Breakdown of Este important să pot vorbi română la ședința de luni.
a fi
to be
a vorbi
to speak
româna
the Romanian language
la
at
ședința
the meeting
important
important
a putea
to be able to
de
of
luni
Monday
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Questions & Answers about Este important să pot vorbi română la ședința de luni.
Why is să used before pot vorbi?
Romanian uses să to introduce the subjunctive mood in subordinate clauses after expressions of necessity, importance, desire, etc. Here, Este important triggers a subjunctive clause, so you need să pot vorbi (“that I can speak”).
Could I omit să or pot and still convey the same meaning?
No.
- Omitting să breaks the required subjunctive structure after Este important.
- Omitting pot changes the meaning from “that I can speak” to simply “that I speak.” If you want “to be able to,” you must keep pot.
Why don’t we say ca să pot vorbi instead of să pot vorbi?
After impersonal expressions like Este important, standard Romanian uses only să for the subjunctive. The combination ca să is reserved for expressing purpose (“in order to”) in other contexts, not after impersonal verbs of necessity.
Why is română used here instead of română or another form?
română (feminine singular) is the noun meaning “the Romanian language.”
- român is the masculine adjective/noun for “a Romanian man” or the adjective “Romanian.”
In Romanian, names of languages are feminine nouns (e.g., engleză, franceză, spaniolă).
What does la ședința de luni literally translate to?
Literally it’s “at the meeting of Monday”:
- la = “at”
- ședința = “the meeting” (definite form of ședință)
- de = “of”
- luni = “Monday”
Together: “at Monday’s meeting.”
Why do we use la instead of în before ședința?
la indicates attendance or location “at” an event (e.g., a fi la ședință, “to be at the meeting”).
în would suggest “inside” or “during” the meeting, changing the nuance.
Could I say ședința din ziua de luni instead of ședința de luni?
You could, but it’s unnecessarily wordy. The standard, concise form is ședința de luni. Adding din ziua is redundant.
Why is luni not capitalized?
In Romanian, days of the week are not capitalized, unlike in English.
How do I pronounce ș and ț in ședința?
- ș is pronounced [ʃ], like “sh” in shoe.
- ț is pronounced [ts], like “ts” in cats.