Pattern
Reported speech uses că + indicative verb. Spune că vine (He says that he's coming). A spus că vine (He said that he's coming).
Explanation
To report what someone said or thinks, Romanian uses că ("that") followed by the indicative (regular conjugated verb). El zice că e ocupat (He says that he's busy). Cred că plouă (I think it's raining). Mi-a spus că vine mâine (He told me he's coming tomorrow).
Unlike English, Romanian doesn't enforce strict tense agreement in reported speech at A2. If you say "He said he is coming," you can keep the present indicative vine in Romanian: A spus că vine. This is technically called the "Romanian sequence of tenses," and it's much simpler than the English "He said he was coming" backshift.
Verbs that introduce reported speech: a spune (to say), a zice (to say, colloquial), a crede (to believe/think), a ști (to know), a observa (to notice), a auzi (to hear). They all use că to connect to the reported content.
Watch out: că (that) is different from ca (as/like). Cred că vine (I think that he's coming) — uses că. Beau cafea ca tata (I drink coffee like dad) — uses ca.
Examples
| Romanian | English |
|---|---|
| Spun că e adevărat. | I say that it's true. |
| A spus că vine mâine. | He said that he's coming tomorrow. |
| Cred că ai dreptate. | I think that you're right. |
| Mi-a zis că nu poate. | He told me that he can't. |
| Știu că ai fost ocupat. | I know that you were busy. |
Common mistakes
- Dropping "că": English can omit "that" — Romanian cannot: Cred că vine is required.
- Confusing "că" and "ca": Two different words; că for "that," ca for "like/as."
- Backshifting tense: Romanian keeps the original tense — A spus că vine (He said he's coming), not A spus că venea.