Verific dacă pașaportul meu este în geantă înainte să plec.

Here dacă means if or whether.

In this sentence, Verific dacă pașaportul meu este în geantă, it introduces a clause showing what is being checked:

• I check whether my passport is in the bag.

A useful distinction:

• dacă = if / whether
• că = that

So:

• Știu că... = I know that...
• Verific dacă... = I check whether...

The -ul is the Romanian definite article, attached to the end of the noun.

So:

• pașaport = passport
• pașaportul = the passport

Romanian usually puts the at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word like English does.

More examples:

• băiat = boy
• băiatul = the boy
• geantă = bag
• geanta = the bag

In Romanian, possessive adjectives like meu usually come after the noun:

• pașaportul meu = my passport
• casa mea = my house
• prietenul meu = my friend

This is the normal and natural word order.

Also notice something important: when the possessed noun is definite, Romanian often uses both:

• the definite article on the noun: pașaportul
• the possessive adjective: meu

So pașaportul meu literally looks like the passport my, but it simply means my passport.

Because pașaport is a masculine singular noun.

Romanian possessives change form depending on the gender and number of the noun:

• meu = masculine singular
• mea = feminine singular
• mei = masculine plural
• mele = feminine plural

Examples:

• pașaportul meu = my passport
• geanta mea = my bag
• prietenii mei = my friends (masculine/mixed)
• cărțile mele = my books

No, in this kind of sentence Romanian normally needs the verb a fi (to be).

So:

• pașaportul meu este în geantă = my passport is in the bag

You generally cannot omit este here the way some languages do.

In everyday speech, people may pronounce it lightly, but grammatically it is still there.

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

• în geantă = in a bag / in the bag depending on context
• în geanta = in the bag with a clearly definite noun, but this form often needs more context, such as în geanta mea (in my bag)

In your sentence, în geantă is natural because the exact bag is probably understood from context. Romanian often uses an unarticulated noun after prepositions in places where English might still say the.

Compare:

• Cheile sunt în geantă. = The keys are in the bag / in my bag
• Cheile sunt în geanta mea. = The keys are in my bag

Romanian often uses înainte să + subjunctive to mean before [someone does something].

So:

• înainte să plec = before I leave

This is a very common pattern.

Romanian can also use:

• înainte de a pleca = before leaving / before I leave

Both are correct, but there is a small difference in feel:

• înainte să plec sounds very natural and conversational
• înainte de a pleca can sound a bit more formal or more explicitly infinitive-based

Because after înainte, Romanian commonly uses the conjunction să, which triggers the subjunctive form.

So:

• înainte să plec = before I leave

Here plec is the 1st person singular subjunctive/present form after să. In many verbs, the subjunctive looks the same as the present indicative, but the presence of să is what matters.

Compare:

• Ple c acum. = I’m leaving now.
• Înainte să plec... = Before I leave...

So the key thing is: să is required by the structure.

Yes, verific is present tense, 1st person singular, from a verifica (to check / to verify).

Like many present-tense forms in Romanian, it can translate in different ways depending on context:

• I check
• I’m checking
• I do check

In this sentence, the most natural English translation is usually:

• I check whether my passport is in my bag before I leave.

This can describe:

• a habit
• a routine
• something happening right now

Context tells you which one is meant.

Romanian often leaves out subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person.

• verific = I check
• plec = I leave

So eu is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Compare:

• Verific dacă pașaportul meu este în geantă... = neutral
• Eu verific dacă pașaportul meu este în geantă... = I check..., perhaps contrasting with someone else

This is very common in Romanian.

Yes, it is natural and correct.

It sounds like a normal everyday sentence. A Romanian speaker could definitely say it.

A few equally natural variations are:

• Verific dacă pașaportul meu e în geantă înainte să plec.
  
  • Here e is the common spoken form of este.
• Îmi verific pașaportul înainte să plec.
  
  • This means I check my passport before leaving, but it slightly changes the meaning: now you are checking the passport itself, not specifically checking whether it is in the bag.
• Verific dacă am pașaportul în geantă înainte să plec.
  
  • Also natural, meaning I check whether I have my passport in the bag before I leave.

E is the short, very common spoken form of este.

So these mean the same thing:

• pașaportul meu este în geantă
• pașaportul meu e în geantă

Difference in tone:

• este = a bit more formal, careful, or written
• e = very common in everyday speech

Both are correct.

A rough pronunciation guide:

• Verific ≈ veh-ree-FEEK
• dacă ≈ DUH-kuh
• pașaportul ≈ pah-sha-POR-tool
• meu ≈ meh-oo (spoken quickly, almost one syllable for some speakers)
• este ≈ YES-teh
• în ≈ a short nasal in / un sound
• geantă ≈ JAN-tuh
• înainte ≈ uh-naiN-teh
• să ≈ suh
• plec ≈ plek

A few sound notes:

• ș sounds like English sh
• ă is a short central vowel, like a relaxed uh
• ge before a in geantă sounds like j in jam

Yes, Romanian word order is fairly flexible, though the original version is very natural.

Possible variations:

• Înainte să plec, verific dacă pașaportul meu este în geantă.
• Verific, înainte să plec, dacă pașaportul meu este în geantă.

The first alternative is especially common if you want to emphasize before I leave first.

Still, your original sentence is smooth and idiomatic:

• Verific dacă pașaportul meu este în geantă înainte să plec.