Breakdown of Trimite mesajul înainte de ședință.
ședința
the meeting
înainte de
before
a trimite
to send
mesajul
the message
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Questions & Answers about Trimite mesajul înainte de ședință.
What kind of word is Trimite, and what person and mood does it express?
Trimite is the second person singular imperative of the verb a trimite (“to send”). It’s a command telling “you” (one person, informal) to carry out the action now or very soon.
Why does mesajul end in -ul instead of having a separate article like in English?
Romanian attaches the definite article as a suffix to nouns. So:
- mesaj = “message” (indefinite)
- mesajul = “the message” (definite)
This is different from English, which places “the” before the noun.
Could we say Trimite un mesaj înainte de ședință instead? What changes in meaning?
Yes, but:
- Trimite un mesaj = “send a message” (any one message).
- Trimite mesajul = “send the message” (a specific message already known to speaker and listener).
Using un makes it indefinite; using -ul makes it definite.
What does înainte de mean? Is it the same as înaintea?
înainte de literally means “before” (in time). It’s followed by a noun in the indefinite or definite form: înainte de ședință (“before the meeting”).
înaintea is a single-word preposition (“before”) that also takes a noun in the definite form: înaintea ședinței. It’s more formal or literary.
What is the role of înainte de ședință in the sentence?
It’s an adverbial phrase of time (or “prepositional phrase”) specifying when you should send the message. It answers the question “When should I send it?”: “Before the meeting.”
How do you pronounce the letters ș, ă, and î in ședință and înainte?
- ș = English “sh” sound, [ʃ] (“shoe”)
- ă = a reduced “uh” sound, [ə] (like the ‘a’ in “sofa”)
- î = a close central unrounded vowel, [ɨ] (no direct English equivalent; somewhere between “i” in “sir” and “u” in “hurt”)
How would you change Trimite if speaking politely or to more than one person?
Use the second person plural imperative Trimiteți. For example:
- Informal singular: Trimite mesajul înainte de ședință.
- Formal or plural: Trimiteți mesajul înainte de ședință.
Can I reorder the sentence to Înainte de ședință, trimite mesajul? Is it still correct?
Yes. Romanian allows some flexibility in word order. Placing Înainte de ședință at the start emphasizes the time element. The meaning stays the same: “Before the meeting, send the message.”