Unde merg copiii după școală?

Where do the children go after school?

Breakdown of Unde merg copiii după școală?

• a merge: to go
• unde: where
• școala: the school
• copilul: the child
• după: after

Questions & Answers about Unde merg copiii după școală?

Why is there no subject pronoun like ei before merg?

Romanian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending usually tells you who performs the action, so you don’t need a pronoun. In merg the third-person plural meaning “they go” is already built in. If you wanted to add emphasis, you could say Unde merg ei după școală?, but it’s not required.

Why is merg used and not merge or mergă?

The verb “a merge” (to go) is irregular in the present tense. Its forms are:

• eu merg
• tu mergi
• el/ea merge
• noi mergem
• voi mergeți
• ei/ele merg
  Since copiii (“the children”) is third person plural, we use merg, matching ei/ele merg.

Why is the noun copiii spelled with two i’s and not just copii?

copii is the indefinite plural “children,” whereas copiii is the definite plural “the children.” Romanian attaches an enclitic article to the noun:

• copil → copiii (“the children”).

Could we use copii instead of copiii, and what changes in meaning?

Yes:

• Unde merg copii după școală? – “Where do children go after school?” (children in general)
• Unde merg copiii după școală? – “Where do the children go after school?” (a specific group already known)

What does the preposition după mean here, and why is there no article before școală?

• după means after when referring to time.
• Time expressions with după typically use the noun in its bare (indefinite) form, so după școală = “after school.” Using după școala would imply “after the school (building)” and is uncommon in this context.

How do you pronounce the letters ș and ă in școală?

• ș sounds like English “sh” in ship.
• ă is the schwa /ə/, like the a in sofa (an unstressed, neutral vowel).
  Together școală is pronounced roughly [ʃˈko.a.lə].

Why is the verb placed before the subject (merg copiii) in this wh-question?

In Romanian wh-questions (questions with words like unde = “where”), the typical word order is WH + V + S, so you get Unde merg copiii…. No auxiliary verb is needed; intonation plus inversion signals the question.

Can I move după școală to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. You can front the time phrase for emphasis:
După școală, unde merg copiii?
A comma after școală is optional, especially in speech.