Learn Romanian › cineva
cineva
someone, somebody /t͡ʃi.neˈva/
other#98 most common
Also: anyone (in questions or conditionals), somebody
Example sentences
Cineva este aici.
Someone is here.
Ai sunat pe cineva?
Did you call someone?
Trebuie să fie cineva acasă acum.
There must be someone home now.
Caut pe cineva care să mă ajute cu bagajele.
I'm looking for someone to help me with the luggage.
Dacă cineva ar fi întrebat, aș fi răspuns sincer.
If someone had asked, I would have answered honestly.
Nu era nimeni acolo care să pară a fi cineva anume, ci doar o mulțime anonimă.
There was no one there who seemed to be anyone in particular, just an anonymous crowd.
Word family
Etymology
Cineva is a Romanian compound built inside the language, not inherited whole from Latin. It joins cine (who), which descends from Latin quem/quis, with the indefinite suffix -va, the same element found in ceva (something) and câtva (a few). This -va is generally traced to Latin vult (he wants), echoing a pattern also seen in Latin quivis (qui plus vis, meaning whoever you like), where a form of want marks indefiniteness.
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