Oricine vrea să ajute trebuie să se cunoască pe sine mai întâi.

Questions & Answers about Oricine vrea să ajute trebuie să se cunoască pe sine mai întâi.

Why do we see both se and pe sine in this sentence?
The verb a se cunoaște (to know oneself) already requires the unstressed reflexive pronoun se. Adding the stressed accusative pronoun pe sine from your current lesson acts as an intensifier. It emphasizes the strong contrast of needing to know yourself before you can help anyone else.
If the subject were plural, would sine change form?
No, sine does not change for number or gender. Even if the sentence were about multiple people (like ei trebuie să se cunoască pe sine), the stressed 3rd-person reflexive pronoun stays exactly the same.
Why is there no word for 'who' after oricine, like oricine care?
In Romanian, indefinite pronouns like oricine (anyone/whoever) already contain the relative meaning. Adding care is a common trap for English speakers translating word-for-word. Oricine vrea perfectly and directly translates to 'anyone who wants'.
Does mai întâi mean something different than just întâi?
While întâi simply means 'first', the combination mai întâi is a set adverbial phrase meaning 'first of all' or 'beforehand'. When you are talking about the chronological order of actions, mai întâi is the most natural choice.

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