When you start learning Romanian, one of the first things you might worry about is how to build a sentence.

Does the verb go at the end like in German? Do you need helper words like “do” or “does” like in English?

Here is the good news: Romanian sentence structure is actually very similar to English.

However, Romanian is also a “Romance” language (like Spanish, Italian, and French). This means it has a few special rules about where to put describing words (adjectives) and little words like pronouns.

But the best part? Romanian is incredibly flexible.

Because the words change their endings (grammar cases) to show their meaning, you can often move words around to emphasize different things without changing the basic meaning of the sentence.

In this guide, I will break down exactly how to build a Romanian sentence so you can start speaking with confidence.

The basic rule: Subject + Verb + Object

If you are a native English speaker, you are in luck.

The standard word order in Romanian is exactly the same as in English: Subject + Verb + Object (SVO).

This means the person doing the action comes first, then the action, and then the thing being acted upon.

Here is a quick breakdown:

See? It maps perfectly to English.

However, there is one major difference. In Romanian, we often drop the subject (the “I”, “You”, “We”) if it is obvious who we are talking about.

Because the Romanian verb conjugation changes for every person, you don’t always need to say “Eu” (I). The verb mănânc already tells you that “I” am doing it.

So, it is very common to just say:

Changing the order for emphasis

While SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) is the standard “neutral” way to speak, Romanian allows you to be very flexible.

You generally put the most important information at the beginning of the sentence.

If you want to emphasize what you are eating, rather than who is eating it, you can move the object to the front.

Let’s look at how the meaning shifts slightly depending on the order:

1. Neutral statement:

Eu merg la magazin. (I am going to the store.)

2. Emphasizing the destination:

La magazin merg eu. (It is to the store that I am going.)

3. Emphasizing the person:

Eu sunt cel care merge la magazin. (I am the one going to the store.)

You will hear this flexibility often in casual conversation or specialized regions. For example, in some parts of Transylvania, due to Hungarian influence, speakers might place the verb at the end of the sentence more often, though standard Romanian usually keeps it in the middle.

Word order in questions

In English, when we ask a question, we usually add a helper word like “Do” or “Does,” or we switch the word order around.

• Statement: You have money.
• Question: Do you have money?

In Romanian, it is much simpler. You usually do not change the word order at all.

You simply change your intonation (raise your voice at the end of the sentence).

In writing, the only difference is the question mark. In speaking, it’s the tone of voice.

However, for specific questions, we use question words at the start:

• Ce (What)
• Cine (Who)
• Unde (Where)
• Când (When)
• De ce (Why)

When you use these, the structure is usually: Question Word + Verb + Subject/Object.

Where do adjectives go?

This is one of the biggest differences between English and Romanian.

In English, describing words (adjectives) go before the noun.

• A red car.
• A good boy.

In Romanian (and other Romance languages), adjectives usually go after the noun.

• O mașină roșie (A car red).
• Un băiat bun (A boy good).

Are there exceptions?

Yes, of course! Sometimes, for poetic effect or strong emphasis, an adjective can be placed before the noun. But for a beginner, stick to the rule: Noun first, Adjective second.

The tricky part: short pronouns

If there is one thing that confuses learners, it is the placement of “short” pronouns (also called clitics).

These are small words like mă, te, îl, o, ne, vă, le (me, you, him, her, us, you, them).

In English, we say: “I help him.” (Verb then Pronoun).

In Romanian, these short pronouns usually go BEFORE the verb.

Literally, this translates to “Him (I) help.”

Literally: “You (I) love.”

This can take some getting used to. You have to anticipate who you are talking about before you say the action.

Here is a quick summary table of where things go:

Don’t worry if you make mistakes with word order at first. Because Romanian has specific endings for words, natives will almost always understand what you mean, even if you put the words in the “English order.”

The most important thing is to start speaking.