Learn Romanian › cumva
cumva
somehow /kumˈva/
adverb#561 most common
Also: in some way, by any chance, some way or another
Example sentences
Trebuie să ajung cumva acasă.
I need to get home somehow.
Ai văzut cumva cheile mele?
Have you by any chance seen my keys?
Dacă ai nevoie cumva de ajutor, sună-mă.
If you happen to need help, call me.
Nu cumva ai uitat de întâlnire?
You haven't by any chance forgotten about the meeting, have you?
S-a descurcat cumva să termine proiectul la timp, deși nimeni nu credea că e posibil.
He somehow managed to finish the project on time, even though no one thought it was possible.
Situația s-a rezolvat cumva de la sine, fără ca cineva să intervină în mod deliberat.
The situation somehow resolved itself, without anyone intervening deliberately.
Word family
Etymology
Cumva combines cum, "how" (from Latin quomodo), with the indefinite suffix -va. This -va element also appears in ceva, cineva, undeva, and cândva, and Romanian etymological dictionaries trace it to Latin vult, "he wants," the same logic behind phrases like "whatever it may be." Attaching it to cum turns a direct question word into a vague, unspecified sense: not a fixed way, but some way or other.
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