Learn Hardcore Romanian: Eu aș vrea să mergem departe în weekend, dacă avem destul timp. - I would like us to go far away on the weekend, if we have enough time.

aș vrea is the first-person-singular conditional of a vrea (“to want”), so it literally means “I would like.” It’s more polite and softer than the present-tense vreau (“I want”). You use aș vrea whenever you want to express a wish or a polite request rather than a firm declaration.

Why is there a să before mergem, and what does să mergem represent?

In Romanian, after verbs of desire (like aș vrea), you use să + the verb in the subjunctive (conjunctiv) to link the two clauses.

să mergem = “that we go” (subjunctive mood).
Notice that for the first-person plural, the subjunctive form mergem looks identical to the present indicative. Context (the să) tells you it’s subjunctive.

Why is the verb mergem in the plural form when eu (singular) is the subject?

The main clause subject is eu (“I”), but the subordinate clause subject is we (“us”). You’re saying “I would like that we go…”.

Main clause: Eu aș vrea (“I would like…”)
Subordinate clause: să mergem (“…that we go…”)

Is it necessary to say Eu in Eu aș vrea, or can I drop it?

You can drop Eu because Romanian verbs are conjugated for person and number.

With Eu aș vrea, you add Eu for emphasis or clarity.
Without it: Aș vrea să mergem… sounds perfectly natural and is very common in speech.

What does departe mean, and can I use it with other verbs?

departe is an adverb meaning “far.” You can pair it with any verb of movement or action to indicate distance:

a merge departe – to go far
a cărări departe – to wander far
a privi departe – to look into the distance

You can also strengthen it with modifiers: foarte departe (“very far”), prea departe (“too far”).

Why is it în weekend rather than pe weekend or another preposition?

Both în weekend and pe weekend are used colloquially, but:

în weekend is more standard in Romanian, treating the weekend as a time period.
pe weekend is an influence from English “on the weekend” and is common in informal speech.
You won’t hear la weekend – that would be incorrect.

What does destul mean in destul timp, and does it change form?

destul means “enough.” In avem destul timp, it functions as a determiner before the noun. It agrees only when used adjectivally inside destul de + adjective/adverb:

destul timp – enough time (no agreement)
destule minute – enough minutes (feminine plural)
destul de greu – fairly difficult (here destul is an adverb and invariable)

Why is avem in the present tense even though we refer to future time?

Romanian often uses the present indicative in conditional sentences to talk about future conditions (Type I conditional):

Dacă avem destul timp (în weekend), (vom) merge departe.
You could also use the future in the “if” clause (dacă vom avea), but the present is more common and sounds more natural in everyday speech.

How could I make this sentence more formal or more casual?

You can swap verbs or tweak the mood:

More formal/polished: Mi-ar plăcea să plecăm departe în weekend, dacă vom avea timp suficient.
More casual: Mi-aș duce prietenii departe weekendul ăsta, dacă avem timp.
You can replace aș vrea with mi-ar plăcea, mergem with plecăm, or weekend with weekendul ăsta to adjust register.