cine / ce / unde / când / cum / cât

Question Words

Level 1

Romanian uses six primary question words: cine (who), ce (what), unde (where), când (when), cum (how), and cât (how much/many). Unlike English, Romanian does not require auxiliary verbs like 'do' to form a question.

How It Works

Romanian questions are straightforward. You typically place the interrogative word at the beginning of the sentence.

1. The Invariable Words:

  • Ce (What): Used for things or identity. Ce este asta? (What is this?)
  • Unde (Where): Used for location. Unde ești? (Where are you?)
  • Când (When): Used for time. Când plecăm? (When are we leaving?)
  • Cum (How): Used for manner. Cum ești? (How are you?)

2. The Variable Words:

  • Cine (Who): Refers only to people. When it is the direct object of a verb, it requires the preposition pe (e.g., Pe cine cauți?). To say 'to whom', use cui. To say 'whose', use the possessive article + cui (e.g., Al cui este telefonul?).
  • Cât (How much/many): This word changes to match the noun: cât (masc./neut. sing.), câtă (fem. sing.), câți (masc. plur.), and câte (fem./neut. plur.). Note: cât is invariable when used as an adverb, such as in Cât costă? (How much does it cost?).

Word Order: While Romanian often uses subject-verb-object order, in questions, the verb often follows the question word immediately, though inversion is not strictly mandatory as it is in English.

Examples (5)

  1. Unde este gara?

    Where is the train station?

    Word by Word: Where is the-station?

    'Unde' is an adverb of place and does not change its form.

  2. Pe cine suni?

    Whom are you calling?

    Word by Word: PE whom you-call?

    When 'cine' is the direct object (the person being called), it must be preceded by 'pe'.

  3. Câte mere vrei?

    How many apples do you want?

    Word by Word: How-many apples you-want?

    'Câte' is the feminine/neuter plural form of 'cât' to agree with 'mere' (apples).

  4. Când vine trenul?

    When is the train coming?

    Word by Word: When comes the-train?

    'Când' is used for time. Note that no auxiliary 'is' or 'does' is needed.

  5. Ce faci acum?

    What are you doing now?

    Word by Word: What you-do now?

    'Ce' is used for open-ended questions about actions or things.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting 'pe' when 'cine' is a direct object.

    Cine vezi?
    Pe cine vezi?

    In Romanian, when 'who' is the object of the action, you must use the marker 'pe'. This is known as the personal pe.

  • Failing to agree 'cât' with the noun.

    Cât fete sunt?
    Câte fete sunt?

    'Cât' must match the gender and number of the noun. Since 'fete' (girls) is feminine plural, you must use 'câte'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

cine / ce / unde / când / cum / câtLevel 1Question Words

Learn This First

To learn Romanian question words, you first need to understand the specific pronunciation rules for the letters and sounds they contain, particularly the soft 'c' in 'ce' and the special Romanian vowels 'â' and 'î'.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

cineceundecândcumcâtcâtcât