Learn Hardcore Romanian: Reducerea este valabilă doar azi, așa că luăm două perechi de pantofi. - The discount is valid only today, so we are taking two pairs of shoes.

Reducerea is a noun in its definite form, meaning “the discount.” The basic form is reducere (feminine singular, “a discount”). Adding -a makes it definite: the discount, which here acts as the subject of the sentence.

Why is the adjective valabilă feminine, and how does it agree?

Adjectives in Romanian agree with the nouns they modify in gender and number. Valabilă is the feminine singular form of valabil because Reducerea is feminine singular. If the subject were masculine, you’d use valabil instead.

What is the difference between azi and astăzi?

Both mean “today,” but azi is more colloquial and common in speech, while astăzi is slightly more formal and often used in writing. In everyday conversation, azi is perfectly natural.

Why is doar placed before azi, and could you say azi doar instead?

Doar means “only.” Placing it before azi (as doar azi) is the usual neutral order: only today. You could say azi doar, but it sounds less common and may shift emphasis or sound more poetic/marked, depending on context.

What does the conjunction așa că mean, and how is it used?

Așa că means “so,” “therefore,” or “that’s why.” It links cause and effect. Here, the discount is valid only today (cause) așa că we’ll take two pairs of shoes (effect).

What tense and mood is luăm, and why is it used here?

Luăm is the present indicative, first person plural of a lua (“we take” / “we’re taking” / “we’ll take”). In Romanian, the simple present can express an action decided or happening very soon, so luăm conveys an immediate or planned future action without needing the future tense.

Could you use vom lua instead of luăm, and what’s the nuance?

Yes. Vom lua is the simple future (“we will take”). Using luăm (present) feels more colloquial and immediate, like “we’re taking” or “we’ll take” in English informal speech. Vom lua is more explicitly future and slightly more formal.

Why is it două perechi de pantofi and not something like două pantofi?

Pantofi is already the plural of pantof (“shoe”). If you want to buy two pairs, you need pereche (“pair”) as the counting unit. So două perechi de pantofi literally means “two pairs of shoes.” Saying două pantofi would be ungrammatical because you can’t directly quantify shoes in pairs without the word pereche.

Why is there no article before pantofi, as in două perechi de pantofii?

After de in a genitive/partitive construction, you drop the definite article. Here două perechi de pantofi means “two pairs of shoes” in an indefinite sense. If you said perechile de pantofi, it would be “the pairs of shoes,” using the article to specify definite pairs.