altcineva

Altcineva is a Romanian indefinite pronoun meaning "someone else" or "somebody else." It refers to a person other than the one previously mentioned or expected, used to shift reference away from a known individual toward another person.

Formation and function: Altcineva is a closed compound word formed from alt meaning "other" or "another" and cineva meaning "someone." It functions as a noun phrase and can serve as the subject or the direct object of a sentence. In Romanian, it is written as a single word and does not take an article.

Usage: It is used when the speaker wants to indicate involvement by a different person. It often appears in contexts offering alternatives, deferring responsibility, or signaling that another person should handle a task. Examples: "Dacă nu poți să mergi, altcineva poate merge în locul tău." "Altcineva a venit la ușă." "Nu pot să te ajut acum; altcineva ar trebui să răspundă."

Nuances: Altcineva presupposes the existence of another person distinct from the one already considered, and it contrasts with cineva, which simply means "someone." It is common in both formal and informal registers and is typically used without any diacritics beyond standard Romanian spelling.

Related terms: Cineva (someone), nimeni (no one). Altcineva is part of everyday Romanian and is often preferred when the speaker wants to emphasize another person rather than any generic “someone.”