound emphatic — like putting the word in italics.
Grammatically fine, but heavy
Eu sunt obosit.
I am tired.
What a native says
Sunt obosit.
I am tired.
Add the pronoun for contrast. When you want to point at who, put it back in: Eu plătesc, tu stai. — I'll pay, you sit.
The full set
All eight, with pronunciation
The tricky part is sound, not spelling: pronouns starting with e are said with a leading “y”. Read each one aloud with its example.
Singular — one person
I
1st person
Eu plătesc. — I'll pay.
you
2nd · informal
Tu ce crezi? — What do you think?
he / it
3rd · masculine
El e acasă. — He's home.
she / it
3rd · feminine
Ea vorbește engleză. — She speaks English.
Plural — more than one
we
1st person
Noi mergem acum. — We're going now.
you (all)
2nd · informal
Voi sunteți gata? — Are you all ready?
they
3rd · masc. / mixed
Ei locuiesc aici. — They live here.
they
3rd · all feminine
Ele sunt surori. — They are sisters.
Careful with “it”. Romanian has no separate word for it — an object is el or eadepending on the noun’s gender. A phone (telefon, m.) is el; a table (masă, f.) is ea.
Getting “you” right
“You” is three different words
This is where beginners slip. Romanian, like French or German, splits “you” by how many people and how formal the moment is.
tu
informal · one person
A friend, family, a child, or a peer who has offered.
verb in 2nd person singular — tu ești
Tu ești prietenul meu.
You're my friend.
voi
informal · a group
Two or more people you would each call tu.
verb in 2nd person plural — voi sunteți
Voi veniți diseară?
Are you (all) coming tonight?
dumneavoastră
polite · one or many
Strangers, elders, officials, customers, anyone in a formal setting.
always 2nd person plural — dumneavoastră sunteți
Dumneavoastră sunteți profesorul?
Are you the teacher?
Rule of thumb: a friend, a child, or a peer who offered → tu. Someone older, a stranger, or any professional setting → dumneavoastră.
You will also meet dumneata (an older, in-between polite "you", now a little cold or stiff) and the 3rd-person polite forms dumnealui (he), dumneaei (she), dumnealor (they), plus the regional dânsul / dânsa. When in doubt with someone new, dumneavoastră is always the safe, respectful choice.
After a preposition
Only two pronouns ever change
After a preposition (pentru, cu, la, despre, de…), pronouns switch to their stressed forms. The good news: only two actually change.
Everything else keeps its subject form: el, ea, noi, voi, ei, ele. So after any preposition you only have to remember mine and tine.
Zoom out
The whole pronoun family
Subject pronouns are one branch. Here is the rest of the system — each opens a focused guide.
Object pronouns
The short "me / you / him / her" that hug the verb — accusative and dative.
Mă vede. — He sees me.
Possessive pronouns
How to say my, your, his, and ours — and match them to the noun.
cartea mea — my book
Reflexive pronouns
The "-self" pronouns in daily-routine verbs like waking up and getting dressed.
Mă trezesc. — I wake up.
Demonstratives
Pointing words — this one, that one — in their full and spoken forms.
Acesta e mai bun. — This one is better.
The personal "pe" + doubling
Why Romanians say "Îl văd pe Ion" — marking a human object and doubling it.
Îl văd pe Ion. — I see Ion.
Watch out
Six mistakes to skip
Eu sunt obosit. Eu merg acasă.
Sunt obosit. Merg acasă.
Drop eu / tu unless you are emphasizing — the verb ending already says who.
Tu ești doctorul? (to a stranger)
Dumneavoastră sunteți doctorul?
With someone you have just met, use the polite dumneavoastră.
un cadou pentru eu
un cadou pentru mine
After a preposition, eu → mine and tu → tine.
Masa? El e nouă.
Masa? Ea e nouă.
"It" follows the noun's gender. Masă is feminine, so it is ea, not el.
Maria și Andrei? Ele sunt aici.
Maria și Andrei? Ei sunt aici.
A mixed group is ei. Use ele only for an all-female group.
Dumneavoastră ești amabil.
Dumneavoastră sunteți amabil.
Dumneavoastră always takes the plural verb, even for one person.
Your turn
Quick check
Three questions on the things people get wrong first. Tap an answer for instant feedback.
Question 1
You've just met your friend's grandmother. Which “you” do you use?
Question 2
“This gift is for me.” → Acest cadou este ___
Question 3
Maria and Andrei loved the film. “They loved it.” Which pronoun?
Questions
Frequently asked
How do you say "I" in Romanian?
"I" is eu, pronounced roughly "yew". But Romanian usually drops it: "Sunt aici" already means "I am here", because the verb ending shows the person. You add eu mainly for emphasis.
Do you have to use subject pronouns in Romanian?
No. Romanian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending already marks who is doing the action, so eu, tu, el and the rest are normally left out and added back only for emphasis or contrast.
What is the difference between tu and dumneavoastră?
tu is informal — for friends, family, children, and peers. dumneavoastră is the polite "you" for strangers, elders, and formal settings, and it takes a plural verb even when you are speaking to just one person.
How do you say "you" formally in Romanian?
Use dumneavoastră (often abbreviated dvs.) with a 2nd-person-plural verb: "Dumneavoastră sunteți…" ("You are…"). It is the safe, respectful default with anyone you have just met.
What is the difference between ei and ele?
Both mean "they". ei is for a group of men or a mixed male-and-female group; ele is only for an all-female group.
Do el and ea also mean "it"?
Yes. Romanian has no separate word for "it": an object takes el or ea depending on its grammatical gender. A phone (telefon, masculine) is el; a table (masă, feminine) is ea.
Why does eu become mine after "pentru"?
After a preposition, pronouns switch to their stressed forms. Only eu → mine and tu → tine actually change; el, ea, noi, voi, ei, ele stay the same. So it is "pentru mine" and "cu tine", but "despre noi".
Is Romanian pro-drop like Spanish and Italian?
Yes. Like its Romance cousins, Romanian marks the subject in the verb ending, so subject pronouns are usually dropped and used mainly for emphasis.