Page:A simplified grammar of the Roumanian language.djvu/74

62 The case, governed indirectly by the verb, follows the case governed directly:
 * Am dat cartea copiluluĭ, ‘I gave the book to the child.’

We have however already seen that the genitive, when it follows a noun, loses its particle a. When in such a sentence as the above it would not at first sight be obvious whether by the expression cartea copiluluĭ was meant ‘the book of the child’ or ‘the book to the child,’ the confusion which might then arise is avoided by placing the dative next to the verb:

When the direct object of a transitive verb is a person, it takes the accusative case preceded by the preposition pe; in all other cases the accusative without that preposition is used:
 * Copilul bun stiméză pe părinṭĭ, ‘The good child honours the parents.’
 * Am vĕḍut palatul Regal, ‘I have seen the Royal palace.’

When a noun in the accusative case is followed by an adjective or a possessive pronoun, it takes the article:
 * Copilul bun stiméză pe părinṭiĭ sĕĭ, ‘The good child honours his parents.’

We have already seen that the vocative singular of masculine nouns ends in e, and that of feminine nouns in o, the plural of both being in lor.