Learn Romanian: Sunteți aici?

Romanian is a "pro-drop" language, meaning you can usually drop the subject pronoun (like I, you, or we). The verb sunteți is the specific form of a fi (to be) that means "you are", so adding the pronoun is unnecessary unless you want to emphasize it.

Who exactly are we asking when we use sunteți?

Sunteți is used when talking to multiple people (the plural "you"). However, it is also used as the polite, formal "you" when speaking to just one person, like a stranger or an elder. If you were asking a single friend, you would use the informal ești instead (Ești aici?).

How do I know this is a question if the word order is exactly the same as a statement?

Unlike English, Romanian doesn't require you to swap the verb and subject or use helper words to ask a yes/no question. You simply use the regular statement form and raise the pitch of your voice at the end. In writing, the question mark does all the work!

If aici means 'here', how do I ask 'Are you there?'

You would use the other location word from this lesson: acolo (there). You can just swap the adverbs to make Sunteți acolo?.

How is the word aici pronounced?

The letters ci in Romanian always make a "chee" sound, similar to the English word "cheese". The emphasis is on the second syllable, so it sounds roughly like "ah-EECH".