Dacă nu merge rețeaua, nu pot deschide fișierul.

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Breakdown of Dacă nu merge rețeaua, nu pot deschide fișierul.

• dacă: if
• a putea: to be able to
• a deschide: to open

Questions & Answers about Dacă nu merge rețeaua, nu pot deschide fișierul.

Why does merge mean works here? I thought it meant goes or walks.

In Romanian, a merge literally means to go or to walk, but it is also very commonly used to mean to work / to function for machines, systems, apps, devices, and services.

So:

• Merge rețeaua = The network works / is functioning
• Nu merge internetul = The internet isn’t working
• Nu merge imprimanta = The printer doesn’t work

This is one of the most common everyday uses of a merge.

Why is it Dacă nu merge rețeaua and not something with este?

Romanian usually uses a merge for something functioning properly, not a fi (to be).

So Romanian prefers:

• Rețeaua merge = The network is working
• Rețeaua nu merge = The network isn’t working

Using este would not express functioning in the same natural way.

What does dacă mean exactly?