Breakdown of Din când în când merg la teatru.
merge
to go / to run (of a machine)
la
at / to
teatrul
the theater
din când în când
from time to time
Questions & Answers about Din când în când merg la teatru.
What is the literal translation of din când în când?
It literally translates to "from when in when," but it is a fixed Romanian expression that means "from time to time" or "occasionally."
Since merg can mean both "I go" and "they go," how do we know it means "I go" here?
In Romanian, pronouns are often dropped. Without extra context, this sentence could technically also mean "They go to the theater from time to time." However, as a standalone statement, native speakers usually assume it means "I." In a real conversation, the surrounding context would make the subject obvious.
Why is it la teatru instead of la teatrul to mean "to the theater"?
When using prepositions of direction or location like la (to/at) with a general singular noun, Romanian does not use the definite article. Just like we say "to school" in English, Romanian says la teatru rather than attaching the definite article -l.
Can I change the word order and put din când în când at the end?
Yes, Romanian word order is very flexible. You can say Merg la teatru din când în când and it is perfectly correct. Placing the time phrase at the beginning of the sentence just puts a little more emphasis on the frequency.