Vreau cafea înainte de ședință.

the coffee

Breakdown of Vreau cafea înainte de ședință.

• a vrea: to want
• ședința: the meeting
• înainte de: before

Questions & Answers about Vreau cafea înainte de ședință.

Why is there no subject pronoun like eu in “Vreau cafea înainte de ședință”?

In Romanian, subject pronouns are often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the subject. Here vreau is first person singular (“I want”), so adding eu (“I”) is redundant. You could say Eu vreau cafea…, but it’s more natural to drop eu in everyday speech.

What does vreau mean, and how is it formed?

Vreau is the first person singular present tense of the verb a vrea (“to want”). Conjugation in the present tense:

• eu vreau
• tu vrei
• el/ea vrea
  So vreau = “I want.”

Why is cafea used without an article? Could you say o cafea?

Yes, you can say both:

• Vreau cafea = “I want coffee” (general/uncountable sense)
• Vreau o cafea = “I want a coffee” (“a cup of coffee,” countable)
  Dropping the article makes the noun more generic, like ordering coffee in general.

Why do we use înainte de + ședință instead of another form?

Înainte de means “before.” It’s a two-word prepositional phrase that’s always followed by a noun or pronoun without a separate article:

• înainte de ședință (“before the meeting”)
  Alternatively, in more formal/written style you might see înaintea ședinței, where the definite article is enclitic on ședință (making ședinței). Both are correct, but înainte de
  • base noun is more common in speech.

What case is ședință in after de?

After the preposition de, Romanian uses the noun in its basic (nominative/accusative) form when no article is present. So ședință stays unchanged. If you add the definite article, it becomes ședința (înainte de ședința is wrong—use înaintea ședinței).

How do you pronounce ședință, and where is the stress?

ș is pronounced like English “sh.”
ședință is [ʃeˈdin.t͡sə], with the stress on the second syllable: sheh-DEEN-tsə.

Can the word order change? For example, “Înainte de ședință vreau cafea.”

Yes. Romanian allows some flexibility. Placing time expressions at the start emphasizes them but doesn’t change meaning:

• Vreau cafea înainte de ședință.
• Înainte de ședință vreau cafea.
  Both mean “I want coffee before the meeting,” though the second may sound slightly more formal or poetic.