to say; to tell
The ordinary colloquial/neutral verb for expressing speech, reporting, or quoting.
El zice că vine mai târziu.
He says he is coming later.
Ce zici?
What do you say? / What do you think?
Așa zice lumea.
That’s what people say.
#107 · Verb · VERB
In Romanian, zice means “to say; to tell”. It’s the #107 most frequently used Romanian word. Below you’ll find how to use it, its forms, real example sentences, and common word pairings.
Common Romanian verb meaning "to say" or "to tell"; very frequent in speech and everyday writing. It is often used in reported speech and also in expressions like "cum se zice" (as they say).
neutralThe ordinary colloquial/neutral verb for expressing speech, reporting, or quoting.
He says he is coming later.
What do you say? / What do you think?
That’s what people say.
Used when asking what someone intends or how to interpret a statement.
What do you mean?
I don't know what he means by that.
Ranked by how often each form shows up in spoken Romanian. The top 3 forms cover about 91% of everyday use — learn these first.
| Tense | eu | tu | el/ea | noi | voi | ei/ele |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | zic | zici | zice | zicem | ziceți | zic |
| Imperfect | ziceam | ziceai | zicea | ziceam | ziceați | ziceau |
| Perfect compus | am zis | ai zis | a zis | am zis | ați zis | au zis |
| Future | voi zice | vei zice | va zice | vom zice | veți zice | vor zice |
| Conditional | aș zice | ai zice | ar zice | am zice | ați zice | ar zice |
| Subjunctive | să zic | să zici | să zică | să zicem | să ziceți | să zică |
Mă zice că ajunge diseară.
He says he’ll arrive tonight.
zicea? - wait
Nu zice nimic.
He/She says nothing.
zice - common negative command/context
Cum zici în română?
How do you say that in Romanian?
zici - asking for wording
Common phrases built around zice — worth learning as whole units.
lit. “what you-say”