A result clause says that some quality reached such a degree that a consequence followed: "he was so tired that he fell asleep." Romanian builds these by correlation — a degree marker in the main clause (atât de, așa de, atâta) points forward to a result clause introduced by încât or că. The decisive grammatical fact, and the one English speakers most need to absorb, is the mood: a result clause takes the indicative, because the consequence is presented as something that actually happened. This is the mirror image of a purpose clause (ca să + conjunctiv), which states an aim that may or may not be realized. The two look superficially similar — both are "so... that"-ish — but Romanian sorts them by reality, and choosing the wrong one is a classic B2 error.
The degree markers
Romanian has three near-synonymous degree intensifiers that set up a result clause. They differ by what they modify and by register.
| Marker | Modifies | Register | Pairs with |
|---|---|---|---|
atât de
| adjective or adverb | neutral, slightly formal | încât / că |
așa de
| adjective or adverb | colloquial, common in speech | că (mostly) |
| atâta / atât | quantity of a noun, or a verb | neutral | încât / că |
The clause-linker itself is încât (more formal, written) or că (more colloquial, spoken) — they are interchangeable in meaning, differing only in register. Both take the indicative.
atât de + adjective + încât
The workhorse pattern for "so [adjective] that [consequence]." The adjective sits between atât de and the linker; the result follows in the indicative.
Era atât de obosit încât a adormit pe canapea.
He was so tired that he fell asleep on the sofa. (result → indicative 'a adormit')
Filmul a fost atât de plictisitor încât am plecat la jumătate.
The film was so boring that we left halfway through.
E atât de cald afară încât nu pot să gândesc.
It's so hot outside that I can't think.
The colloquial equivalent swaps atât de → așa de and încât → că. The meaning is identical; only the register drops:
Era așa de obosit că a adormit imediat.
He was so tired that he fell asleep immediately. (colloquial)
Mi-era așa de foame că aș fi mâncat orice.
I was so hungry I'd have eaten anything. (informal)
atâta / atât + noun + încât
When the degree concerns a quantity of something (so much/so many of a noun), the marker is atâta (or atât), placed before the noun. With a verb, atât(a) follows it ("so much" of an activity).
Aveam atâta treabă încât n-am mai apucat să mănânc.
I had so much work that I didn't even get to eat. (atâta + noun)
A plâns atât încât i-au roșit ochii.
She cried so much that her eyes turned red. (atât + verb)
S-au adunat atâția oameni încât nu mai aveai loc.
So many people gathered that there was no more room. (atâția agreeing with oameni)
Notice that atâta agrees with its noun in number and gender like a quantifier (atâta treabă fem. sg., atâția oameni masc. pl.). The result clause still sits in the indicative throughout.
Why indicative? Result vs purpose
Here is the conceptual heart. A result is an accomplished fact — the consequence is asserted as having occurred, so it takes the indicative. A purpose is an intended goal — it may never be reached, so Romanian frames it in the conjunctiv (subjunctive), the mood of non-asserted, sought-after actions. Compare:
A muncit atât de mult încât a terminat proiectul.
He worked so hard that he finished the project. (result — it happened → indicative)
A muncit mult ca să termine proiectul.
He worked hard (in order) to finish the project. (purpose — the aim → conjunctiv 'să termine')
In the first, a terminat (indicative perfect) reports a real outcome. In the second, să termine (conjunctiv) states the goal, regardless of whether it was achieved. The full purpose/result division of conjunctions is on result and purpose conjunctions.
| Result | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | "so... that" (consequence) | "in order to" (aim) |
| Connector | încât / că | ca să / să |
| Mood | indicative (real) | conjunctiv (intended) |
| Example | atât de obosit încât a adormit | se grăbește ca să prindă trenul |
The negative member: prea... ca să ("too... to")
There is one important case where a degree clause does take the conjunctiv: prea... ca să = "too... to." This is logically the opposite of a result clause — the quality is so excessive that the consequence fails to occur. Because the outcome is blocked (not realized), Romanian uses the conjunctiv, the mood of the unrealized.
E prea obosit ca să mai iasă în oraș.
He's too tired to go out. (the going-out doesn't happen → conjunctiv 'să iasă')
Era prea departe ca să ajungem la timp.
It was too far for us to get there on time.
Ești prea inteligent ca să crezi așa ceva.
You're too smart to believe something like that.
So the system has a symmetry: atât de... încât + indicative says the consequence happened; prea... ca să + conjunctiv says it was prevented. Both are degree constructions, but the reality status of the consequence flips, and the mood follows.
Cafeaua e prea fierbinte ca s-o beau acum.
The coffee's too hot to drink right now.
In careful Romanian the ca is usually present (prea... ca să); dropping it (prea... să) is heard colloquially but the full ca să is the standard written form.
A note on word order and intonation
Spoken Romanian often signals a result with așa de... că and heavy stress on the adjective, sometimes even dropping the linker in exclamatory speech (Era așa obosit! "He was SO tired!"). That bare exclamative degree (without a result clause) is treated separately on exclamative degree; here the point is just that așa de belongs to the informal end of the same family as atât de.
Common Mistakes
Using purpose ca să + conjunctiv for an actual result:
❌ Era atât de obosit ca să adoarmă.
Wrong — a real consequence is a result: …încât a adormit (indicative).
✅ Era atât de obosit încât a adormit.
He was so tired that he fell asleep.
Putting the conjunctiv in a genuine result clause:
❌ A plouat atât de tare încât să se inunde străzile.
Wrong — the flooding happened, so use the indicative: …încât s-au inundat străzile.
✅ A plouat atât de tare încât s-au inundat străzile.
It rained so hard that the streets flooded.
Using a result structure for "too... to" instead of prea... ca să:
❌ E atât de obosit încât nu iese în oraș. [meaning 'too tired to go out']
Possible but heavy — the idiomatic 'too… to' is prea… ca să: E prea obosit ca să iasă.
✅ E prea obosit ca să iasă în oraș.
He's too tired to go out.
Dropping the indicative agreement and leaving a bare infinitive (English transfer):
❌ Era atât de obosit încât a adormi.
Wrong — Romanian has no bare infinitive result; use a finite indicative: încât a adormit.
✅ Era atât de obosit încât a adormit.
He was so tired that he fell asleep.
Mismatching the quantifier atâta with its noun:
❌ S-au adunat atâta oameni încât…
Wrong — atâta must agree: atâția oameni (masc. pl.).
✅ S-au adunat atâția oameni încât nu mai aveai loc.
So many people gathered that there was no more room.
Key Takeaways
- Result clauses correlate a degree marker (atât de / așa de
- adj/adv; atâta
- noun; atât
- verb) with încât (formal) or că (colloquial).
- noun; atât
- adj/adv; atâta
- A result takes the indicative because the consequence actually happened (atât de obosit încât a adormit).
- This contrasts with purpose: ca să
- conjunctiv states an aim, not a fact. Mood is the diagnostic.
- prea... ca să ("too... to") is the negative member: the consequence is blocked, so it takes the conjunctiv (prea obosit ca să iasă).
- atâta agrees with its noun in gender/number (atâta treabă, atâția oameni).
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