Romanian uses seven core question words to ask for open information: Cine vine la curs? (Who is coming to class?) and Unde este Ana? (Where is Ana?) This lesson gives the neutral contemporary Standard Romanian forms for everyday A1 questions. For the broader basic Romanian word order and later case forms, use the linked follow-up lessons.
What does each core question word ask?
Each core question word targets one type of information: a person, thing or action, place, time, manner or state, reason, or quantity.
| Question word | Basic meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cine | who; a person | Cine vine la curs? (Who is coming to class?) |
| ce | what; a thing or action | Ce citești? (What are you reading?) |
| unde | where; a place | Unde locuiești? (Where do you live?) |
| când | when; a time | Când începe filmul? (When does the film start?) |
| cum | how; manner or state | Cum ajungi la gară? (How do you get to the station?) |
| de ce | why; a reason | De ce înveți română? (Why are you learning Romanian?) |
| cât | how much or how many; quantity | Cât costă biletul? (How much does the ticket cost?) |
Write de ce as two words. A common answer begins with pentru că: De ce înveți? (Why are you studying?) — Pentru că îmi place. (Because I like it.)
Where does the question word go?
In a neutral direct question, the question word or phrase usually comes first, followed by the finite verb — the verb that carries tense. The subject can come after the verb or later in the sentence: Cine vine? (Who is coming?) and Ce cumpără Maria? (What is Maria buying?) Romanian can change the order to highlight a particular piece of information, but the initial pattern is the neutral A1 default.
| Opening | What follows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| unde | verb; no expressed subject | Unde lucrezi? (Where do you work?) |
| când | verb + subject | Când pleacă Andrei? (When is Andrei leaving?) |
| ce as direct object | verb + subject | Ce cumpără Maria? (What is Maria buying?) |
| de ce | verb + subject | De ce învață Mihai? (Why is Mihai studying?) |
Which prepositions stay with the question word?
Keep an essential preposition before the question word. The preposition tells you the relation being asked about, so it is part of the question phrase, not an optional English-style extra. These basic patterns connect with core Romanian prepositions.
| Question phrase | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| de unde | from where; source | De unde vii? (Where are you from? / Where are you coming from?) |
| cu cine | with whom | Cu cine vorbești? (Who are you talking with?) |
| la cine | to or at whose place | La cine mergi? (Whose place are you going to?) |
| pentru cine | for whom | Pentru cine este cadoul? (Who is the gift for?) |
| pe cine | which person as direct object | Pe cine vezi? (Whom do you see?) |
For an ordinary direct object referring to a thing, use ce without pe: Ce vezi? (What do you see?) For a person as the direct object, use pe cine: Pe cine aștepți? (Whom are you waiting for?) The full rules for direct-object marking and pronoun forms are outside this bounded introduction.
How do ce and cât work before a noun?
Use ce unchanged before a singular or plural noun. Use the cât paradigm for quantity and make it agree with the noun: cât or câtă in the singular, and câți or câte in the plural. The noun after these question words has no article.
| Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ce + noun | Ce carte citești? | What book are you reading? |
| cât + non-count noun | Cât timp ai? | How much time do you have? |
| câtă + feminine singular noun | Câtă apă bei? | How much water are you drinking? |
| câți + masculine or mixed plural noun | Câți studenți vin? | How many students are coming? |
| câte + feminine or neuter plural noun | Câte cărți ai? | How many books do you have? |
When cât stands alone, its form depends on what is being counted or measured: Cât costă? (How much does it cost?), Câți vin? (How many are coming?; people in a masculine or mixed group), and Câte sunt? (How many are there?; feminine or neuter plural items).
How are open questions different from yes-no questions?
A question word asks for one missing kind of information. A yes-no question asks whether the whole statement is true. It uses no question word: Vii mâine? (Are you coming tomorrow?) contrasts with Când vii? (When are you coming?). Likewise, Ana este acasă? (Is Ana at home?) asks for yes or no, while Unde este Ana? (Where is Ana?) asks for a place. In writing, both types end with a question mark. The dedicated yes-no questions lesson develops that second pattern.
Which word asks about a person?
- când
- unde
- cine
- cum
Cine means who and asks for a person. Când asks about time, unde about place, and cum about manner or state.
Which sentence follows the neutral A1 placement taught here for asking where Maria works?
- Unde lucrează Maria?
- Maria lucrează unde?
- Lucrează unde Maria?
- Unde Maria lucrează?
The neutral A1 pattern puts the question word first, followed by the finite verb and then the subject: Unde lucrează Maria?
Complete the question: ___ vorbești? (Who are you talking with?)
- Cine
- Pe cine
- La cine
- Cu cine
The relation is with whom, so Romanian keeps cu before cine: Cu cine vorbești?
Which sentence asks “How many books do you have?”
- Câți cărți ai?
- Câte cărți ai?
- Câtă cărți ai?
- Cât cărți ai?
Cărți is a feminine plural noun, so the matching quantity form is câte: Câte cărți ai?
Which sentence is a yes-no question rather than an open question?
- Când pleci?
- De ce pleci?
- Pleci mâine?
- Unde pleci?
Pleci mâine? asks whether the whole statement is true, so the expected answer is da or nu. The other sentences use a question word and ask for time, reason, or place.