A spune ("to say, to tell") is the neutral, all-purpose verb of speech in Romanian — the one you can safely use in any register, from a chat with a friend to a formal letter. It is a third-conjugation verb (short infinitive in -e: a spune) with a regular present and the short participle spus. Unlike English, which splits "say" and "tell" into two verbs, Romanian covers both with this single verb; the difference is handled by the case of the person you are addressing.
That last point is the key one. A spune takes the thing said in the accusative (the direct object) and the person told in the dative (the indirect object), usually as a clitic pronoun: îmi spune ceva ("he tells me something"), spune-mi! ("tell me!"). Mastering where that little dative pronoun sits — before the verb normally, hooked onto the end in the affirmative imperative — is the heart of using this verb naturally.
Prezent indicativ
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | spun |
| tu | spui |
| el / ea | spune |
| noi | spunem |
| voi | spuneți |
| ei / ele | spun |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | spuneam |
| tu | spuneai |
| el / ea | spunea |
| noi | spuneam |
| voi | spuneați |
| ei / ele | spuneau |
Perfect compus
Auxiliary a avea plus the short participle spus.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | am spus |
| tu | ai spus |
| el / ea | a spus |
| noi | am spus |
| voi | ați spus |
| ei / ele | au spus |
Mai-mult-ca-perfectul (pluperfect)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | spusesem |
| tu | spuseseși |
| el / ea | spusese |
| noi | spuseserăm |
| voi | spuseserăți |
| ei / ele | spuseseră |
Viitor (future)
| Person | voi-future (formal) | o să-future (informal) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | voi spune | o să spun |
| tu | vei spune | o să spui |
| el / ea | va spune | o să spună |
| noi | vom spune | o să spunem |
| voi | veți spune | o să spuneți |
| ei / ele | vor spune | o să spună |
Conjunctiv prezent
The third person is irregular: să spună (not să spune).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | să spun |
| tu | să spui |
| el / ea | să spună |
| noi | să spunem |
| voi | să spuneți |
| ei / ele | să spună |
Condițional prezent
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | aș spune |
| tu | ai spune |
| el / ea | ar spune |
| noi | am spune |
| voi | ați spune |
| ei / ele | ar spune |
Imperativ
The singular imperative is spune! (identical to the 3rd-person present). The plural is spuneți! The negative singular uses the infinitive form, which here looks the same: nu spune!
| Type | Singular (tu) | Plural (voi) |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | spune! | spuneți! |
| Negative | nu spune! | nu spuneți! |
Non-finite forms
| Form | Romanian |
|---|---|
| Infinitive (short / long) | (a) spune / spunere |
| Gerunziu | spunând |
| Participiu | spus |
| Supin | de spus |
Usage
Reported speech with că, the neutral counterpart of zice că:
A spus că vine mai târziu.
He said he's coming later.
Mi-au spus că magazinul e închis lunea.
They told me the shop is closed on Mondays.
The dative person clitic sits before the verb in statements, and the thing said is the direct object:
Nu-mi spune nimic, vreau să fie o surpriză.
Don't tell me anything, I want it to be a surprise.
Îți spun mai târziu ce am decis.
I'll tell you later what I decided.
In the affirmative imperative, the clitic hooks onto the end of the verb with a hyphen:
Spune-mi adevărul, te rog.
Tell me the truth, please.
Spuneți-ne dacă aveți nevoie de ajutor.
Tell us if you need any help.
The supine de spus for "something to say":
Mai am ceva de spus înainte să plecăm.
I have one more thing to say before we leave.
The reflexive se spune for impersonal "they say / it is said":
Se spune că iarna aceasta va fi blândă.
They say this winter will be mild.
Clitic placement
Common Mistakes
❌ Spune mie adevărul.
Incorrect — use the dative clitic attached to the verb, not the stressed pronoun.
✅ Spune-mi adevărul.
Tell me the truth.
❌ Nu spune-mi nimic!
Incorrect — in the negative the clitic moves before the verb: nu-mi spune.
✅ Nu-mi spune nimic!
Don't tell me anything!
❌ Tu spuni mereu același lucru.
Incorrect — the 'tu' form is spui, not *spuni.
✅ Tu spui mereu același lucru.
You always say the same thing.
❌ Vreau să spune ceva.
Incorrect — the 3rd-person subjunctive is spună, not spune.
✅ Vreau să spună ceva.
I want him to say something.
Now practice Romanian
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Romanian→Related Topics
- a zice — to sayA2 — Full conjugation of a zice (to say), the colloquial everyday counterpart of a spune, with its short participle zis and register notes.
- Class III Present: -e VerbsA2 — How to conjugate Class III (-e) verbs in the present indicative, with their stem stress, consonant alternations, and the irregularity-dense core verbs a face, a zice, and a duce.
- Imperatives with Pronoun CliticsB1 — How object and reflexive clitics attach after affirmative imperatives with a hyphen, but move before negative ones.
- Direct and Indirect SpeechB2 — Turning direct speech into indirect: că for statements, să for commands, dacă for yes-no questions, wh-words for content questions, plus pronoun and deixis shifts.
- Communication Verbs (a spune, a zice, a vorbi, a întreba)B1 — How Romanian verbs of speaking take their objects: the dative person of a spune, the că-clause for reported speech, and the split between a întreba (ask a question) and a cere (request a thing).