Cineva

Cineva is a Romanian indefinite pronoun meaning someone or somebody. It refers to an unspecified person and is used when the speaker does not know or does not wish to name the person. In English, it corresponds to the word someone. Cineva is typically employed in affirmative statements to indicate an unidentified individual, and it can serve as either the subject or the object of a sentence.

Grammatical notes: Cineva is generally invariable for gender and number, and it does not change form for case in standard usage. When a preposition is required, it is used with the appropriate prepositional construction, for example cu cineva (with someone) or pe cineva (someone as a direct object). It can function as the subject, as in Cineva a venit (Someone has come), or as the object, as in L-am văzut pe cineva în parc (I saw someone in the park).

Usage context: Cineva is common in everyday conversation and informal writing. In negative or contrastive contexts, speakers may prefer nimeni (nobody) or altcineva (someone else), depending on meaning, for example Nimeni nu a venit (Nobody came) or Am vorbit cu altcineva despre aceea (I spoke with someone else about that).

Related terms: Nimeni means nobody, while o persoană is a more formal or explicit way to say “a person.” Cineva remains the more natural, concise indefinite pronoun in many casual and narrative contexts.