Bunica mea spune că în familie se mănâncă împreună în fiecare seară.

My grandmother says that in the family people eat together every evening.

Breakdown of Bunica mea spune că în familie se mănâncă împreună în fiecare seară.

• mea: my
• a mânca: to eat
• în: in
• împreună: together
• seara: the evening
• fiecare: every
• a spune: to say
• că: that
• bunica: the grandma
• familia: the family

Questions & Answers about Bunica mea spune că în familie se mănâncă împreună în fiecare seară.

Why is it bunica mea and not mea bunica, like in English my grandmother?

In Romanian, possessive adjectives (meu, mea, tău, ta, lui, ei, etc.) normally come after the noun, not before it.

• bunica mea = my grandmother
• cartea mea = my book
• fratele meu = my brother

Putting the possessive before the noun (mea bunica) is wrong in standard Romanian (it can appear in old poetry or very archaic style, but not in normal speech).

Why is bunica with an -a at the end? What does that ending mean?

The -a at the end of bunica is the definite article, equivalent to English the.

Romanian attaches the definite article to the end of the noun:

• bunică = grandmother (indefinite)
• bunica = the grandmother

When you say bunica mea, the noun still keeps its definite article:

• bunica mea literally: the grandmother of mine → my grandmother

What does că do in spune că? Is it like that in English, and can it be dropped?

Yes, că here is a conjunction meaning that, introducing a subordinate clause:

• Bunica mea spune că... = My grandmother says that...

Unlike English, where that is often dropped (She says she’s tired), in Romanian:

• că is very often kept, especially in careful or neutral speech.
• You sometimes hear it omitted in very informal speech, but it sounds more colloquial and is less standard.

So you should generally keep că in this structure: spune că, crede că, știe că, etc.

What is the difference between spune and zice (e.g. bunica mea spune vs bunica mea zice)?

Both verbs mean roughly to say.

• a spune = to say, to tell — a bit more neutral/formal.
• a zice = to say — very common in everyday speech, slightly more informal/colloquial.

In your sentence, you can say:

• Bunica mea spune că... (perfectly normal)
• Bunica mea zice că... (also normal, slightly more conversational)

The meaning is the same here; it’s mostly a matter of style and register.

What exactly does în familie mean here? Why not cu familia mea?

în familie literally means in (the) family, but idiomatically it means within the family / in our/their family context.

Nuances:

• în familie se mănâncă împreună
  → in the family, people eat together / in our family, we eat together

• cu familia mea
  → with my family (more concrete: physically together with my family)

în familie here talks about the habit/norm inside that family, not specifically about the speaker eating with them at that moment. That’s why the impersonal se mănâncă fits well (a general rule in the family).

Why is it se mănâncă and not mâncăm or mănâncă? What does se do here?

se mănâncă is an impersonal / reflexive passive construction. It’s often used to express general habits, rules, or customs, similar to English people eat / we eat / one eats / it is eaten.

• în familie se mănâncă împreună
  → in the family, people eat together / in our family, we eat together (as a rule)

If you say:

• În familia mea mâncăm împreună în fiecare seară.
  → In my family we eat together every evening.

This is more directly “we (explicitly) eat together”, with mâncăm = we eat.
With se mănâncă, the focus is on the custom rather than on the specific subject.

Grammatically, what person and number is mănâncă in se mănâncă?

Without se, mănâncă is the 3rd person singular or plural, present tense of a mânca (to eat).

• el/ea mănâncă = he/she eats
• ei/ele mănâncă = they eat

When you add se: se mănâncă, it loses a clear, concrete subject and becomes an impersonal / reflexive passive form. You should understand it as:

• is eaten / people eat / you eat (in general)

So, it’s built from 3rd person forms, but functionally it expresses a general action.

Why is împreună placed after se mănâncă? Could I say împreună se mănâncă?

The most natural order is:

• se mănâncă împreună
  → literally is eaten together / people eat together

You can say Împreună se mănâncă…, but:

• It gives special emphasis to împreună (Together, people eat…).
• It sounds a bit more marked or stylistic; the neutral order is se mănâncă împreună.

So for everyday speech, keep împreună after the verb phrase: se mănâncă împreună.

Why is it în fiecare seară (singular) and not în fiecare seri (plural)?

In Romanian, just like in English:

• fiecare = each, every
• It is always followed by a singular noun.

So:

• fiecare seară = each/every evening
• în fiecare seară = every evening

fiecare seri is incorrect, just as every evenings is wrong in English.

Is în really necessary in în fiecare seară? Could I just say fiecare seară?

You normally keep în here:

• în fiecare seară = every evening / in the evening(s), every day

This fits the pattern for time expressions:

• în fiecare dimineață – every morning
• în fiecare zi – every day

You can sometimes drop în in very informal speech, but în fiecare seară is the standard, idiomatic form, especially after verbs like a mânca, a merge, a lucra when talking about habitual actions.

Could the sentence use a more direct we form, like Mâncăm împreună în fiecare seară, and what’s the difference?

Yes:

• Mâncăm împreună în fiecare seară.
  = We eat together every evening.

Difference:

• În familie se mănâncă împreună…

  • Impersonal, focuses on the custom in the family.
  • Sounds a bit more general / descriptive (That’s how it is in our family).

• Mâncăm împreună…

  • Explicit we, personal.
  • The speaker clearly includes themselves.

Your original sentence, via bunica mea spune că…, reports a rule or habit of the family in a slightly more neutral, descriptive way.

Why is it în familie and not în familieA with the definite article?

Both forms are possible, but they have slightly different nuances:

• în familie se mănâncă împreună
  → more general: in the family setting, within the family (a bit abstract).

• în familia mea se mănâncă împreună
  → in my family, we/people eat together (clearly that specific family).

When you just say în familie without mea, it often feels like “in the family (as an institution)” or “in our family” in a general, customary sense. Adding familia mea is more explicit and concrete.

How would the meaning or feel change if we said Bunica mea spune că în familia mea mâncăm împreună în fiecare seară instead?

That version is perfectly correct, but slightly different:

• Bunica mea spune că în familie se mănâncă împreună…
  → More impersonal, describes a general rule inside the family.

• Bunica mea spune că în familia mea mâncăm împreună…
  → Very explicit: in my family, we eat together every evening.
  → Uses mâncăm (we eat), strongly including the speaker.

The original sounds a bit more objective / descriptive about a family tradition. The alternative sounds more personal and direct.

Is the present tense spune used here for a general truth, like in English? Could we also say spunea?

Yes, spune (present) is used for something she regularly says or currently says:

• Bunica mea spune că…
  → My grandmother says / keeps saying that…

If you say:

• Bunica mea spunea că în familie se mănâncă împreună…
  → My grandmother used to say / was saying that in the family people eat together…

spunea (imperfect) shifts it into the past, describing what she habitually said in the past or what she was in the middle of saying at some past moment.