Among the characteristic features of Rumanian are the fol lowing : I. Lat. au has been preserved as a diphthong (as in Sardo Sicilian, in part of Provençal and the Grisons dialect) e.g., L. aurum, Rum. aur ; L. audere, Rum. auzi.
2. Lat. open e has become ie even when in closed syllable (as in Spanish and Friulian) e.g., L. perdit, Rum. pierde.
3. Lat. a, open e, and o followed by n have become respec tively 1, e.g., L. canto, Rum. tint; L. bene, Rum. bine ; and u, L. carbonem, Rum. carbune.
4. Lat. tonic e, o, preceding a syllable with open vowel became first respectively : ea, oa, e.g., L. directa, Rum. dreaptd, L. porta, Rum. poartd; this ea has been reduced in Daco-Rumanian at times to a, at times to e, e.g., L. legem, Rum. lege (formerly leage). L. mensa, Rum. math (formerly measci) but has been main tained in Macedo-Rumanian : oa has generally remained without alteration in Daco-Rumanian as in voastrei but has been confused with close o in Istro-Rumanian.
5. Lat. intervocalic 1 has passed to r (as in some Italian dia lects, in Ladin, in Franco-Provençal and in Vaudois), e.g., L. filum, Rum. fir; L. mola, Rum. moard; L. gula, Rum. gurd.
6. Lat. qua and gua have respectively become pii and bci, e.g., L. aqua, Rum. apci; L. equa, Rum. iapd; L. lingua, Rum. limba (compare Logudorese abba and limba). This modification which is normal inside the word appears at times in the initial syllable, e.g., L. quattuor, Rum. patru.
7. Lat. Kt, Ks, have respectively become pt, ps, e.g., L. lactem, Rum. lapte; L. coxa, Rum. coapth.
8. Lat. Sk, e, i, has become sht, e.g., L. piscem, Rum. peste.
9. Lat. intervocalic b, v, 11 (in group vowel +11a) have disap peared, e.g., L. caballum, Rum. cal; L. lavare, Rum. la; L. stella, Rum. stew.
10. In the Istro-Rumanian dialects and, till the 17th century in Transylvanian (as in parts of Franco-Provençal) Lat. inter vocalic n has been changed into r, e.g., L. lana, I.-R., Tr., lace; L. manum, I.-R., Tr., mare; L. virum, I.-R., Tr. virg.
There still exists a system of declensions of substantives and adjectives with five cases : N., V., Acc., Gen., Dative.
12. The definite article is put after the substantive, e.g., lup,
lupul, lupului, lupilor.
13. The formation of the numerals from 11-90 proceeds upon the Slav system. (a) From 11-19 sere (L. super) is inserted be tween I, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and zece, lc), e.g., II, unsprezece; 12, doisprezece (masc.) doudsprezece (fem.) ; 13, treisprezece. (b) From 20-90 zeci (1o) is added to 3, 4, etc., e.g., zo, doudzeci; 3o treizeci. The ordinals are formed by adding to the corresponding cardinals the ending -lea (masc.) and -a (fem.) e.g., al doilea, the second (masc.), a doua, the second (fem.), al unspre zecilea; the eleventh (masc.), a unsprezecea, the eleventh (fem.). Intidul (from L. antaneum) or cel dintcliu (masc.) ; intdia or cela dintdiu (fem.) means the first.
14. All infinitives have shed the final posttonic syllable of Vulg. Lat. e.g., a aduna, a tdcea, a incepe, a fugi. These infini tives are those of the four conjugations existing in Rumanian.
15. The future present is formed by the infinitive of the verb to be conjugated, preceded or followed by the present indicative of a voi. In colloquial Rumanian it is often expressed by the present indicative of a avea, followed by the conjunction RI and the verb in the present subjunctive; or the present indicative of a avea may be replaced by o which is invariable. The following examples give the four different ways of expressing this tense : voi ruga, ruga voi, am sci rog, o sa rog (I shall pray).
16. The passive is expressed by a special construction of the subject with the reflexive form : e.g., Mdmistirea s'a zidit de cel Mare (The monastery has been built by Stephen the Great). Another construction, more modern, is similar to the one to be found in other Romance languages: e.g., Sunt bdtut (I am beaten).
17. Preposition pre or pe (Lat. per) is used before names of persons and before pronouns in the accusative. Compare the use of a (Lat. ad) in Portuguese, Spanish, dialects of Southern Italy and Engadine, e.g., Am vezut pe printul (I have seen the prince) ; lath un mayneag pe care ti-1 recomand (There is an old man I recommend you).