for (beneficiary)
Who or what something is meant for.
un cadou pentru tine
a present for you
E pentru copii.
It's for children.
#24 · Preposition
pentru
In Romanian, pentru means “for (beneficiary)”. It’s the #24 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
The Romanian "for" — beneficiary, purpose and duration all in one invariable word. It also builds the language's standard "because": pentru că. Like every preposition it takes the stressed pronouns, so it is pentru mine, never pentru eu.
neutralfor / in order to (purpose)
Before a noun or supine. Before a full clause you need pentru a or ca să instead.
pentru siguranță
for safety
ceva pentru citit
something to read
because (pentru că)
The neutral, full form of "because" — in casual speech it often shortens to plain că.
pentru că am uitat
because I forgot
for (duration or a scheduled time)
How long something is meant to last, or what it is booked for.
pentru două zile
for two days
o masă pentru doi
a table for two
in favour of / as for
Support, or framing a personal viewpoint.
Sunt pentru.
I'm in favour.
Pentru mine, e clar.
For me, it is clear.
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
pentru100%
Show 1 more form
pentr<1%
Grammar Behavior
pentru + noun / stressed pronoun
The basic beneficiary or purpose phrase.
pentru mama
for mum
pentru că + clause
The standard "because", taking the indicative.
Râd pentru că e amuzant.
I'm laughing because it's funny.
pentru a + infinitive
A more formal, written way to express purpose; speech prefers ca să.
pentru a înțelege mai bine
in order to understand better
pentru + duration
How long something is intended to last.
Plec pentru o săptămână.
I'm leaving for a week.
vs. ca să
ca să introduces a purpose clause with a conjugated verb; pentru introduces a noun.
Am venit ca să te văd. / Am venit pentru tine.
I came to see you. / I came for you.
vs. de ce vs. pentru ce
de ce asks the reason ("why"), pentru ce the purpose ("what for").
De ce plângi? / Pentru ce e butonul ăsta?
Why are you crying? / What's this button for?
vs. de (duration already elapsed)
de covers time already passed, pentru time still planned.
Sunt aici de o oră. / Sunt aici pentru o oră.
I've been here for an hour. / I'm here for an hour.
Examples
Am adus asta pentru tine.
I brought this for you.
pentru - Beneficiary, and the pronoun must be the stressed tine — never te.
Nu am venit pentru că am fost bolnav.
I didn't come because I was ill.
pentru că - The full causal conjunction. Dropping pentru leaves the casual spoken că, which is also fine.
O cameră pentru trei nopți, vă rog.
A room for three nights, please.
pentru - Duration of a booking — the everyday hotel sentence.
Pentru ce ai nevoie de asta?
What do you need this for?
pentru ce - pentru ce asks purpose ("what for"), while de ce asks reason ("why").
pentru cannot introduce a conjugated clause on its own — you need pentru că for "because" or ca să for "in order to". *Pentru vin mâine is not Romanian.
In expressions
Common phrases built around pentru — worth learning as whole units.
pentru că— because
lit. “for that”
pentru a— in order to (+ infinitive)
lit. “for to”