Nu vreau să aștept prea mult timp la recepție.

Because Romanian usually uses să + present subjunctive after verbs of wanting, ordering, allowing, recommending, etc.

So:

• vreau = I want
• să aștept = that I wait / to wait

In natural English we say I want to wait, but Romanian normally says I want that I wait, using să plus the subjunctive form.

So Nu vreau să aștept literally maps to I do not want to wait.

A aștepta is the infinitive, meaning to wait.

After să, Romanian does not usually use the infinitive. It uses a subjunctive form, which here is:

• să aștept = that I wait / for me to wait

Compare:

• a aștepta = to wait
• (eu) aștept = I wait
• să aștept = that I wait / to wait after certain verbs

So Nu vreau să aștept is correct, while Nu vreau a aștepta is not natural standard Romanian here.

Nu negates the verb vreau:

• vreau = I want
• nu vreau = I do not want

So the sentence means I don't want to wait..., not I want not to wait in some special emphatic sense. In normal usage, nu simply makes the main verb negative.

Romanian often drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

• vreau already means I want
• aștept already means I wait

So Nu vreau să aștept... naturally means I don’t want to wait... without needing eu.

You could say Eu nu vreau să aștept... if you want emphasis, like:

• Eu nu vreau să aștept = I don’t want to wait

That sounds more contrastive or emphatic.

Prea mult timp means too much time or more naturally in English here, too long.

Breakdown:

• prea = too
• mult = much / a lot
• timp = time

So:

• aștept prea mult timp = wait too much time / wait too long

Romanian often uses prea mult timp where English prefers too long.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• mult timp = for a long time
• prea mult timp = for too long

So:

• Vreau să aștept mult timp = I want to wait a long time
• Nu vreau să aștept prea mult timp = I don’t want to wait too long

The word prea adds the idea of excess.

Because Romanian, like English, usually treats time as an uncountable noun in this kind of expression.

So:

• mult timp = much time / a long time
• prea mult timp = too much time / too long

You would not normally pluralize it here.

La recepție means at the reception desk, at reception, or in the reception area, depending on context.

Breakdown:

• la = at / to
• recepție = reception

In places like hotels, clinics, offices, or gyms, la recepție often means at the front desk.

Both can exist, but they are not always used in exactly the same way.

• la recepție often means at reception / at the reception desk
• în recepție often means in the reception area / inside reception

In your sentence, la recepție sounds very natural if the idea is waiting at the desk or in that service area.

So Romanian often chooses la for service points, counters, or destination-like places:

• la bancă = at the bank
• la doctor = at the doctor’s
• la recepție = at reception

The given order is the most neutral and natural:

• Nu vreau să aștept prea mult timp la recepție.

Romanian word order is somewhat flexible, but changing it can shift emphasis.

For example:

• Nu vreau să aștept la recepție prea mult timp.
  Also understandable, but slightly less neutral.

• La recepție nu vreau să aștept prea mult timp.
  Emphasizes at reception.

So the original version is a very standard way to say it.

A rough pronunciation is uh-SHTEPT.

Two sounds often cause trouble:

• ă = a short, central vowel, something like the a in about
• ș = sh

So:

• aștept sounds approximately like uh-SHTEPT
• aștepta sounds approximately like uh-shtep-TA

The stress is usually on the last syllable in aștept? Actually in this form it is heard as a single stressed syllable cluster around ștept, while in aștepta the stress is on the final -ta.

Recepție is a feminine noun meaning reception. The ending -ie is common in Romanian nouns, especially many abstract or borrowed words.

Examples:

• stație = station
• lecție = lesson
• recepție = reception

Its singular indefinite form is simply recepție. In this sentence, after la, you use the basic noun form:

• la recepție

Sometimes in context it can sound close, but its basic meaning is simply I don’t want to wait.

If you want a stronger idea like I refuse to wait, Romanian would more likely use something stronger, such as:

• Refuz să aștept = I refuse to wait
• Nu sunt dispus să aștept = I’m not willing to wait

So Nu vreau să aștept is normally less forceful than I refuse to wait.

Yes. Even though prea mult timp literally corresponds to too much time, the most natural English translation here is usually:

• I don’t want to wait too long at reception.

That is a good example of how a very literal word-for-word translation is not always the best natural translation.