Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Romanian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Când pleci la școală?
What does Când mean here?
Când means when. It’s the question word you use to ask about the time something happens.
What is the verb pleci? What person and tense is it?
pleci comes from a pleca (to leave/go). It’s the present tense, second person singular (you – informal). So it literally means “you leave” or “you are leaving.”
Why isn’t the subject pronoun tu included?
Romanian normally drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who is doing the action. Adding tu is possible for emphasis (“Tu pleci…?”) but it’s not required.
What does la școală literally mean, and why is there no article?
La școală literally means to school. When you talk about going to school in general, you omit the article. If you said la școala, it would mean “to the school” as a specific building.
How would I address a group or use the formal “you” here?
Use plecați instead of pleci. The question becomes: Când plecați la școală?
Does the present tense pleci refer to now or to a habitual action?
In Romanian, the present tense covers both a current action (“you are leaving now”) and habitual actions (“you usually leave”). You rely on context to know which one.
Why is Când at the beginning, and could I rearrange the words?
In Romanian questions, the question word (when, where, etc.) typically comes first. You can’t split la from școală or move când into the middle. The correct order is Când pleci la școală?
How do I pronounce ș in școală and ci in pleci?
ș sounds like sh in “shoe,” so școală = sh-KOA-luh. In pleci, ci makes the “ch” sound as in “church,” so pleci ≈ PLEK-ch.