Continuăm drumeția către vârf în loc să coborâm.

Continuăm is the 1st person plural present tense of the verb a continua = to continue.

So:

• eu continui = I continue
• noi continuăm = we continue

In this sentence, continuăm means we continue.

Romanian often uses the simple present where English might use either:

• we continue
• we are continuing

depending on context.

Drumeția means the hike, while drumeție means a hike or just hike in a more general sense.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not as a separate word like English the.

So:

• drumeție = hike
• drumeția = the hike

In this sentence, Continuăm drumeția means We continue the hike.

This attached ending -a is the feminine singular definite article here.

Drumeție usually means a hike, trek, or mountain walk, especially in nature.

It is more specific than a general trip. For example:

• excursie = excursion / trip / outing
• plimbare = walk / stroll
• drumeție = hike

So drumeția către vârf gives the idea of a hike heading toward the summit, not just any trip.

Către means toward or towards.

So:

• către vârf = toward the peak / summit

It shows direction, not necessarily arrival.

In many contexts, Romanian can also use spre, which is often very similar:

• către vârf
• spre vârf

Both can mean toward the summit. In many everyday sentences, they are nearly interchangeable.

Here vârf appears without the definite article, even though English often says the peak or the summit.

Romanian often allows a bare noun after a preposition when the meaning is general or directional:

• mergem spre casă = we’re going home
• urcăm spre munte = we climb toward the mountain area
• către vârf = toward the summit

You could find more specific versions in other contexts, but către vârf is perfectly natural as a directional phrase.

Also, vârf can mean peak, summit, or top, depending on context.

În loc să means instead of + a verb clause, or more literally in place of doing something.

So:

• în loc să coborâm = instead of going down / instead of descending

This is a very common Romanian structure.

Examples:

• În loc să plecăm, rămânem. = Instead of leaving, we stay.
• În loc să vorbească, tace. = Instead of speaking, he/she stays silent.

It introduces an alternative action that is not chosen.

Because în loc să is a structure that requires the subjunctive.

In Romanian, the subjunctive is commonly formed with să + a verb form.

So:

• în loc să coborâm = instead of us going down

You do not say în loc coborâm here.

The word să is very common in Romanian and often appears after expressions that introduce intention, possibility, desire, or alternatives.

Good question. In Romanian, some subjunctive forms look exactly like the present indicative, especially in the 1st person plural and 2nd person plural.

So:

• coborâm = we descend / we are descending
• să coborâm = that we descend / for us to descend / instead of descending

The presence of să tells you it is functioning as a subjunctive clause.

So in this sentence:

• coborâm by itself could be indicative
• să coborâm is clearly subjunctive because of să

A coborî means to go down, to descend, or to come down.

In hiking or mountain contexts, it often means to descend.

So:

• coborâm = we go down / we descend

In this sentence, it contrasts with continuing upward toward the summit.

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible, but this version is very natural:

Continuăm drumeția către vârf în loc să coborâm.

It presents the main action first:

1. Continuăm = we continue
2. drumeția = the hike
3. către vârf = toward the summit
4. în loc să coborâm = instead of descending

You could rearrange parts for emphasis, but this order sounds straightforward and natural.

For example, moving în loc să coborâm earlier would put more emphasis on the contrast, but the original sentence is the most neutral.

The main special letters here are:

• ă in continuăm
• â in continuăm, coborâm, vârf

Very roughly:

• ă is a short neutral vowel, like the a in sofa
• â is a central vowel that English does not really have; it sounds tighter and deeper than ă

So:

• continuăm ≈ con-ti-nu-əm
• coborâm ≈ co-bo-rɨm
• vârf ≈ vɨrf

Also:

• ț in drumeția sounds like ts
• ă in să is the same short neutral vowel as above

A learner does not need perfect pronunciation immediately, but distinguishing ă and â is very useful over time.