Ways to say it
| Romanian | IPA |
|---|---|
| la | /la/ |
| către | /ˈkə.tre/ |
| spre | /spre/ |
The preposition la is the standard way to express movement to a destination or arrival at a specific location, such as a person's house, a shop or an institution. It can also be used to indicate being at a place.
Which one should you use?
The forms la, spre and către differ based on how much you focus on the destination versus the direction. Use la when the destination is the final point of arrival or a specific location. Use spre to indicate movement in the direction of something, often without implying the person will actually reach it. Use către to mean 'towards', though it is more formal or literary than spre.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In Romanian, the preposition la covers both movement (going to) and static position (being at), whereas English often distinguishes between 'to' and 'at'.
How do you pronounce it?
/la/
Did you know?
- The Romanian word spre for 'towards' is actually a linguistic descendant of the Latin word 'super', meaning 'above'.
- Romanian uses la to express ownership or possession when referring to a person's home, such as saying 'I am going to Maria' to mean 'I am going to Maria's house'.
- In Romanian, the preposition la can be used in expressions of time to indicate 'until' or 'up to' a certain hour.
Examples in context
- La mulți ani mie!Happy birthday to me!This example shows how to use la in a celebratory greeting.Tatoeba #4446923 by altfell, translation #4446352 by shanghainese
- Voi veni la tine.I'll come to your place.This sentence demonstrates using la to indicate movement to a person's place.Tatoeba #6545829 by fathe, translation #17365 by CK
- Am fost la bancă.I've been to the bank.This example shows la used to indicate having been at a specific institution.Tatoeba #6546370 by fathe, translation #18415 by CK
- Merg către casă.I go to the house.
- Apelez către director.I appeal to the director.
- 983 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Andrei and Andreea are discussing their plans for the afternoon.
- AndreiAndreea, mergi la mall?Andreea, are you going to the mall?
- AndreeaNu, merg la parc.No, I am going to the park.
- AndreiTe întâlnim la parc mai târziu?Shall we meet at the park later?
- AndreeaDa, te văd la parc la ora cinci.Yes, I will see you at the park at five o'clock.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “to” translations and entries la, către, spre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries către, la, spre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
