Ar trebui să termin proiectul înainte de ședință.

Ar trebui is the Romanian way to express should / ought to in this sentence.

It comes from the verb a trebui = to be necessary / to have to. In this structure:

• ar trebui = should
• ar trebui să... = should ...

So:

• Ar trebui să termin = I should finish

It is a multi-word form because Romanian often builds meanings like would, should, or ought to with auxiliary-like forms rather than a single separate word like English does.

The word să is a very common Romanian particle used before a verb in certain subordinate constructions.

After ar trebui, Romanian normally uses:

• ar trebui să + verb

So:

• Ar trebui să termin = I should finish
• Ar trebui să plec = I should leave
• Ar trebui să încep = I should start

You can think of să here as part of the grammar pattern required after ar trebui. It does not usually need to be translated separately into English.

Termin is the 1st person singular present subjunctive form, and it matches the implied subject I.

After să, Romanian often uses the subjunctive form. For many verbs, the 1st person singular subjunctive looks the same as the present indicative:

• (eu) termin = I finish / I am finishing
• să termin = that I finish / for me to finish in structure, though in this sentence it helps form I should finish

Compare:

• eu termin = I finish
• tu termini = you finish
• să termin = that I finish / to finish in this pattern

So termin is correct because the speaker is I.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are already clear from the verb form.

So:

• Ar trebui să termin already means I should finish

The I is understood from termin, which is the 1st person singular form.

You could say Eu ar trebui să termin... if you wanted extra emphasis, but normally Romanian does not need eu here.

Proiectul means the project.

Romanian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun, not before it as in English.

So:

• proiect = project
• proiectul = the project

This is one of the most important features of Romanian grammar. The -ul at the end is the definite article.

Other examples:

• băiat = boy
• băiatul = the boy
• plan = plan
• planul = the plan

Înainte de means before.

It is a fixed expression:

• înainte = before / ahead
• de = a preposition used here as part of the phrase

Together:

• înainte de ședință = before the meeting

Romanian commonly uses the full phrase înainte de + noun.

Examples:

• înainte de masă = before lunch
• înainte de curs = before class
• înainte de plecare = before leaving / before departure

Here ședință means meeting, and without the ending article it is more like a meeting or just the general noun form.

After înainte de, Romanian often uses the noun without the definite article in expressions like this, especially when speaking in a general or natural way.

So:

• înainte de ședință = before the meeting / before a meeting, depending on context

In English, the translation may still be before the meeting if the context makes it clear which meeting is meant.

You may also hear înaintea ședinței in more formal or literary Romanian, but înainte de ședință is very natural and common.

The given word order is the most neutral and natural:

• Ar trebui să termin proiectul înainte de ședință.

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, but changing it usually changes the emphasis.

For example:

• Înainte de ședință, ar trebui să termin proiectul.
  This puts more focus on before the meeting.

The original version is the best default order for a learner to use.

Romanian uses diacritics, and they matter.

In ședință:

• ș is pronounced like sh in ship
• ă is a short central vowel, somewhat like the weak vowel in sofa
• ț is pronounced like ts in cats

So ședință is approximately:

• she-DIN-tsuh

Also in the full sentence:

• să has ă, the same short central vowel
• înainte starts with î, a distinct Romanian vowel pronounced deeper and more central than English vowels

Even if your pronunciation is not perfect at first, using ș and ț correctly will help a lot.

Yes. That would also be correct, but the meaning changes a bit.

• Trebuie să termin proiectul... = I have to / must finish the project...
• Ar trebui să termin proiectul... = I should finish the project...

So:

• trebuie să is stronger, more like obligation or necessity
• ar trebui să is softer, more like advice, expectation, or recommendation

This is an important distinction.

Most naturally, Ar trebui să termin proiectul înainte de ședință expresses advice, a sensible plan, or what would be appropriate.

It usually means something like:

• I should finish the project before the meeting
• It would be good for me to finish the project before the meeting

It is weaker than a strict obligation. If you wanted strong obligation, Trebuie să termin... would be more direct.

Yes, depending on context, ar trebui can sometimes express slightly different shades of meaning, such as:

• should
• ought to
• would be expected to
• sometimes even is probably supposed to

But in this sentence, the most straightforward meaning is simply:

• I should finish the project before the meeting

Context always helps decide whether it sounds like advice, expectation, or mild obligation.

The dictionary forms are:

• a trebui = to be necessary / to have to
• a termina = to finish

In the sentence, they appear as:

• ar trebui = a conditional form used to mean should
• termin = I finish, used here after să

Knowing the dictionary forms helps you look up conjugations and build similar sentences.