direct-object marker before a specific person
Obligatory with names, personal pronouns, and definite human objects — and normally doubled by a clitic (o, îl, îi).
O caut pe Ana.
I'm looking for Ana.
Pe cine ai văzut?
Who did you see?
#15 · Preposition
pe
In Romanian, pe means “direct-object marker before a specific person”. It’s the #15 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
Two words in one, and that is why pe sits at rank 15. First it means "on". Second — and far more often — it is Romanian's direct-object marker: when the object is a specific person, it must be introduced by pe, as in O văd pe Maria. English has nothing like it, which makes pe one of the highest-value grammar words to get right early.
neutralon (surface)
Physical contact with a surface.
pe masă
on the table
Stai pe scaun.
Sit on the chair.
along / through / around (movement over an area)
Motion across or along something.
pe stradă
on / along the street
Merg pe jos.
I'm going on foot.
for / at (a date, a price, a period)
Assigning something to a time or an amount.
pe mâine
for tomorrow
pe zi
per day
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 99% of everyday use — learn these first.
pe99%
Show 2 more forms
pe-<1%
p-<1%
Grammar Behavior
clitic + verb + pe + person
Clitic doubling: the object appears twice, once as a short pronoun and once in full.
O ajut pe mama.
I'm helping my mother.
pe + stressed pronoun
For emphasis or contrast the pronoun appears in full after pe.
Pe mine mă întrebi?
Are you asking me?
pe care
The object relative pronoun — always pe care, always clitic-doubled.
filmul pe care l-am văzut
the film that I saw
pe + surface / route
The spatial sense: on, along, through.
Mergem pe drumul acesta.
We're going along this road.
vs. în
pe is on a surface, în is inside a volume.
pe cutie / în cutie
on the box / in the box
vs. la
la points at a destination or institution; pe describes the surface or route.
la stradă / pe stradă
towards the street / on the street
vs. no marker (indefinite object)
An indefinite or non-human object takes no pe at all.
Văd o fată. / O văd pe fată.
I see a girl. / I see the girl.
Examples
Îl cunosc pe fratele tău.
I know your brother.
pe - The full pattern: clitic îl + verb + pe + the person. Both parts are required — dropping either sounds wrong.
Cartea e pe masă.
The book is on the table.
pe - The plain spatial sense — "on" a surface.
Pe cine aștepți?
Who are you waiting for?
pe - Questions about a person as object start with pe cine, never bare cine.
Omul pe care l-am văzut.
The man whom I saw.
pe care - The relative pronoun takes pe as an object, and the clitic l- doubles it.
pe is only used for specific, usually human objects. Caut un doctor ("I'm looking for a doctor" — any one) has no pe, but Îl caut pe doctor ("I'm looking for the doctor") must have it.