Breakdown of Dimineața vorbesc cu colegii la birou.
cu
with
a vorbi
to speak
biroul
the office
la
at
colegul
the colleague
dimineața
the morning
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Romanian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Dimineața vorbesc cu colegii la birou.
What does Dimineața mean here and why does it have a definite article?
Dimineața literally means “the morning,” but when used as a time adverbial it translates as in the morning. Romanian often uses the definite article on parts of the day to form adverbial expressions of time.
Why is vorbesc used and what tense/subject does it show?
Vorbesc is the first person singular present tense of a vorbi (to speak, to talk). It means I speak or I am speaking, and the subject eu (I) is implicit in the verb ending.
Why is the subject pronoun eu not included in the sentence?
Romanian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending in vorbesc already indicates that the subject is “I,” so adding eu would be redundant unless used for emphasis.
What does the preposition cu mean here and why is it used?
Cu means with. It links the verb vorbesc to the people you’re talking to: cu colegii = with the colleagues.
Why is colegii written with an -ii ending?
Colegii is the plural definite form of colegi (colleagues). In Romanian, adding -ii at the end of masculine plural nouns makes them definite: colegi (colleagues), colegii (the colleagues).
Why do we say la birou instead of în birou or la biroul?
La indicates location “at” or “to” a place. La birou = at the office. We don’t need a definite article on birou after la because la birou is a fixed expression. Saying la biroul would be redundant.
Is the word order flexible, or could we say Vorbesc cu colegii la birou dimineața?
Romanian word order is relatively flexible. You could say Vorbesc cu colegii la birou dimineața, but placing Dimineața at the beginning emphasizes when the action happens. Both versions are grammatically correct.
Are there any colloquial ways to say “in the morning” besides dimineața?
Yes. Dis-de-dimineață means bright and early or first thing in the morning, and is more colloquial. The neutral form remains dimineața.
How do you pronounce the letter ă in Dimineața?
The letter ă is a schwa sound, similar to the ‘a’ in English about or the ‘u’ in supply. In Dimineața, you pronounce it [dee-mee-nyuh-tsah].