Breakdown of Trebuie să plec la ședință la ora nouă.
la
to
a pleca
to leave
la
at
ora
the hour
a trebui
must
ședința
the meeting
nouă
nine
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Romanian grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Trebuie să plec la ședință la ora nouă.
What does Trebuie să mean and why is it used here?
Trebuie is the impersonal form of the verb a trebui (“to have to”/“must”). Combined with the particle să, it expresses obligation. So Trebuie să plec literally means “I have to leave” or “I must go.”
Why is there să before plec, and what mood is this?
After modal expressions like trebuie, Romanian uses the subjunctive mood, introduced by să. The form plec here is the present subjunctive (spelled the same as the indicative), and să marks that mood.
Why isn’t there an eu (I) before plec to say “I leave”?
Romanian is a pro-drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb ending already identifies person and number. Plec clearly indicates first-person singular, so adding eu is redundant unless you want extra emphasis.
Why are there two la in la ședință la ora nouă, and what does each one mean?
The first la is the preposition “to,” indicating motion toward the meeting: “to the meeting.” The second la is also a preposition but means “at” when introducing a time: la ora nouă = “at nine o’clock.”
Why is there no article before ședință? Could I say la o ședință?
When referring to attending a routine or pre-arranged event, Romanian often drops the indefinite article: la ședință = “to (the) meeting.” If you want to stress “to a meeting” in general (any meeting), you can say la o ședință, but for a specific scheduled meeting you both know about, you’d normally omit o.
How do I pronounce ședință, and what sound does the diacritic ș represent?
The letter ș (s with a comma) is pronounced [ʃ], like “sh” in English ship. So ședință is pronounced [ʃeˈdin.t͡sə].
Why is it ora nouă and not ora a noua or ora nouălea? How do you tell time?
In Romanian, telling the hour uses the noun oră in its definite form (ora = “the hour”) plus the cardinal number. Ora nouă literally means “the nine hour,” i.e. “nine o’clock.” You don’t form an ordinal here—just the number.
What’s the difference between plec la ședință and merg la ședință?
Both can translate as “I’m going to the meeting,” but plec (from a pleca) emphasizes departing from your current spot, while merg (from a merge) stresses the action of going or attending. The nuance is small and both are perfectly natural.
Can I reorder the sentence to La ora nouă trebuie să plec la ședință? Does it change anything?
Yes—Romanian word order is flexible. Placing La ora nouă at the start simply highlights the time (“At nine o’clock…”). The overall meaning stays the same: you still must leave for the meeting at nine.