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Questions & Answers about Tu vezi cine vine la ușă?
Why is the subject pronoun Tu included when Romanian usually drops pronouns?
Romanian is a pro-drop language, so subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the person. However, you can include Tu to add emphasis, clarity or contrast (for example, between you and someone else). Including Tu here stresses that you are speaking directly to “you.” You can omit it and still be correct: Vezi cine vine la ușă?
Could we drop Tu and just say Vezi cine vine la ușă? Would the meaning change?
Yes, you can drop Tu. The meaning stays the same: both sentences ask “Do you see who is coming to the door?” Using Tu only adds emphasis; without it, it sounds slightly more neutral.
What tense and person is vezi? Why is the present tense used here?
Vezi is the second person singular present indicative of a vedea (to see). In Romanian, the simple present is used to talk about current actions or abilities (like “do you see”). There’s no separate auxiliary for “do” in questions, nor a modal “can” required—vezi covers both the action and the ability in context.
Why don't we say Vei vedea (future) instead of Vezi?
Vei vedea means “you will see,” referring to a future event. Vezi (present) is used because you’re asking if at this very moment the person sees who is approaching. It corresponds exactly to English “Do you see who is coming to the door?”
What role does cine play in this sentence?
Cine is a relative pronoun meaning “who” and introduces the subordinate clause cine vine la ușă (“who is coming to the door”). That entire clause serves as the direct object of vezi.
I learned that pe is used before a direct object when it’s a person. Why isn’t there a pe before cine?
Romanian uses pe before a definite or animate direct object (e.g., Văd pe Maria). Here, however, cine vine la ușă is a subordinate clause acting as the object of vezi, so you don’t insert pe inside it. Pe only appears before simple noun objects in the main clause.
What is la ușă? Why la and not another preposition?
La ușă is a prepositional phrase meaning “at the door” or “to the door.” Romanian uses la to indicate location or direction toward a place. Thus vine la ușă literally means “is coming to/at the door.”
Why isn’t there a definite article on ușă (like ușa)?
When you use a location phrase with la, you often drop the definite article if the place is generic or obvious. La ușă is a fixed expression meaning “at the door.” If you needed to specify “at our/the front door,” you would say la ușa noastră or la ușa casei, where ușa carries the article.
How would you form the negative version, “Don’t you see who’s at the door?”
Simply add nu before the verb: Nu vezi cine vine la ușă? Your intonation can convey surprise, disbelief or a genuine question depending on context.