Language/Romanian/Grammar/Questions

Romanian Grammar - Questions

Hi Romanian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we are going to learn about questions in Romanian! Asking questions is an essential part of communication, and mastering this skill is crucial if you want to become fluent. Let's get started!

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Cases, Conditional Mood, The Locative Case in Romanian & Prepositions and Postpositions.

Forming Yes/No Questions

In Romanian, yes/no questions are formed by adding the particle "nu" (meaning "not") after the verb. The intonation of the question is also important, and usually, it will rise at the end of the sentence. Let's look at some examples:

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
Vorbești românește?	[vor.'beʃtʲ ro.mɨ.'neʃ.te]	Do you speak Romanian?
Nu mănânci carne?	[nu mɨ.'nɨn.kʲ kar.ne]	Don't you eat meat?
Înțelegi?	[ɨn.'t͡sʲe.leʤʲ]	Do you understand?

Notice how the particle "nu" changes the meaning of the sentence from a statement to a question. Also, pay attention to the rising intonation at the end of each question.

Forming Information Questions

Information questions (also known as wh-questions) are formed by using question words such as "ce" (what), "când" (when), "unde" (where), "cum" (how), "de ce" (why), and others. The structure of an information question in Romanian is the same as in English: question word + verb + subject. Here are some examples:

Romanian	Pronunciation	English
Ce faci?	[t͡ʃe fakʲ]	What are you doing?
Când vii acasă?	[kɨnd vi.ja.'ka.sa]	When are you coming home?
Unde este cartea?	[un.de 'je.ste 'kartʲea]	Where is the book?
Cum te simți?	[kum te 'sim.tɨ]	How are you feeling?
De ce plângi?	[de t͡ʃe plɨnʤʲ]	Why are you crying?

Notice how the word order in questions is different than in statements. In statements, the subject comes before the verb, but in questions, the verb comes before the subject. Also, remember to use the appropriate question word for the information you want to ask.

Dialogue

Let's practice what we've learned with a short dialogue:

• Person 1: Salut! Ce faci? ([Hi! What are you doing?])
• Person 2: Bine, mulțumesc. Tu? ([Good, thank you. And you?])
• Person 1: Eu învăț limba română. ([I am learning Romanian])
• Person 2: Foarte bine! Unde înveți? ([Very good! Where do you study?])
• Person 1: La Polyglot Club, și tu? ([At Polyglot Club, and you?])
• Person 2: La școală. Cum ți se pare limba română? ([At school. What do you think of Romanian?])
• Person 1: Este o limbă frumoasă, dar mai grea decât credeam. ([It's a beautiful language, but harder than I thought])

Conclusion

That's it for this lesson on Romanian questions! Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't be afraid to use the language and ask native speakers any questions. To improve your Romanian Grammar, you can also check out our dedicated page on the Polyglot Club website.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Asking questions in Romanian
• The Basics of Romanian Sentence Structure & Word Order
• G1 Romanian grammar | Romanian Lesson

With this lesson finished, you may want to explore these additional pages: Negation, Romanian Grammar: Plural Nouns, Imperative Form & Relative Pronouns and Clauses.

Other Lessons

• Verb to be with names and places
• Ablative Case in Romanian
• Interrogative Words in Romanian
• Possessive Case in Romanian
• How to use ¨can¨ in Romanian
• How to use the verb there to be in Romanian
• Greetings in Romanian
• How to Use Have
• Genitive Case in Romanian
• Prepositions