Când liftul nu merge, mergem pe scară până sus.

Când means when. Here it introduces a time clause:

Când liftul nu merge = When the elevator isn’t working

It works much like English when in sentences such as When the bus doesn’t come, we walk.

Romanian often puts this clause first, but it can also come later: Mergem pe scară până sus când liftul nu merge.

Both word orders are possible, though the version with când first is very natural.

Liftul means the elevator. Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English the.

So:

• lift = an elevator / elevator
• liftul = the elevator

That -ul is the masculine/neuter singular definite article.

Yes — a merge often means to go, but it also very commonly means to work / to function.

So:

• Liftul merge. = The elevator works.
• Liftul nu merge. = The elevator doesn’t work.

This is one of the most common Romanian uses of merge. It can be used for machines, devices, apps, cars, and so on.

They are two different forms of the same verb, a merge.

• merge = he/she/it goes / works
• mergem = we go

So:

• liftul nu merge = the elevator doesn’t work
• mergem pe scară = we go by the stairs / we take the stairs

The subject changes, so the verb form changes too:

• subject: liftul → merge
• subject: we understood from the verb ending → mergem

In this sentence, pe scară means by the stairs / via the staircase or idiomatically take the stairs.

Romanian often uses the singular scară to refer to the staircase as a route or means of going up/down. So:

• mergem pe scară = we go by the stairs / we take the stairs

English uses the plural stairs, but Romanian does not have to match that exactly.

You may also hear other expressions in real life, but pe scară is perfectly natural here.

Because here pe scară is being used in a more general, idiomatic way: by the stairs / using the staircase.

Compare:

• mergem pe scară = we take the stairs
• mergem pe scara din spate = we go on/by the back staircase

If you say scara, you are usually referring to a specific staircase: the staircase. In this sentence, the general expression without the article sounds natural.

Până means until / up to, and sus means up / upstairs / above.

Together, până sus means all the way up or up to the top.

So:

• mergem pe scară până sus = we take the stairs all the way up

It emphasizes that you go upward to the top destination, not just part of the way.

Yes. The sentence is in the present tense because it describes a general situation or habit:

Când liftul nu merge, mergem pe scară până sus. = When the elevator doesn’t work, we take the stairs all the way up.

This is very similar to English, which also often uses the present for repeated or habitual actions: When it rains, we stay inside.

So this is not necessarily about one specific moment; it can describe what usually happens.

Both exist.

• lift is very common in everyday speech.
• ascensor is also correct and may sound a bit more formal or technical depending on context.

So this sentence could also be: Când ascensorul nu merge, mergem pe scară până sus.

But liftul is extremely common and natural.

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

The given sentence: Când liftul nu merge, mergem pe scară până sus.

Possible variation: Mergem pe scară până sus când liftul nu merge.

Both are correct. Putting când liftul nu merge first gives the sentence a clear condition/time-frame first, result second structure, which is very common.

You could also sometimes hear emphasis changes depending on what the speaker wants to highlight, but the original order is a very natural default.

This sentence contains two Romanian-specific vowels that English speakers often notice:

• â in când
• ă in scară and până

A simple learner-friendly approximation:

• ă is a short, relaxed vowel, like the a in English sofa
• â is a central vowel that English does not really have; it is tighter and deeper than ă

So roughly:

• când ≈ one syllable, with a special central vowel
• scară ≈ SKA-rə
• până ≈ PÂ-nə, with that special â sound in the first syllable

You do not need a perfect accent right away, but it is useful to notice that ă and â are different sounds and are not interchangeable.