Breakdown of Atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată, modelăm vaza.
nu
not
a fi
to be
deteriorat
damaged
roata olarului
the potter's wheel
Questions & Answers about Atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată, modelăm vaza.
What does atâta timp cât mean here?
In this sentence, atâta timp cât means as long as.
It introduces a condition:
- Atâta timp cât roata olarului nu este deteriorată = As long as the potter’s wheel is not damaged
In other contexts, atâta timp cât can also suggest while or for as long as, depending on meaning, but here it clearly expresses a condition.
Why is there both atâta and cât? Why not just one word?
Romanian often uses the full expression atâta timp cât as a fixed conjunction meaning as long as.
Literally, the parts are something like:
- atâta = so much / that much
- timp = time
- cât = as / how much / that
But in this sentence, you should learn atâta timp cât as one expression, not word by word. It functions as a connector introducing the subordinate clause.
Why is it roata olarului for the potter’s wheel?