What does it mean word for word?
Vorbiți is the second person plural form of the verb a vorbi, to speak. românește is an adverb meaning in the Romanian language, so the question literally asks whether you speak in Romanian.
Which one should you use?
Vorbiți românește? uses the plural verb, the standard way to address a stranger or someone you want to show respect to. Vorbești românește? uses the singular verb, for friends, family or people younger than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
Only the verb changes between the two versions: Vorbiți for the polite or plural you and Vorbești for one person you know well. The word românește stays the same.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English uses the adjective Romanian for the language, but Romanian uses the adverb românește to describe how one speaks. Do not swap in an adjective here.
When do people say it?
A yes answer is Da, vorbesc românește, meaning yes, I speak Romanian. A no answer is Nu, nu vorbesc românește, meaning no, I don't speak Romanian.
Did you know?
- If you ask Vorbiți românește? in Moldova, you are asking about the same language, though the country's official name for it was once moldovenească for political reasons.
- Because of its historical isolation from other Romance languages, Romanian adopted many Slavic words, meaning some phrases used when answering Vorbiți românește? sound more like Russian than Italian.
- Because Romanian is so closely related to Italian, a speaker of românește can often understand a significant amount of spoken Italian without prior study.
Examples in context
- Scuze, vorbiți românește?Excuse me, do you speak Romanian?
Example conversation
A man is asking a woman for help in a shop.
- GabrielBună ziua, vorbiți românește?Hello, do you speak Romanian?
- MariaDa, vorbesc puțin.Yes, I speak a little.
- GabrielVă rog, am nevoie de ajutor.Please, I need help.
- MariaCu ce vă pot ajuta, domnule?How can I help you, sir?
