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Eu plec la școală după ora opt.

Eu plec la școală după ora opt.
I leave for school after eight o'clock.
FromLesson 3inHardcore Romanian

Breakdown of Eu plec la școală după ora opt.

eu
I
la
to
a pleca
to leave
școala
the school
ora
the hour
opt
eight
după
after

Questions & Answers about Eu plec la școală după ora opt.

Why is the subject Eu used in Eu plec la școală după ora opt? Can it be omitted?
Romanian is a pro-drop language, which means the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. plec is first person singular present. So you can just say Plec la școală după ora opt. Including Eu adds emphasis (e.g. “I, for one, am leaving…”), but it isn’t strictly necessary.
What tense and person is plec, and how do you conjugate the verb a pleca?

plec is the present tense, first person singular form of a pleca (to leave). Here’s the full present-tense paradigm: • eu plec
• tu pleci
• el/ea pleacă
• noi plecăm
• voi plecați
• ei/ele pleacă

Why do we use the preposition la before școală?
The verb a pleca (to leave) requires la to express a destination. So la școală literally means “to school.” In English you’d say “I’m leaving for school,” but in Romanian it’s “plec la școală.”
Why is școală not in the definite form here, and what about saying la școala?
When you use la with names of institutions to express routine (“to school,” “to church,” “to work”), the noun is normally indefinite: la școală, la biserică, la serviciu. Saying la școala (the school) makes it specific—“to the particular school”—and you’d do that only if you were pointing out one building: Merg la școala din sat (“I’m going to the village school”).
What does după ora opt mean literally, and why include ora?
Literally it’s “after the hour eight.” In Romanian time expressions you almost always use the noun oră with its definite article (ora). So you say după ora opt (“after eight o’clock”). Dropping ora (după opt) is ungrammatical in standard Romanian.
Could I say după opt instead of după ora opt? Why or why not?
No. Romanian requires the definite article on oră in clock-time phrases. Always use ora (definite) with your cardinal: ora unu, ora două, ora opt, etc. Without it the phrase is considered incomplete.
How do you pronounce the letters ș and ă, and why are they important?

• ș is like English “sh” in ship.
• ă is a schwa sound [ə], like the ‘a’ in sofa.
These diacritics distinguish words: sara (the evening star) vs. șara (made-up), or fata (the girl) vs. fată (girl). Leaving them out can change the meaning or make the text ambiguous.

Can I rearrange the word order, for example După ora opt, plec la școală or La școală plec după ora opt?

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible for emphasis: • După ora opt, plec la școală. (Emphasizes “after eight.”)
• La școală plec după ora opt. (Less common, sounds poetic or marked.)
The neutral, unmarked order is (Eu) plec la școală după ora opt.

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