B1 · Intermédiaire Chapitre 33

Relative Clauses

4 Règles totales
34 exemples
1 min
Règles dans ce chapitre Pratique rapide

Chapter in 30 Seconds

Unlock the power of descriptive speech by linking your ideas seamlessly with relative pronouns.

  • Identify the correct usage of 'care' and 'cine'.
  • Construct defining clauses to specify nouns.
  • Integrate non-defining clauses to add extra information.
Connect your thoughts with precision and flair.

Ce que tu vas apprendre

Using relative pronouns like 'care' and 'cine'. Building complex sentences with embedded clauses.

  • Relative Pronouns
    Relative pronouns like care act as bridges, connecting descriptions to nouns while adapting to gender and case.
  • Defining Clauses
    Defining clauses use care without commas to provide essential information that identifies a specific noun in a sentence.
  • Non-defining Clauses
    Always wrap non-essential extra information in commas to keep your Romanian clear and grammatically correct.
  • Complex Sentence Building
    Mastering care and pe care allows you to build complex, descriptive sentences that sound natural and professional.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  1. 1
    By the end you will be able to: Use 'care' to accurately describe people and objects in a paragraph.

Exemples clés (8)

1

Omul care vorbește este unchiul meu.

The man who is speaking is my uncle.

Relative Pronouns
2

Cartea pe care o citesc este interesantă.

The book that I am reading is interesting.

Relative Pronouns
3

Citesc cartea `care` este pe masă.

I am reading the book that is on the table.

Defining Clauses
4

Băiatul `care` vorbește este fratele meu.

The boy who is speaking is my brother.

Defining Clauses
5

Sora mea, care locuiește la Iași, m-a sunat ieri.

My sister, who lives in Iași, called me yesterday.

Non-defining Clauses
6

Mașina mea, pe care am cumpărat-o recent, s-a stricat.

My car, which I bought recently, broke down.

Non-defining Clauses
7

Băiatul `care` vorbește este fratele meu.

The boy who is speaking is my brother.

Complex Sentence Building
8

Cartea `pe care` o citesc este interesantă.

The book that I am reading is interesting.

Complex Sentence Building

Conseils et astuces (4)

🎯

The 'Pe' Shortcut

If you can replace the pronoun with 'him' or 'her' in English, you almost certainly need 'pe care' in Romanian.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns
⚠️

The Comma Trap

Never use commas in defining clauses. If you add a comma, you change the meaning from 'that specific one' to 'by the way, this one'.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining Clauses
💡

The Breath Test

If you feel like you should naturally pause for a breath before and after the extra info, you definitely need commas in Romanian.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Non-defining Clauses
💡

The 'Pe' Shortcut

If you can replace 'which' with 'whom' in English, you almost certainly need pe care in Romanian.
frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Complex Sentence Building

Vocabulaire clé (5)

care which/who/that cine who căruia to whom (masc.) esențial essential detaliu detail

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Review Summary

  • antecedent + care + verb
  • noun + care + essential info
  • noun, + care + extra info, + verb
  • Noun + [Clause] + Verb

Erreurs courantes

You don't need commas for defining clauses because the clause is essential to know WHICH man we are talking about.

Wrong: Omul, care este aici, este fratele meu.
Correct: Omul care este aici este fratele meu.

When the relative pronoun is the object, you must use 'pe care' and include the clitic pronoun 'l-'.

Wrong: Cine este omul care îi am văzut?
Correct: Cine este omul pe care l-am văzut?

For possession, you must use 'al cărei' (whose) instead of just 'care'.

Wrong: Cartea care autorul este român e bună.
Correct: Cartea al cărei autor este român e bună.

Next Steps

You've mastered the art of connection! Keep weaving these clauses into your daily Romanian practice.

Rewrite 5 simple sentences from a news article into complex sentences using 'care'.

Continue to: Passive Voice

Pratique rapide (10)

Which punctuation is correct for adding extra info?

Orașul Brașov ___ care se află la munte ___ este foarte frumos.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: , ... ,
Non-defining clauses must always be enclosed in commas.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Non-defining Clauses

Choose the correct relative pronoun for a feminine singular object.

Fata ___ am văzut-o la cinema este colega mea.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: pe care
Since 'fata' is the direct object of 'am văzut', you need 'pe care'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns

Choose the correct relative pronoun and punctuation for a non-defining clause.

Părinții mei, ___ locuiesc la țară, au o grădină mare.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: care
We need 'care' because the parents are the subject of the verb 'locuiesc' (they live).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Non-defining Clauses

Show possession using the correct Genitive form.

Vecinul ___ casă este verde este foarte amabil.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: al cărui
'Al cărui' matches 'vecinul' (masculine singular) and shows the house belongs to him.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Complex Sentence Building

Choose the correct relative pronoun to complete the sentence.

Fata ___ am întâlnit-o ieri este medic.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: pe care
Because 'the girl' is the direct object of 'met', we must use 'pe care' and the pronoun 'o'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Complex Sentence Building

Which pronoun refers to a whole situation/idea?

Ea a întârziat din nou, ___ este inacceptabil.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: ceea ce
'Ceea ce' refers to the entire fact that she was late again.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns

Identify the correct form for a location-based defining clause.

Vreau să merg în orașul ___ s-a născut bunicul meu.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: unde
'Unde' is the most natural way to define a specific place in this context.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Defining Clauses

Select the correct Genitive form for a masculine singular owner.

Vecinul ___ câine latră mereu este foarte amabil.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: al cărui
'Al cărui' is used for 'whose' when the owner is masculine singular (vecinul).

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Relative Pronouns

Identify the missing element for this object relative clause.

Cafeaua, ___ am băut-o de dimineață, a fost tare.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: pe care
Since 'coffee' is the object (I drank the coffee), we must use 'pe care'.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Non-defining Clauses

Describe a place.

Restaurantul ___ am mâncat a fost excelent.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: unde
'Unde' (where) is the most natural way to link a place to a description of an action happening there.

frontend.learn_grammar.from_rule: Complex Sentence Building

Score: /10

Questions fréquentes (6)

The most common one is care. It can mean 'who', 'which', or 'that' depending on the context.
Yes, in the Nominative (subject) and Accusative (object) cases, care remains the same for both singular and plural.
It is a part of a sentence that identifies which specific person or thing you are talking about. Without it, the sentence is incomplete or vague, like saying Vreau haina (I want the coat) without saying which one.
Commas create a pause that indicates the information is extra or non-essential. In defining clauses, the information is vital for identification, so we don't pause.
It is a part of a sentence that adds extra information about a noun that is already identified. For example, in Fratele meu, care e la Londra, e bine, the clause care e la Londra is extra info because you already know who your brother is.
Commas signal to the reader that the information is secondary. In Romanian, they are strictly required for non-defining clauses to separate the 'bonus' info from the main message.
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The Subjunctive Mood
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