Questions & Answers about Spune-mi adevărul acum.
What does Spune-mi mean exactly, and why is it written with a hyphen?
Spune-mi is made of two parts:
- spune = tell / say (imperative form of a spune)
- mi = to me
So Spune-mi literally means Tell me.
The hyphen is used because mi is a short unstressed pronoun clitic, and in an affirmative command it attaches to the verb:
- Spune-mi = Tell me
- Dă-mi = Give me
- Arată-mi = Show me
Why is it mi and not mă?
Because mi means to me, while mă means me as a direct object.
With a spune, the person receiving the information is normally an indirect object:
- Spune-mi adevărul = Tell me the truth
Compare:
- mă vede = he/she sees me → direct object
- îmi spune / mi spune = he/she tells me → indirect object
So in this sentence, mi is the correct form.
Why not use mie instead of ?