Use sau or ori to ask someone to choose: Vrei ceai sau cafea? (Do you want tea or coffee?) Add nu-i așa? or the shorter conversational nu? to ask for confirmation: Vrei ceai, nu-i așa? (You want tea, don't you?) Romanian also uses other confirmation formulas and discourse particles.
Which question pattern matches your purpose?
For a choice question, keep ordinary Romanian word order and join the alternatives with sau or ori. For a confirmation tag, say the statement first, then add the invariant tag nu-i așa? or the shorter nu?; the tag does not copy the main verb or change for the subject.
| Pattern | Romanian shape | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Word or phrase alternatives | A sau B? | Ask which option the listener chooses. |
| Clause alternatives | A sau B? | Offer two actions, events, or situations. |
| Explicit confirmation tag | Statement, nu-i așa? | Ask the listener to confirm the statement. |
| Short conversational tag | Statement, nu? | Use a briefer conversational request for agreement or confirmation. |
How do you ask someone to choose?
Place sau or ori between the alternatives. Where possible, give the alternatives the same grammatical role. A single question mark normally comes at the end. Romanian does not need an English-style auxiliary before the subject. See yes–no questions for the ordinary question pattern and basic Romanian word order for the wider clause order.
- Choose between nouns or noun phrases: Vrei ceai sau cafea? (Do you want tea or coffee?)
- Choose between places or destinations: Mergem la muzeu sau la parc? (Are we going to the museum or the park?)
- Choose between actions: Preferi să plecăm acum sau să mai așteptăm? (Do you prefer us to leave now or wait a little longer?)
Ori follows the same basic pattern: Vii cu trenul ori cu autobuzul? (Are you coming by train or by bus?)
How do you make the alternatives parallel?
When the same preposition or verb wording belongs to both alternatives, repeating it can make the contrast clear. With longer or more deliberate alternatives, Romanian can use the correlative pattern sau...sau..., ori...ori..., or fie...fie.... These pairs highlight the two options; they do not create a new verb tense.
| Pattern | Romanian example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Parallel prepositional phrases | Mergem la muzeu sau la parc? | Are we going to the museum or the park? |
| Parallel action phrases | Preferi să mergem cu trenul sau cu autobuzul? | Do you prefer to go by train or bus? |
| Correlative ori...ori... | Ori rămânem, ori plecăm. | Either we stay or we leave. |
| Correlative fie...fie... | Fie astăzi, fie mâine, rezolvăm problema. | Whether today or tomorrow, we will solve the problem. |
The first two examples keep the alternatives parallel; the last two show complete correlative pairs. In a short everyday question, simple sau is usually the neutral choice. Ori is a standard alternative, while fie...fie... can sound more deliberate or formal when it frames a pair of possibilities. See coordinating conjunctions for the wider contrast among sau, ori, and other coordinating forms.
How do you answer a choice question?
Name the selected alternative, or repeat enough of the phrase to make the choice clear. A short noun phrase is a natural answer; a full sentence is useful when the subject, time, or action could otherwise be misunderstood.
| Question | Short answer | Clearer full answer |
|---|---|---|
| Vrei ceai sau cafea? | Cafea, te rog. | Aș vrea cafea, te rog. |
| Mergem la muzeu sau la parc? | La parc. | Hai la parc. |
| Pleci acum sau mai târziu? | Mai târziu. | Plec mai târziu. |
How do confirmation tags work?
The two confirmation tags taught here are invariant phrases added after a statement. Use nu-i așa? (isn't that so? / right?) as the explicit pattern; nu? is a shorter conversational form. Unlike English tag questions, neither tag switches between este, sunt, ai, or another auxiliary, and neither needs a matching subject pronoun.
- After a positive statement: Este târziu, nu-i așa? (It is late, isn't it?)
- After a negative statement: Nu este greu, nu-i așa? (It is not difficult, is it?)
- After a perfect-tense statement: Au sosit deja, nu? (They have already arrived, haven't they?)
- After a statement with an omitted subject: Vii mâine, nu-i așa? (You are coming tomorrow, aren't you?)
The tag usually has a rising, checking intonation in speech and is separated by a comma in writing. The speaker may expect agreement, invite a correction, or simply keep the conversation moving; the words alone do not guarantee one attitude. A direct question such as Este târziu? asks for the information itself, while Este târziu, nu-i așa? presents the answer as an assumption to confirm.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Do not add English do or mechanically copy English subject–auxiliary inversion: say Vrei ceai sau cafea? Romanian can vary subject placement for its own information-structure reasons, but inversion is not required to form the question.
- Do not replace a choice question with a yes–no question if two alternatives are required: Vrei ceai? does not ask whether coffee is the other option.
- Do not make the tag agree with the main verb: use Au sosit deja, nu-i așa?, not a different tag built from au.
- Do not assume that nu-i așa? means the statement is negative. The nu belongs to the fixed confirmation phrase, so it can follow either a positive or a negative statement.
- Do not force fie...fie... into every short question. Simple sau is the neutral default for two everyday options.
Which question asks someone to choose between tea and coffee?
- Vrei ceai?
- Vrei ceai sau cafea?
- Vrei ceai, nu-i așa?
- Nu vrei ceai?
Sau joins the two alternatives in Vrei ceai sau cafea?. The other options ask a yes–no question or request confirmation of one statement.
Choose the natural Romanian choice question: “Do you prefer to leave now or wait a little longer?”
- Preferi să plecăm acum sau să mai așteptăm?
- Preferi plecăm acum ori așteptăm?
- Să preferi plecăm acum sau așteptăm?
- Preferi să plecăm acum nu-i așa să mai așteptăm?
The two alternatives are parallel subjunctive phrases: să plecăm and să mai așteptăm. Sau links them, and the question keeps ordinary Romanian word order.
Which sentence adds an invariant confirmation tag after a negative statement?
- Nu este greu, este?
- Nu este greu, nu-i așa?
- Nu este greu, nu sunt?
- Nu este greu, nu-l?
Nu-i așa? is an invariant confirmation tag, so it can follow Nu este greu. It does not change to match the verb este or the omitted subject.
A friend says “Au sosit deja” and you want to ask for confirmation in a short conversational way. What do you say?
- Au sosit deja, au?
- Au sosit deja, sunt?
- Au sosit deja, nu?
- Au sosit deja, este?
The short tag nu? is the natural invariant confirmation form in this context. Romanian does not copy the perfect auxiliary au into an English-style tag.
Which sentence presents two deliberate alternatives with a correlative pair?
- Mergem la muzeu?
- Vii cu trenul ori cu autobuzul?
- Fie astăzi, fie mâine, rezolvăm problema.
- Este târziu, nu-i așa?
Fie...fie... is a correlative pair that frames two alternatives. The second option is also a choice question, but it uses the simple connector ori rather than the paired structure.