ACCUSATIVE WITH INFINITIVE

is a contracted construction that corresponds to the Romanian structure

e.g. Vreau ca tata / e s! "in! la Piatra Neam.
Toi ai casei ateapt ca tu s nvei mai multe cuvinte englezeti.
N.#. $ It is compusor% that the subject of verb
1
should be distinct from the subject of verb
2
.
In e&tenso' a sentence i(e
)I want that father should come to Piatra Neam*
+ecause ,that-' as a con.unction' is usua% omitted /that is' it is not used0' it ma(es that the 1ord
)father* shoud come cose to the "er+ )want*' that is it /)father*0 +ecomes the o+.ect o2 the "er+
)want*' and so it is no onger a nominati"e +ut an accusati"e. In this case' it can no onger +e the
su+.ect o2 the "er+ )come* and so this "er+ can no onger get a ,tense 2orm-' that is this "er+ must
+e in a +asic 2orm /in Romanian3 ,form de az' nefle!ionar"0. That is 1h% it turns into its in2initi"e'
that is )should come* +ecomes )to come*.
This construction is (no1n as ACCUSATIVE WITH INFINITIVE and consists in a direct
o+.ect /1hich is' at the same time' the su+.ect o2 the in2initi"e that 2oo1s0 and the in2initi"e
together 1ith 1hich the% are the 4+.ect Compement /in #omanian $nume predicativ oiectiv%0 o2 the
predicate o2 the sentence. It is usua% used a2ter3
5. $ "er+s e&pressing 1ish3 to desire& to disli'e& to e!pect& to li'e& to prefer& to want& to wish6
7. $ "er+s e&pressing permission3 to allow& to let& to permit6
8. $ "er+s e&pressing command3 to command& to order& to recommend6
9. $ "er+s e&pressing perception3 to feel& to hear& to notice& to oserve& to perceive& to see& to smell&
to taste& to watch(
:. $ "er+s e&pressing menta acti"it%6 to assume& to elieve& to consider& to declare& to find& to
e!pect& to guess& to imagine& to intend& to )udge& to 'now& to mean& to suppose& to suspect& to
thin'& to understand(
;. $ "er+s e&pressing decaration3 to ac'nowledge& to declare& to den*& to pronounce& to state6
<. $ other "er+s such as3 to ear& to help& to elong to& to care for& to count on& to depend on& & to
help& to loo' for& to loo' to +to pa* attention to,& to ma'e& to prove& to rel* on& to report& to send
for& to wait for etc.
E&ampes3
5. $ I didn-t e!pect her to come so ate. He i(es me to hep him 2inish his .o+.
7. $ Tom let you read his +oo( 1hen %ou 1ere on the trip 1ith him' didn-t he=
8. $ #i ordered his son to go and +ring the co1.
9. $ I heard her play the piano.
:. $ I considered him to be a .ust man' +ut he pro"ed the opposite.
;. $ The a1%er declared Atticus to be not guit%.
<. $ a. He made her cry 2or pain.
+. >% +rother helped me (to) build a ne1 house.
N. #. $ 5. A2ter the notiona "er+s to let' to make and the verbs of perception the short in2initi"e is used
/see e&ampes 7' 9' and <.a0. The )to in2initi"e* is used a2ter these "er+s on% 1hen the% are in the passi"e
"oice.
e.g. ?ou were let to read his +oo( 1hen %ou 1ere on the trip 1ith him.
She was heard to play the piano.
She was made to cry 2or pain.
7. A2ter the "er+ )to hep*' either ong' or short in2initi"e can +e used /see e&ampe <.+0
ACCUSATIVE WITH @ARTICI@AE
VER#
1
+ )CA* + N4UN/@R4N4UN + VER#
2
/IN THE R4>ANIAN )C4NBUNCTIV*0 +
4#BECT 4R ACVER#IAA >4CIFIER
is "er% much i(e ,accusati"e 1ith in2initi"e- 1ith the di22erence that it /accusati"e 1ith participe0
sho1s the action e&pressed +% the present participe /the $ IND 2orm0 as +eing in its progress' and
not that the action is that one e&pressed +% the in2initi"e and not another one. That is
ACCUSATIVE WITH INFINITIVE ACCUSATIVE WITH @ARTICI@AE
ENDAISH R4>ANIAN ENDAISH R4>ANIAN
I sa1 him cross the
street.
/The infinitive shows which
the action is.0
Am "!Eut c! a tra"ersat
strada. /ceea ce am vzut este
c $el a traversat strada% nu
c $sttea de vor cu -%&
sau c $-etc.%,
I sa1 him crossing the
street.
/the present participle shows
the action in its progress0
AFam "!Eut tra"ersGnd strada.
/pe c.nd traversa strada n
timp ce traversa strada& c.nd
el era n traversarea strzii&
nu c el traversa strada i nu
fcea altceva,
So' it is eas% to understand the action as +eing an in2initi"e in Engish 1hen 1e i(e to ca it' to sa%
1hich it is /in Romanian it is introduced +% )c*0' 1hie the present participe is used 1hen the
action is considered 2rom the point o2 "ie1 o2 its de"eopment / progression /1hat in Romanian is
e&pressed +% )gerunEiu*0.
e.g.
ACCUSATIVE WITH INFINITIVE ACCUSATIVE WITH @ARTICI@AE
R4>ANIAN ENDAISH R4>ANIAN ENDAISH
/m auzit c vorbea
mamei tale despre
noua sa rochie.
I heard her speak to
*our mother aout her
new dress.
/m auzit0o vorbind
mamei tale despre
noua sa rochie.
I heard her speaking
to *our mother aout her
new dress.
Accusati"e 1ith participe is used a2ter3
5. $ "er+s e&pressing perception3 to feel& to hear& to listen& to loo' at& to see& to ehold& to notice& to
oserve& to perceive& to watch& to smell etc.
7. $ other "er+s such as3 to catch& to find& to get& to have& to imagine& to 'eep& to leave& to set& to
start etc.
E&ampes3
5.
$ I felt him trembling. /that he 1as trem+ing0
$ He loo'ed at her dancing. /ho1 she 1as dancing0
$ Can %ou smell something burning= /that something is +urning0
7.
$ I imagine her packing 2or this hoida%s.
$ She 'ept me waiting 2or an hour.
$ Father left me writing to m% +rother.