Word
Aici se vorbește engleza.
Meaning
English is spoken here.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Aici se vorbește engleza.
aici
here
engleza
English
vorbi
to speak
se
oneself / impersonal particle (as in "English is spoken here")
Questions & Answers about Aici se vorbește engleza.
Why do we need "se" in this sentence?
The word se acts as an impersonal pronoun here. Without it, Aici vorbește engleza would sound like "He or she speaks English here." Adding se changes the meaning to a general statement or passive voice: "English is spoken here" or "People speak English here."
Why is the word for English engleza instead of just engleză?
In Romanian, when a language is the subject of a sentence, it usually takes the definite article (like saying "the English"). The base word is engleză, and adding the suffix -a makes it engleza. Since English is the thing being spoken, it acts as the subject and needs that article.
Could I say Engleza se vorbește aici instead?
Yes, Romanian word order is very flexible! Engleza se vorbește aici is completely correct. Placing Aici at the beginning of the sentence just puts a little more emphasis on the location, as if pointing out that this is the specific place where it happens.