something
An unspecified thing, in a positive statement.
Vreau să-ți spun ceva.
I want to tell you something.
S-a întâmplat ceva.
Something happened.
#48 · Pronoun
ceva
In Romanian, ceva means “something”. It’s the #48 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Meaning & Use
The Romanian "something" — rank #48, invariable, and the indefinite pronoun you will reach for constantly. Two habits make it easy: an adjective after it goes in the neuter singular and takes de (ceva bun, ceva de mâncare), and in a negative sentence ceva is normally replaced by nimic, not merely negated.
neutralanything (in questions)
In a question, the same word covers English "anything" — Romanian does not switch words the way English does.
Vrei ceva?
Do you want anything?
Ai auzit ceva?
Did you hear anything?
a bit / somewhat (adverbial)
Before an adjective or a quantity, ceva softens it into "a little, somewhat, a fair bit".
E ceva mai bine.
It's somewhat better.
Mai am ceva bani.
I still have some money.
some / a certain amount of (before a noun)
Used loosely as a quantifier for uncountable or vague amounts, close to "some".
Ne trebuie ceva timp.
We need some time.
Forms you’ll actually hear
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top form cover about 100% of everyday use — learn these first.
ceva100%
Forms & Contrasts
- Subtype
- indefinite
| Only form | ceva | Invariable — no gender, number or case. |
|---|---|---|
| Negative counterpart | nimic | Used instead of ceva under nu: Nu vreau nimic. |
| With an adjective | ceva + neuter sg. | ceva bun, ceva nou, ceva interesant. |
| With a verb | ceva de + infinitive | ceva de mâncare, ceva de făcut. |
| Fixed pair | așa ceva | "such a thing / something like that". |
| Person counterpart | cineva | ceva = something; cineva = someone. |
vs. nimic
ceva is the positive/interrogative "something, anything"; nimic is its negative partner and requires nu on the verb.
Ai găsit ceva? — Nu, nu am găsit nimic.
Did you find anything? — No, I didn't find anything.
vs. cineva
ceva points at a thing, cineva at a person. Both are invariable and behave the same way.
A sunat cineva pentru ceva important.
Someone called about something important.
vs. ce
ce is the question word "what"; ceva is the indefinite "something". Ce vrei? asks; Vreau ceva states.
Ce vrei? — Vreau ceva dulce.
What do you want? — I want something sweet.
vs. niște
niște is "some" with a plural or mass noun (niște mere); ceva is a standalone pronoun or a vaguer "a bit of".
Cumpără niște pâine. / Mai am ceva pâine.
Buy some bread. / I still have a bit of bread.
Examples
Vrei ceva de băut?
Do you want something to drink?
ceva de băut - ceva de + infinitive is the fixed pattern for "something to ___" — de mâncare, de citit, de făcut.
Mi-a zis ceva important.
He told me something important.
ceva important - The adjective after ceva stays neuter singular no matter who is speaking or what is meant.
Nu am văzut nimic.
I didn't see anything.
nimic - Not *nu am văzut ceva. In the negative, ceva gives way to nimic — and the nu stays, since Romanian uses double negation.
Așa ceva nu se face.
That sort of thing isn't done.
așa ceva - așa ceva = "such a thing / something like that", a very frequent fixed pair.
Mai stai ceva?
Are you staying a bit longer?
ceva - Here ceva is adverbial — "a while, a bit" — rather than a pronoun standing for an object.
Romanian is a double-negative language: "I did not see anything" is Nu am văzut nimic, with both nu and nimic. Using ceva after nu (*nu am văzut ceva) is the classic English-speaker slip.