Breakdown of Ori de câte ori rotim mecanismul, magnetul deschide compartimentul.
a deschide
to open
mecanismul
the mechanism
compartimentul
the compartment
magnetul
the magnet
Questions & Answers about Ori de câte ori rotim mecanismul, magnetul deschide compartimentul.
What does ori de câte ori mean, and how is it used?
Ori de câte ori means whenever or every time that.
It introduces a repeated or habitual action:
- Ori de câte ori rotim mecanismul... = Whenever we turn the mechanism...
- It connects one action to another that happens each time.
A useful way to remember it:
- de câte ori = how many times / every time
- ori de câte ori is a fixed expression meaning whenever
You will often see it followed by a verb in the present tense when talking about general repeated actions.
Why is the verb rotim used here? What form is it?
Rotim is the 1st person plural present form of a roti, meaning to rotate / to turn.
So:
- eu rotesc = I rotate
- tu rotești = you rotate
- noi rotim = we rotate
- voi rotiți = you all rotate
In this sentence, rotim means we turn/rotate.
Romanian often uses the present tense for things that happen regularly or whenever a condition is met, just like English can say Whenever we turn the mechanism, ...
Why is there no word for we before rotim?